Children's Home run by Platinum Services for Children (Residential Care) Ltd in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home: 1222089 1 Registered provider: Platinum Services For Children (Residential Care) Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is one of two homes owned by an independent provider. The home, which Ofsted registered in February 2016, cares for up to four children who are likely to have experienced trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has had the same registered manager since it opened. He is suitably experienced and qualified.

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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: Requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1222089 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/07/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1222089 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Four children currently live in the home. Since the full inspection, five children have come to live at the home, and three have left. Managers work with social workers to ensure that children who leave the home have planned moves. Managers and staff keep in touch with these children, and children come back to the home for visits and celebrations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals are positive about the care children receive. A social worker praised staff for encouraging a child to try new activities and for listening to the child. They said, ‘When they have blips, they sit down, make a plan and include him in decisions.’ Another child’s social worker said, ‘They want what is best for him.’ A teacher said that one child’s attendance was excellent and that communication was good. They said, ‘Any concerns, they are in touch. Communication is fantastic.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is a top priority for managers and staff. They work in partnership with teachers and are proactive in ensuring that children achieve good attendance. When a child does not have a school place, managers contact schools directly, and they work with the virtual school to ensure the child secures a place. This consistent support has helped children to make progress at school from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend routine health appointments, and staff prioritise children’s emotional health needs. Children benefit from emotional support from the company’s therapy service. One child receives help through personalised sessions. Therapists also provide advice to staff to help them support the children’s emotional well-being. This tailored support meets individual children’s needs and helps children to develop emotionally.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team is nurturing in its approach. There are warm and good-humoured interactions between staff and children. Children and staff go to football matches and go fishing together. Staff take children shopping, on days out and on holidays. Children and staff eat their evening meal together in the large kitchen diner. Creating opportunities to spend time with children enables children to develop meaningful relationships based on shared interests with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children maintaining family relationships. They ensure that children see their families in line with their wishes. This helps children to maintain important relationships and a positive cultural identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment is a homely place for children to live. Photos of children can be seen throughout the home, and communal areas reflect children’s interests and tastes. However, the home looks tired and worn in places and is not well maintained. For instance, handles on some window locks are broken or missing. The wall in one of the communal lounges is damaged and in need of repair. A broken pane of glass in the front door has been covered with black plastic. Some furniture in children’s bedrooms is tired and worn and needs updating. One child does not have a chest of Inspection report for children’s home: 1222089 4 drawers, and his clothes are piled in the bottom of his wardrobe. The chest of drawers was replaced during the inspection. The lack of care and attention to the environment prevents children from taking pride in their home and impacts on their self-esteem.

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

On the rare occasion that staff restrict children’s movements to prevent harm to themselves or others, managers ensure that this is necessary and proportionate. Following incidents, managers consult with social workers and clinicians. They ensure that children and staff can talk. They update the detailed risk assessments and behaviour management plans with clear guidance. As a result, staff become increasingly skilled at de-escalating children’s behaviours.

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

Staff support children during times of crisis. They use approved strategies to help children understand their feelings and regulate their strong emotions. For example, when one child shows complex behaviours, staff talk with the child about characters in a well-known cartoon. This helps the child to identify how they feel, to reflect and to become calm. Staff praise the child for being ‘back on track’. This nurturing response enables children to increasingly regulate their emotions.

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

On one occasion, managers failed to monitor an incident when a child made an allegation. Managers and staff failed to follow safeguarding procedures and did not immediately inform the local authority designated officer (LADO). As a result, independent oversight was delayed. Additionally, managers did not inform the regulator that an allegation had been made. This means that the regulator does not always have accurate information to enable them to monitor how children are safeguarded effectively.

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

Managers ensure that children live safely together. They assess children’s risks effectively and ensure any risks are fully understood before children move into the home. Managers and staff promote good relationships between children. Aggressive and unkind behaviour is quickly dealt with. Children say they feel safe and have not reported any bullying, which demonstrates how protected they feel.

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

Staff do their best to ensure that children are safe when they are accessing the internet. For example, the manager has a monitoring system to ensure that children’s electronic devices are checked regularly. This reduces the risk of children being exploited and being exposed to inappropriate material online. Additionally, staff educate children about risks, including online risks. This means that children know about risks and become increasingly safe.

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

Staff use natural consequences and restorative approaches with children when they show negative behaviours. However, children’s positive behaviours are not rewarded. For example, one child had no rewards over a two-month period. This is a missed opportunity to promote positive behaviour and to improve children’s self- esteem and self-confidence. Inspection report for children’s home: 1222089 5 Vetting procedures are usually good, supporting the safe recruitment of staff. However, on one occasion, managers did not ensure that relevant information for a new member of staff was obtained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a registered manager and two deputy managers, one of whom have a relevant qualification. The manager is a leader who has high aspirations for the children in his care and for his staff team. He knows the children well, and he is a role model for his team. His commitment to providing children with safe and nurturing care that is attuned to their needs informs the culture in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is supported by a responsible individual who has a background in therapeutic care. The manager and the responsible individual have plans to develop therapeutic practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is fully staffed with a team of experienced staff, some of whom have worked at the home since it was registered. Eight staff members have a level three qualification and two are enrolled. Staff cover any shortfalls in staffing so that agency staff are not used to care for children. This consistent care means that children are developing relationships with people they know well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with a wide range of training that is specific and relevant to the children’s needs. Additionally, managers ensure that team meetings are informative and child focused. Therapists attend meetings to discuss children and trauma- informed practice. These sessions help staff to understand the children’s individual responses to their trauma and how they can best support each child. This means that children are supported by staff who are equipped with the skills and experience they need to perform well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported by regular, good-quality supervision that is focused on the needs of the children. Managers are creative in the ways they deliver supervision. For instance, to engage staff, they use videos on subjects such as child development and childhood trauma. However, the manager has not received an annual appraisal. This limits the manager’s development and does not support his aspirations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good systems to ensure that the administration and storage of medicine are safely carried out. On one occasion, staff had not appropriately recorded the administration of one child’s medication. This had no impact on the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 1222089 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 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 specifically relates to managers ensuring that they monitor, review and evaluate all significant incidents, including physical interventions. 29 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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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))

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Requirement Due date

The specifically relates to managers ensuring that all staff receive an annual appraisal. 29 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that when a child makes an allegation, they inform the LADO and the regulator without delay. 29 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1222089 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of their children, which will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 15, paragraph 13.9)  The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice. They should ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the system for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour by recognising whenchildren have

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Recommendations

managed situations well. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 47, paragraph 9.39)  The registered person should ensure that records are kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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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: 1222089 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Platinum Services for Children (Residential Care) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Union House, 111 New Union Street, Coventry, West Midlands CV1 2NT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Caroline Jackson

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Inspectors

Karen Gillingwater, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1222089 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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