Children's home run by Platform Childcare Ltd in East Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1214266 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

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is currently away and not in day-to-day charge of the home. The home is currently led by an interim manager while this situation is being resolved.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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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: 1214266 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/04/2022 Full Good 10/08/2021 Full Good 14/01/2020 Full Outstanding 14/11/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1214266 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they like the staff. Staff know the importance of spending key time with the children. For example, staff welcome the children back in from school and spend time talking and playing with them. Bedtime routines are well planned. As a result, children have positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans are clear and detailed. They help staff to know how to care for each child in all areas of their life. There is a version in a child-friendly format. Children’s wishes and feelings are included in the plan. Children add comments on the plan. This ensures that children are involved with their plan and feel listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in full-time education. Their attendance is good. There is close daily communication between school and home staff. Children are helped with homework and enjoy a book club. Therefore, children are encouraged to learn and enjoy school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s healthcare plans are clearly written. They are presented in a child-friendly way. Children attend regular appointments with doctors, dentists and opticians. Children are encouraged and helped to eat healthily and activities include exercise. This helps children to lead a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each child has an emotional resilience assessment. This then informs a plan. The plans are completed by a member of staff who works closely with the child. They assess the development of the child and are informed by regular focused discussions. This helps staff to know the children well and how to support each child in difficult situations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped with independence skills. Daily achievements are recorded. This includes managing hygiene routines and tasks such as making a bed or a meal. As a result, children are helped to reach targets and progress is identified and recorded.

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

Children have individual risk assessments and behaviour management plans. These clearly identify specific behaviours and risks for each child. They include any additional help and protection a child may need. This informs staff of known and potential risks and how to keep children safe.

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

Children have one-to-one discussions with staff, known as ‘keep me safe’ sessions. They cover a wide range of topics that might have a negative impact on a child. These include sessions on peer pressure, bullying and drugs and alcohol misuse. They are creative and include a crossword puzzle to identify what the child has learned. Inspection report for children’s home: 1214266 4 Records of incidents involving children are recorded appropriately. There is evidence of child and staff debriefs following an incident. Management oversight is also recorded. However, there have been many incidents that have required staff to physically intervene. Some of these have been lengthy incidents. Records are not clearly analysed to identify if this physical intervention was appropriate. As a result, the registered manager has not provided additional training or support to staff.

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

Children at this home have not misused drugs or alcohol. Staff are proactive in providing age-appropriate awareness to children. This gives children an opportunity to discuss issues that might affect or concern them.

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

Children’s accidents and self-harm incidents are responded to appropriately. There have been no serious incidents regarding these. Staff know the procedures to follow for such incidents. Therefore, children are supported quickly and helped to remain safe.

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good

There have been many changes in staff since the last inspection. This has now been addressed and a new staff team is in place. This will provide a more stable environment for the children.

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good

The interim manager is committed to her role. She is being supported by an experienced and equally committed registered manager from within the company. Together, they have identified areas of practice and process they wish to develop. This will support the staff to reflect on their practice and learn new ways of dealing with situations.

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good

The registered manager has not always ensured that staff have received supervision. The content of sessions held is process driven. There is no evidence of reflection or personal care of staff. Therefore, staff are not helped to develop their practice and learn from this one-to-one time with a manager.

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good

Staff receive a comprehensive introduction and training programme on their first week with the company. It is well received by staff, who say they have felt welcomed. There is then a clear induction process alongside shadowing work at the home. This helps staff to be prepared for their role.

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good

There are some good-quality assurance tools in place for the manager to monitor the home. However, there is no evidence that the registered manager has used these and completed the monthly audits. This limits the manager’s ability to identify good practice and areas that need addressing or developing.

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good

The registered manager has ensured that allegations from children have been taken seriously. However, there is not always the necessary level of detail recorded. This includes a clear outcome, learning and what has been put in place to develop staff practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 1214266 5

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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, The 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that robust quality assurance and monitoring systems are in place, used regularly and recorded. 30 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that the review of a restraint clearly records that the length of intervention was necessary to keep the child and others safe. 15 September Inspection report for children’s home: 1214266 6 The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to supervision of staff taking place regularly and being reflective and supportive. 30 October 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s record of the event includes a description of the action taken and the outcome of any resulting investigation. Following a notifiable event under regulation 40, the home should contact the placing authority to discuss the need for further action. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 63, paragraph 14.14)

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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: 1214266 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Platform Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Platform Childcare, Suite 2 Millennium Court, First Avenue, Burton-on-trent DE14 2WH

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Inspector

Shaun Caplis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1214266 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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