Children's Home run by Platform Childcare Ltd in Gloucestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2746315 1 Registered provider: Platform Childcare Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to five children who have experienced trauma and who have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since the home was registered with Ofsted in October 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2746315 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the home was registered in October 2023, two children have moved in. One child is fond of the home and perceives it as their place of safety. They have developed strong bonds with staff. Staff are working hard on developing a positive relationship with another child where this has been more difficult. However, they show resilience by making ongoing efforts to reconnect with them, showing them that they are valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff helped children to settle quickly into new routines, including returning to school after periods of non-attendance. Both children are making progress at school. Both children have established friendships, increasing their self-esteem. Staff work closely with the schools to meet the children’s needs; for example, one child has a language tutor.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The calm home environment and staff support helped one child to make progress in relation to their health, enhancing their emotional well-being. Staff encourage the children to participate in therapy but also accept when they feel unable to attend. They promote the benefits of physical activity. Both children have gym memberships, and one child enjoys swimming with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are attentive and notice when children have natural talents, such as self-taught gymnastics and musical flare. They praise the children when they showcase their skills, boosting their confidence. Staff encourage the children to participate in hobbies that allow them to expand their social networks, such as youth club and army cadets.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with people who are important to them, even when this presents challenges. Staff listen to the children’s voices and act on them, for example taking one child to visit their friend and arranging for them to spend time with their stepfather.

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

The registered manager and staff have developed a good understanding of the children’s lived experiences and trauma. They understand the individual impact this has on the children’s beliefs, emotional well-being and behaviour.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs and respond positively when they show signs of agitation and distress. Staff are empathetic while maintaining boundaries, setting clear expectations. Physical restraint has not been used. However, some records aimed to provide staff with written guidance are not entirely personalised as relevant information is missing and some of the content is misleading.

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

Staff respond swiftly to emerging concerns, helping the children to feel safe and heard. They escalate concerns in line with established safeguarding processes. Incidents are usually resolved quickly due to good multi-agency working. Staff speak with children after incidents, helping them to understand any actions taken and the rationale for this.

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

The registered manager has good oversight when incidents occur and identifies learning for staff. However, staff do not consistently reflect on their practice, despite being prompted to do this. Inspection report for children’s home: 2746315 3

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager makes time to listen to the children’s views and advocates on their behalf. For example, they challenged professionals so that one child could send a Christmas card and gift to their younger sibling. The registered manager has monthly meetings with the children and encourages them to contribute towards their care planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the progress children have made and the goals they are working towards. He is ambitious for the children but also realistic about what they can achieve at this moment in time. He works collaboratively with other professionals to aid their perspective when goals are too ambitious and stressful for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. Most of the staff are new to children’s residential care but some have transferable skills. Staff are supported to deliver good care via the organisation’s training programme and induction. They also receive guidance, support and supervision from the registered manager and senior staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has good oversight of the day-to-day running of the home and has identified some shortfalls in practice. He supports staff to learn from mistakes and when appropriate, uses performance management processes to help staff make necessary changes. The registered manager acknowledged that staff need further support in relation to record-keeping.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that children are encouraged to develop positive relationships with other children living in the home as set out in the positive relationship standard. However, staff should be alert to the possibility that children may be at risk from such relationships and should take appropriate steps to protect children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.13) Inspection report for children’s home: 2746315 4

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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: 2746315 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Platform Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Tara Webb, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2746315 6 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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