Children's Home run by Platform Childcare Ltd in Derby

Inspection report for children’s home: 2689391 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

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It can provide care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children living at the home at the time of this inspection. The inspector observed and/or spoke to all of the children during the inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2689391 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/03/2024 Full Good 03/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2689391 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into and on from the home, transitions are managed sensitively by staff who understand their needs. Staff promote positive endings to children’s time in the home. This enables children to have positive moves and helps them to develop and maintain trusting relationships. As a result, children make good progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views, wishes and feelings are at the heart of the care given in the home. Children feel listened to and that their views are understood and acted upon. Staff understand each child’s cultural identity and access resources which promote these. This helps children to feel valued by the adults who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is considered important in the home and children are encouraged to attend. Staff try to understand any barriers to attendance and work effectively alongside education professionals to overcome challenges. This has led to improved or sustained attendance for most children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s health and well-being and make sure important health appointments are kept. They work together with professionals to meet children’s health needs. This helps children to access the right services to support and promote healthy lifestyles.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to develop age-appropriate independence skills and resilience strategies. This enables children to manage their own needs when they move on from the home.

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

Staff understand children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities and know how to respond to keep them safe. Children are supported by staff who offer a consistent approach to routines and boundaries. As a result, children feel safe and protected while living in the home.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff follow agreed protocols and make efforts to locate children and return them safely. Children are warmly welcomed when they return, and staff help them to reflect on the reasons for going missing. However, children are not offered a return home interview, and the manager has not followed this up with the children’s local authority. This prevents children from having opportunities to discuss any reasons for going missing with an independent person.

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

Since the last inspection there has been one allegation made against a staff member. The manager responded to this in a robust manner following the policy. This helps children to feel that their worries and concerns are listened to and taken seriously. Inspection report for children’s home: 2689391 4 One consequence has been given since the last inspection. This consequence was not proportionate or restorative in nature. However, the manager identified this shortfall and addressed it with staff during supervision sessions. This helps staff to reflect on their responses to children and make improvements to their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Few staff working in the home hold the relevant residential childcare qualification as set out in regulation. Some staff have not completed the qualification by the relevant date. This prevents the manager from being assured that staff have the skills to provide the best care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There have been changes in the staff team since the last inspection. This has created instability for the children. However, the manager’s strong presence in the home and the consistency she brings have helped to reduce the impact on children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has a standardised approach to alarms on children’s bedroom doors. This does not consider the individual risks of children and impacts on their privacy. Furthermore, the manager does not regularly review the use of these alarms. This means door alarms remain in use when they are not necessary.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager assesses available information about children before deciding which children move to the home. However, she does not always analyse the impact moves may have on all children. This prevents the manager from forming a complete view before agreeing to a child moving to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager uses effective monitoring tools which give her an oversight of key documents in the home. This helps her to understand and evaluate staff performance. Child-focused team meetings and individual supervision sessions take place regularly. They enable staff to reflect on their practice and develop their understanding of how the work they do impacts the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has not provided adequate sleeping arrangements for staff. One member of staff sleeps in the games room on a sofa bed. Staff lock the doors at night for privacy. This has an impact on the children, who are unable to access this part of their home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager works effectively with professionals from different agencies. Professionals spoke positively about the manager and staff. They have confidence in the ability of staff to care for the children and meet their needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2689391 5

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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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)) 6 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy.

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Requirement Due date

This regulation is subject to any monitoring or surveillance requirements imposed by a court. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(d) (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that when door alarm use is judged to be necessary, they are used only for 4 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2689391 6 safeguarding purposes, written into a child’s risk assessment and kept under regular review.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. The registered person should then take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should only accept placements for children once they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on both the child being considered and the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that the design of the home provides staff that sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.26) Inspection report for children’s home: 2689391 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: 2689391 8

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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

Mark Cryer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2689391 9 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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