Children's Home run by Platform Childcare Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 1 SC479230 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

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to care for up to three children who may have experienced trauma which has resulted in social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2021. She is suitably experienced and is working towards a level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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: 8 February 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/02/2022 Full Good 04/06/2019 Full Good 11/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children live in the home, and have done so for a considerable amount of time. Children have all continued to make good progress and have positive experiences since the previous inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have strong relationships with children. They spend time with children and consistently praise and listen to them. Children have enjoyable activities such as go- karting and visits to animal farms. They also enjoy spending time around the home with staff cooking, doing artwork and playing board games.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are at the heart of the team’s approach to their care. Any complaints made by children are listened to and acted on. For example, the manager spends time with children supporting them to understand decisions and has thought of new ways to help children feel listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to support the children in making the most of their educational potential. Children are all in education and staff help them with their homework. They get extra support from staff on sensitive topics they may struggle with. Staff work with professionals to find creative solutions when there are any barriers to education. School professionals for two children have described the level of attentivity from staff to children’s education as ‘exceptional’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met well. The manager regularly liaises with specialist professionals to support children’s emotional well-being when the need arises. Staff use this specialist advice to plan children’s care and inform how they will respond to individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The continual nurturing way that children are cared for has resulted in virtually no negative consequences for children since the last inspection. The manager and staff use fair boundaries and offer every child their own personalised routine, which everyone knows well. This ensures that children have a sense of stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is personalised to children’s tastes. Since the previous inspection, there have been some home improvements made. However, some bathrooms remain tired looking and are in need of redecoration and repair. While this is mainly an aesthetic issue, it does distract from an otherwise warm and welcoming atmosphere.

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

The manager implements child-focused plans which give staff guidance on the specific needs of children and how to meet these. Staff know these plans well and follow these to keep children safe. However, occasionally, the recording lacks important information. For example, where the team has agreed to supervise one Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 4 child in a specific way to keep them safe online, this is not captured in records to demonstrate that this good practice is taking place. The manager recognises this is an area where records could be made clearer.

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

The manager responds effectively to any allegations of harm. She makes sure the child is safe and lets them know what will be happening next. Staff understand their responsibility to safeguard children and respond sensitively to children when they share information with them. The manager works well with the statutory agencies to make sure the information is shared and any relevant safeguarding investigations are carried out.

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

Children receive good support to help them overcome any difficulties in their relationships with one another. Staff talk any conflict through with them, and children are supervised carefully. The manager engages children’s social workers in discussions with children to make sure that everyone feels safe living with one another.

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

Staff are attentive to children when they try to harm themselves or are struggling with their feelings. The team supports children with these issues in a trauma- informed way. Staff always seek to understand what may have caused the child to feel that way, and ensure that the child has the support that meets their needs.

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

Staff understand children well and de-escalate situations where children may need extra support to help them calm. Restraint is only used as a last resort and to keep children safe. Behaviour records have improved since the previous inspection. However, on one occasion, the manager evaluated the effectiveness of a restraint which she was involved in.

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

The registered manager has made improvements to the review of the premises since the previous inspection. It now considers risks posed by a nearby canal and playground. However, the registered manager did not update their review when police shared intelligence about possible risks in the area. This had minimal impact on children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post since 2021 and she is now well established in her role. She keeps the children at the centre of all her decision-making and is incredibly passionate about ensuring good outcomes for them. This is reflected in the way children are written about in their records and this is evident in the staff practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feedback is positive. They feel teamwork is good and spoke positively of the manager, who ‘goes above and beyond’ for them and the children. Team meetings are a positive forum and discuss children’s care and their progress to make sure everyone is working together to meet the children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 5 The training programme provides staff with the skills they require to meet children’s needs. Staff have recently had training from health professionals who know children well, to support children and to understand the therapeutic approach to care. Other professionals provide positive feedback about the trauma-informed approach to children’s care and how this supports consistent approaches to children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager creates a supportive environment for staff. Staff receive regular supervision which focuses on children as well as their own well-being. However, the manager misses opportunities for staff to properly reflect on the quality of care to upskill the team. Managers have recognised this and devised a new template for supervisions to address this area of development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors and reviews the care of children on a regular basis. She offers clear oversight and evaluation of incidents, produces her own monthly audit, and the independent person now consults with children regularly. This helps to make these visits more purposeful for children. However, the manager’s recent quality of care review did not fully evaluate the quality of care or consult with other professionals. Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that areas of the home in need of development, such as the bathrooms, are improved.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the previous inspection and is restated. 2 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it 16 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 7 The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b) (5))

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that within supervisions staff have the opportunity to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff clearly record important information on children’s records such as information about how they safeguard children online and about strategies to manage risk when new information arises. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 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

Fiona Roche, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 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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