Children's Home run by Platform Childcare Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 1 SC479230 Registered provider: Platform Childcare Limited 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. Three children were living at the home at the time of inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2021. She 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

Date of last inspection: 16 January 2023

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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

16/01/2023 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Good 04/06/2019 Full Good 11/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who live at this home experience stability and consistent care. All the children have lived in the home for over two years. One child has lived in the home for over four years. Despite challenges, the manager and the staff have demonstrated commitment to the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have strong and trusting relationships with the staff. Children enjoy spending time with staff and often seek this out. Children have individualised and fun-filled days, balancing activities with seeing family and spending time relaxing. Children are encouraged to cook and bake with staff, and children particularly enjoy this. Staff understand the importance of relationships in supporting children to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children who live at this home have complex and differing needs because of their experiences. At times, their needs can compete, but staff work hard to reduce any impact on the other children. Staff are child focused and this shines through in how they write about children and their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel valued and listened to. They are supported to be involved in their care in various ways. This includes being supported to attend their statutory reviews and being involved in the day-to-day running of the home in relation to planning meals and activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend education that meets their needs. When education is not meeting the needs of children, the manager and staff advocate for additional support. Staff have developed positive relationships with schools and the virtual school, which ensures that communication is effective and supports consistency for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to stay healthy. They are taken to relevant health appointments, and statutory health plans inform their care. When specialist support is required, this is sought. Children have bespoke packages of support to help to ensure the best emotional well-being possible.

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

Children feel safe and loved. They have good relationships with staff. Staff have a good understanding of children, and implement clear and consistent boundaries that support children’s sense of safety. Children feel confident to seek out the manager when they have concerns. Children’s concerns are taken seriously, and appropriate action is taken to ensure that they are safeguarded.

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

Staff understand the driving factors behind children’s behaviour, and this supports them to be able to meet the underlying need. This has resulted in a reduction of some of these behaviours. Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 4 Staff use their positive relationships and de-escalation skills to support children when they are experiencing crisis, including when children may harm themselves. This means that there is little need for physical intervention. When physical intervention takes place, it is proportionate to keep children safe. The manager takes time to reflect with staff about incidents and promotes an openness to learning and considering the most-effective ways to support children.

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

Children’s risk assessments and plans are detailed and appropriate. There are clear strategies to use to manage risk, and staff have a good understanding of these strategies. Assessments and plans directly inform the conversations and work completed with children. Staff keep children’s goals in mind when completing this work. This supports continued progress for children.

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

Children rarely go missing. When they do go missing, staff follow children and ensure that they are safe. Children’s missing-from-care plans are followed, and independent return-home interviews take place. Only one room search has taken place during this time, and this was in relation to when a child was missing from care.

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

Positive behaviour is promoted, and sanctions are rarely used. When sanctions are used, they are to support children to learn and are restorative in nature.

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

There were some errors in the recording of medication. This has not impacted the medication given to children, but highlights an ineffective monitoring system.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about the care that she offers to children, and has a therapeutic understanding of the needs of the children. She models this to her staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are happy to work at the home and feel supported by management. They receive regular supervision, which offers time to reflect on their own practice and children’s progress. This is further supported by regular team meetings, which offer group opportunities to consider the progress that children have made and the next steps.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals who work with the children speak highly of the manager and the culture she has created within the home. The manager has built up excellent multi- agency networks, which ensure that children receive consistent and collaborative care. These networks have ensured that staff are knowledgeable and skilled.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Mandatory training is up to date for all staff and, where appropriate, additional training is sought to ensure that staff are skilled to meet the needs of the children. However, there is one staff member who is significantly over the timescales to achieve the relevant qualification. Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 5 Visits from the independent person have not always taken place in the home monthly. The quality of the reports vary, and this means that there are missed opportunities to challenge or understand practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The maintenance inside the home continues to be a concern. Various areas of the home, including some children’s items in bedrooms, are dated or broken. Maintenance is requested by the manager and, at times, there are delays in the provider responding to these requests. This is the third time that concerns have been raised about the maintenance of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When new staff are recruited, checks take place in line with safer recruitment. The outcomes of these checks have not always been effectively communicated in a way that ensures that the manager has oversight. Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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 damaged and tired areas of the home are improved so it is homely for children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is repeated from the last two inspections. 2 February 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of medication given are recorded in the correct way, and all records are attributed to the person who wrote them, in a legible way. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff in a care role have the qualification in regulation 32(4) within the relevant timescale listed in regulation 32(5). If this is not progressing appropriately, timely action should be taken. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.12) Inspection report for children’s home: SC479230 7  The registered person should ensure that the individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person, visits the home, in person, at least once per month. The registered person must also ensure that the reports are an accurate representation of the visit, and that the independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65,

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Recommendations

 The registered person 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 13.7)

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

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Inspector

Joanna Beal, 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 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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