Children's home run by Platform Childcare Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: 1263505 1 Registered provider: Platform Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who have been diagnosed with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 15 October 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: n/a Inspection report children’s home: 1263505 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/10/2019 Full Good 04/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1263505 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living at this home and have a good relationship with the staff. Children enjoy spending time with staff. Routines are in place to provide structure and fun opportunities for children. For example, staff took children to theme parks and on many day trips during the school holidays. Children enjoy spending time on electronic devices but will also regularly play board games with staff and the other children. This has supported children to form friendships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to eat healthily and to stay fit. Although some children are less motivated to be healthy than others, staff are working hard to address this. All children’s medical appointments are up to date. However, staff are not yet doing enough to review the effectiveness of children’s medication. For example, one child has been taking sleep medication for a long time, without a formal review of sleep patterns. As a result, it is difficult for staff to provide information to health professionals as to whether this medication remains appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have worked hard to protect the well-being of children with complex needs related to their mental health. When children have needed to move out of the home in order to receive specialist care, these transitions have been well organised and carried out in a sensitive way. Some children have health needs which require bespoke home adaptions to ensure that their bedrooms and bathrooms remain hygienic. Although the home is cleaned regularly, these adaptions are not yet in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each child has an education package that is tailored to their individual needs. Most children are doing well and making good educational progress. When children find it difficult to attend school or adhere to school rules, staff work well with schools to advocate for children and keep them in education. For example, the registered manager has sourced additional funding for one child to attend a work-based education placement during the school holidays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are generally attentive to children’s needs and spend time having regular discussions with them. However, some staff practice has not ensured that children are given opportunities to communicate and to make progress. For example, when in the company of children who find it difficult to communicate verbally, staff occasionally speak about the child with each other rather than engaging directly with the child. Also, there have been isolated incidents in which staff have told a child that they lack ability to complete a task that the child is actually able to do.

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

Children’s risk-taking behaviours are well understood and documented prior to any child moving into the home. These documents are then regularly reviewed and Inspection report children’s home: 1263505 4 updated throughout the child’s time at the home. As a result, staff are provided with up-to-date and accurate information that helps them to protect children.

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

Behaviour management strategies are effective. Staff remain calm and can confidently de-escalate situations. After any incident, children are spoken to about their behaviour in a thoughtful way, which encourages children to reflect. Staff take the same solution-focused approach when children struggle to manage their behaviour at school. This approach helps children to take responsibility but avoids children feeling shamed or embarrassed. Physical intervention is used in the home, but only as a last resort. When physical intervention does happen, it is managed well and recorded effectively.

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

Children know what the house rules are because they are explained well to children. Children sign contracts which help them to understand why rules have been put in place. By setting and maintaining clear boundaries for children, staff reduce children’s anxieties, provide consistency and promote healthy routines.

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

Contextual safeguarding risks are discussed between staff and the children on a regular basis. Staff talk to children about why they may be vulnerable and help them to avoid situations in which they might be exploited. As a result, children become safer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers make a clear commitment to children, even when children’s needs become complex and challenging. As a result, children do not experience unplanned or chaotic placement endings. For example, a local authority has not been able to identify a suitable placement for a young person who has become an adult and requires care in an adult service. The registered manager has ensured that the young person continues to be well cared for and well supported by staff in the home. The manager has also advocated for the young person to ensure that their views about their future care arrangements are respected.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive about the support that they receive from the registered manager and deputy manager. New staff have thorough inductions and receive good-quality training prior to caring for children. Team meetings and formal supervision meetings take place regularly. However, records of supervision do not always demonstrate that staff are given opportunities to reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partner agencies are positive about care provided to children and can easily identify the progress that the children have made since moving into the home. Parents are also very positive about the relationships that they have with staff. One parent noted that they speak to staff each day and is always welcomed to the home to take part in activities with their child. This good partnership working enables children to thrive in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Due to recent staff changes, there are now fewer experienced staff who are suitably qualified working at the home. The registered manager plans to leave the home Inspection report children’s home: 1263505 5 soon and a new manager has not yet been appointed. One staff member resigned and left the home without saying goodbye to the children. The registered manager did not ensure that the children were given the opportunity to say goodbye to this member of staff. This had the potential to cause children anxiety and confusion. Inspection report children’s home: 1263505 6

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Recommendations

 The design of the home should include any necessary adaptation to meet the needs of disabled children or specific health issues. This specifically relates to the home environment needing to be tailored to meet each child’s hygiene needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.24)  Children’s homes staff should seek to identify and provide appropriate opportunities for children to develop themselves in accordance with their wishes and feelings and as part of the home’s plan for their care. Each child’s talents and interests should be understood and nurtured, with children selecting activities based on their personal preferences and abilities, so far as is reasonable. Staff should also support children to try activities that are ‘new’ for them, where appropriate. This specifically relates to staff not putting limitations on children, for example telling children that they cannot do something even when the child has

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Recommendations

capacity. It is important for staff to always talk to each child directly and not about the child with other staff when the child is present. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4)  Staff supervision must enable staff to reflect and act on how their own feelings and behaviour may be affected by the behaviour of the children they care for. This specifically relates to supervision providing more opportunity for reflective practice and professional curiosity. This should include reflections and observations about the impact of medication on children’s well-being and behaviour. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.15)  The registered person should monitor and review the patterns and trends of turnover of staff, whether agency or directly employed, and be able to understand and where possible, address any negative trends. This specifically relates to

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Recommendations

children needing to be cared for by an experienced, appropriately qualified staff team. Changes in the staff team should be reviewed and monitored to ensure that children are provided with consistent care. Children should receive well- planned endings with staff in line with their attachment needs. Where children need longer time to process information cognitively, this should be considered so that all children are given time to process that staff are leaving. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.19)

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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) Inspection report children’s home: 1263505 7 Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 1263505 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Platform Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 2, First Floor, Millennium Court, First Avenue, Centrum 100, Burton upon Trent DE14 2WH

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Inspector

Andi Lilley-Tams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1263505 9 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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