Children's home run by Platform Childcare Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 1263773 1 Registered provider: Platform Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who may experience emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 18 February 2020

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1263773 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/05/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1263773 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children trust the adults who care for them and enjoy spending time doing activities and relaxing in the home. The staff team is established, which means that children can build strong, meaningful relationships with adults who know them well.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are making significant progress academically and managers back this up through attending meetings and supporting extra-curricular activities. Managers are assertive when advocating for children’s educational needs. For example, managers appealed the decision when one child was refused a school place. Children know that adults believe in their potential and this helps them to succeed.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults are creative in helping children overcome anxieties and develop healthy sleep patterns. For example, a child was supported with their fear of monsters by being offered reassurance at bedtime. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and well maintained. There are clear behavioural expectations for each child, and these are clearly documented.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views make up the foundations of how care is provided. Children attend weekly meetings and actively contribute in discussions. There is a book club and a monthly children’s meeting with managers.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although children are protected from passive smoking, children frequently see adults going outside to smoke cigarettes. Managers have recognised this as a problem and are starting to explore ways to promote more positive role modelling for children.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Behavioural incidents for children steadily decline the longer that they are cared for. Adults know how to keep children safe. Any damage to the home is quickly repaired.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Adults spend lots of time talking to children and listening to what matters to them. When children are in unsafe situations, they call adults, who respond immediately. Children learn that they can depend on the adults who care for them.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff are well trained and prioritise their learning and development. The manager delivers bespoke training courses, tailored to address the needs of each child. There is an expectation that staff understand each child’s background history and coping strategies. This means that adults know how to de-escalate situations in a way that children feel comfortable with.

p.3

How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Managers equip children for the practicalities of independent living. However, children are not given enough freedom to take age-related risks in the community. For example, some children are not given enough opportunities to spend time with friends in the community. This impacts on children’s abilities to build relationships Inspection report children’s home: 1263773 4 outside of the home.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers are organised and have a good understanding as to the progress that children are making. Managers spend time developing staff and ensuring that they feel supported in their role. Children’s memories are well captured through photos and scrapbooks. Before a child moves into the home, other children are consulted on an individual basis. When children leave the home, communication continues, and support is still provided.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers have excellent oversight of incidents. Incidents are discussed with both children and staff in a timely way. Children receive full debriefs. Managers are professionally curious about why children may have become upset or frustrated. Children’s documents are updated regularly, and progress is noted and evaluated. When children do well, this is celebrated. Equally, when children are struggling, they are given more time with adults to work through any problems.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a clear therapeutic model within the home, and this helps children to trust adults and feel secure. Language used by staff is nurturing and child-focused. Adults support children to understand their heritage, gender and sexual identity.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff supervisions are regular. The importance of teamwork and training for staff is prioritised by managers. Staff unanimously love their roles caring for children and express that they have a good work-life balance. Probation reports and appraisal documents for staff contain lots of detail. Staff action plans for improvement are clear and well understood

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Wider feedback from families and professionals is positive. Inspection report children’s home: 1263773 5

p.4

Recommendations

 Children should be supported to understand how to build friendships with other children. They should be able to spend time with their friends in the local community, in their home area, and by having friends visit them at the home, in line with the child’s plans, age and understanding. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.7)

p.5

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 1263773 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Platform Childcare Ltd

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 33 Anglesey Business Centre, Anglesey Road, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire DE14 3NT

p.6

Inspector

Andi Lilley-Tams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1263773 7 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7