Children's Home run by The Place Young People’s Company in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2747107 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 provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted on 2 November 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: 2747107 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. Children said that they are happy, like living at the home and have everything they need. Children benefit from a nurturing environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment reflects that children are valued. It is homely, with a good standard of decoration and furnishing. Staff take pride in making the house a home. It is evident that children’s needs are put first.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences when they move into the home. They visit the home before they move in and staff discuss with them how to best support them. This helps children to settle in quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff go above and beyond in supporting children to attend school. Staff are available at the children’s school to help education staff when children are struggling to attend their lessons or need help. A deputy headteacher said that staff work very closely with the school, and this helps children with their worries and anxieties relating to their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s mental health needs are prioritised. The registered manager and staff have been successful in ensuring that children have access to variety of mental health services and receive the support they need for their emotional well-being. There are arrangements for children to receive therapy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to create positive memories. Photos of children’s experiences are displayed around the home. Children have enjoyed going to the beach, zoo, theme parks and museums. This supports their overall development and provides them with a variety of enjoyable experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are actively involved in every aspect of their care. They take part in regular house meetings and are encouraged to express their feelings, wishes and views about their care planning arrangements. This helps children to feel respected and listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop independence skills that are appropriate for their age and stage of development. This includes taking age-appropriate and well-managed risks. Staff have been successful in supporting children to cook meals and spend time on their own in the community. Children are motivated to achieve their individual targets and goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A key strength of the staff is the way they support arrangements for children to spend time with their families. There is excellent communication with parents. Children’s parents are welcomed to the home. This contributes to the stability of the children’s placements. Inspection report for children’s home: 2747107 3 The registered manager’s evaluations of incidents are not clear, and language used in children’s plans is sometimes open to interpretation. This is not helpful for children to understand should they want to access their records. However, this has not had a detrimental impact on the quality of care children receive.

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

Children feel comfortable to talk to staff about what is worrying them, and staff provide children with guidance on making positive choices. This helps children to develop trusting relationships with staff and to know that staff care about them.

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

Staff place a strong emphasis on children’s successes and positive behaviours. Children are rewarded with lots of attention and gratitude when they are well behaved. This helps children to develop their self-esteem and confidence.

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

Staff have an in-depth knowledge of triggers to behaviours that may expose children to risk. This means that staff act proactively and swiftly to respond to emerging situations to help children stay safe. This has resulted in a reduction of significant incidents over time.

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

Staff successfully use de-escalation techniques when children feel that they want to cause harm to themselves. This is supported with a solution-focused approach to behaviour management that helps children to self-regulate and develop alternative strategies. As a result, self-injurious incidents have reduced in severity and frequency.

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

The registered manager and staff respond to children’s complaints promptly. The registered manager carries out internal investigations into complaints and shares his findings with the children. Children trust that the registered manager will act on their concerns.

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

Staff can confidently explain safeguarding procedures and know what to do if they are concerned about a child. Staff know how to contact the designated safeguarding lead for the home if they feel their concerns are not listened to by the registered manager. Staff have instilled a high standard in the safeguarding culture of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is child-centred and focused on providing a nurturing environment for children to flourish. He provides a visible presence in the home. He is supported by an equally committed team of staff who share his vision. The registered manager’s commitment to providing high standards of care is reflected in the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the registered manager. They say that they feel proud working at the home and that the registered manager supports them well in carrying out their roles effectively. This contributes to the happy and warm culture in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2747107 4 Children trust staff and enjoy spending time with them. They benefit hugely from receiving reassurance and warmth from staff. This has resulted in children feeling safe and secure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight of the home is good. The registered manager and senior manager are aware of the areas for development of the home and take immediate action to address shortfalls. This has resulted in children receiving good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager maintains positive relationships with all professionals involved in the children’s care, and partnership working is excellent. Professionals speak highly of the registered manager and staff. A common theme in the feedback shared by professionals is that children receive good-quality care, are thriving and happy, and staff understand their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person’s monitoring of the home is effective. The independent person provides constructive challenge and scrutiny. This helps to strengthen the registered manager’s and the responsible individual’s understanding of the areas of development that are required to improve the care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2747107 5

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Recommendation

 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. In particular, they should ensure that children’s plans and reviews of incidents are clear. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2747107 6

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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

Sam Dulay-Kainth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2747107 7 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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