Children's home run by Platform Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 1263773 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 owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may experience emotional and social needs. There were four children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a manager who registered with Ofsted on 9 March 2023. The responsible individual has been in post for several years.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/10/2022 Full Good 04/05/2021 Full Good 18/02/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/05/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1263773 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with a homely environment. It is maintained to a good standard. Children personalise their bedrooms. One professional said, ‘It feels like a family.’ This is reflected in the language staff and children use and how they spend time together in communal areas. Children like staff and feel settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is a high priority. Staff support children to learn and advocate well with education providers. If a child is not in formal education, staff ensure that alternatives are provided. This has helped children engage and enjoy education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to remain physically fit and healthy. They ensure children attend regular health appointments. Staff support children to participate in a range of activities. Children lead a healthy lifestyle. Children participate in a wide range of enrichment activities. These memories are well captured for children. Staff help one child to access community resources and clubs which better reflect his family’s religion and cultural heritage than the local services do.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children maintain positive relationships with their families. Children’s wishes are acted on, for example when a child wanted to see a significant family member after a long break. Staff work hard to develop good relationships with children’s families. They communicate regularly. This has helped to improve one child’s connection to his family’s religion and culture. Staff and other children living in the home join in family and religious festivities. This promotes children’s understanding of who they are.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager investigates children’s complaints. She offers further follow up to explore a child’s feelings. The manager has introduced a specific communication book for one child to share his thoughts with her. This shows he is listened to. Children participate in weekly children’s meetings. On occasions, staff use negative language in recording meetings with children. These documents are accessed by children and detract from the positive view staff have of children. This is an area for development.

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

Children say they feel safe. Children’s needs and vulnerabilities are recognised and responded to by staff. Children and staff regularly review their children’s assessments and plans together. Child friendly plans help children understand how staff are helping them. Professionals say staff are consistent with the boundaries they set and children know what these are.

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

Children like the staff team and have trusted adults to speak to. Staff use the positive relationships they have with children to build children’s resilience. Through this direct work, everyday conversations and activities, staff help children to share Inspection report for children’s home: 1263773 4 their emotions and feel safer. For one child, this has led to a reduction of incidents of self-harm and escalation of heightened emotions. The manager is proactive in ensuring that children access appropriate therapeutic support. Children are increasingly able to understand and express difficult emotions.

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

Managers and staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. All staff have completed safeguarding training. The manager is clear to liaise with other relevant professionals when weighing up risk.

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

Staff complete direct work with children on how to keep safe. This includes online safety. When one child was missing, staff managed this well. The child was shown comfort and nurture on their return. There are clear plans and protocols in place to keep children safe. The number of missing episodes for children has reduced.

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

The overall number of physical interventions has reduced. However, when they do occur, the manager and staff could apply greater reflection to evaluate what type of care strategies work or do not work. This is because for one child physical interventions can last for a significant period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is committed to providing children with high nurture care. This gives children a sense of belonging. The staff team shares this vision. Staff say they love working in the home. One staff member said, ‘We are like one big family.’ One professional said staff are ‘passionate’ and ‘go above and beyond’ for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a good role model in expressing high aspirations for children. The manager is proactive in researching solutions to meet children’s specific needs. One professional said the manager follows up with other professionals to progress their required actions, such as life-story work or education plans. This shows children that staff want the best for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads a highly motivated team. External agencies say that communication from staff is timely and effective. One professional said they can approach any team member rather than rely solely on the manager to update them. Children benefit from this consistency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers support staff through reflective supervision. Staff feel able to air their views. Staff use team meetings as children’s plans are developed through constructive exchange of ideas. An experienced responsible individual supports the manager. The manager is furthermore supervised by a senior manager in the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager consults with other professionals and is receptive to feedback in order to drive improvements for the children. However, there have been occasions when there has been a delay in the independent person’s visit. The production of the report has also on occasion been delayed. This practice limits the effectiveness of Inspection report for children’s home: 1263773 5 the independent person’s oversight. The manager is unable to promptly address any recommended actions identified to promote outcomes and safety for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A monthly audit is completed by a senior manager in the company. While the manager has oversight of the care provided to children, not all actions are completed or recorded following incidents. The manager does not yet ensure that all required follow up work is completed and evaluated. Inspection report for children’s home: 1263773 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, 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 registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to the timeliness of the independent person’s visit and production of a report. 15 December 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of restraint enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with: each child; the home’s staff; each child’s family/carers where appropriate; and professionals involved in the care or protection of each child including their social worker, Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), teachers, clinicians and other health professionals etc. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 54,

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Recommendations

paragraph 10.23)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 1263773 7

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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: 1263773 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: Platform Childcare, Suite 2 Millennium Court, First Avenue, Burton-on-Trent DE14 2WH

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Inspector

Helen Gronhaug, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1263773 9 regulates and inspects 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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