Children's home run by The Place Young People’s Company

Inspection report for children's home: 2722943 1 Registered provider: The Place Young Peoples Company 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 provides care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2023.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2722943 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with good-quality, well-planned care that promotes their needs effectively. Children make good progress in terms of their starting points across aspects of their welfare, including physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. Staff maintain good relationships with children and provide them with consistency and stability in their lives. A social worker said, ‘Staff are amazing and are thoughtful in their approach.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the health needs of children effectively. Staff ensure that children are registered with a doctor, dentist and optician and attend these services when they need them. This includes access to therapy to promote children’s emotional and psychological well-being. Medical consent is obtained to ensure that staff are familiar with the health responsibilities that are delegated to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are trained in therapeutic parenting to help them develop positive attachments and relationships with children. They work closely with the home’s therapist to support and meet the children’s complex needs. A social worker said, ‘The staff are a massive support for her. They are so committed and understand her needs.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend school or other forms of alternative learning. Staff provide children with positive experiences and encourage their interests and hobbies. The children enjoy various activities both at home and in the community with staff. They enjoy trampolining, boxing, bowling and trips to the cinema.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff maintain effective partnerships with social workers, schools and health professionals to ensure that children benefit from the best possible wraparound support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to have family time. This ensures that children can sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them.

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

The safety of children is consistently at the forefront of staff’s practice. The children are kept safe and feel safe living at the home. Staff have a clear understanding of the specific needs and vulnerabilities of children. They follow risk management plans effectively to reduce risk and keep children safe from harm. A child said, ‘The staff care and they check in with me.’

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

Children know how to make a complaint and their rights are promoted effectively by staff. Staff are trained in child protection so that they know how to deal with allegations and report suspected abuse. The manager follows policy for managing allegations and works closely with the designated officer to address any safeguarding concerns in an effective and timely manner. Inspection report for children's home: 2722943 3 Unsafe behaviours, such as self-injurious behaviour or going missing from home for prolonged periods, have reduced considerably. Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities to promote the safety of children.

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

Staff deal with the behaviours of children safely. Staff are trained in de-escalation and anticipate incidents effectively and take action to prevent behaviours from escalating. The use of restraint is always a last resort and is only ever used by staff to protect children from harm.

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

The consequences that staff use to manage unwanted behaviours are fair, balanced and proportionate. However, records for consequences lack management oversight to review their overall effectiveness.

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

Staff provide a physically safe, comfortable and homely living environment for children. However, some of the children’s bedrooms were found to be untidy and one bedroom had graffiti on the walls. However, this was quickly rectified during this inspection and the child had their bedroom repainted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This is the first inspection since registration. The manager is efficient and effective. Children benefit from a qualified, trained and experienced manager who demonstrates effective leadership in terms of the day-to-day operations of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meet the aims and objectives as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. Suitably qualified, trained and experienced staff are employed to meet the specific needs of children. Staff provide children with a nurturing, supportive and caring environment that promotes their progress and positive experiences. Staff invest in their relationships with children and work well together as a team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are resilient and resourceful. They support children through times of unregulated behaviour, trauma and emotional distress. Staff work closely with social workers and other safeguarding agencies to ensure the safety and well-being of children. A social worker said, ‘For the first time in the child’s life, they have had safe and consistent care.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular team meetings, high-quality training and practice-related supervision. The manager leads staff by example and provides them with a clear sense of purpose and direction. The manager is a visible and strong presence in the children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes good use of the internal and external monitoring activities to tackle any shortfalls to secure continuing improvement. The manager is in the process of completing a quality-of-care review. Inspection report for children's home: 2722943 4

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Recommendations

 The registered person should establish routines that allow for children’s bedrooms to be tidied and cleaned regularly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should ensure that consequence records routinely include the manager’s evaluation as to the fairness and effectiveness of the measure. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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: 2722943 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Place Young Peoples Company Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Lymevale Court, Lyme Drive, Parklands, Stoke- on-Trent ST4 6NW

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2722943 6 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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