Children's home run by Platform Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 1263505 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 registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children with learning disabilities.

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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

At the time of the inspection, three 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

Date of last inspection: 7 November 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: 1263505 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2023 Full Good 05/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/11/2021 Full Good 15/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1263505 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a spacious and well-maintained home that is welcoming and personalised to their needs. The environment reflects the children’s identities, with personal touches, such as their photos displayed throughout. Children who communicate without language are actively supported to make choices about their bedrooms using their preferred methods of communication. This ensures that their voices are heard and respected. One child has a car-themed bedroom, while another is being supported to decorate their room in the colours of their favourite football team, promoting a strong sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress in all areas of their development. All children attend full-time education, and staff work closely with education professionals to reinforce learning. A teacher commented, ‘The home is practicing the skills we are teaching [child’s name] at school. This has led to a massive increase in skills and confidence. If there is anything [child’s name] is struggling with at school, the home will support us.’ This collaborative approach ensures consistency for children, helping them to thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to promoting children’s independence and communication skills. One child has made significant progress in using basic communication aids, enabling them to express their needs more effectively. Another child is receiving support to develop essential life skills in preparation for moving on from the home. These tailored approaches empower children to achieve their potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build strong, trusting relationships with children and demonstrate an understanding of their individual needs. They speak positively about the children and provide child- centred care. Despite the challenges that can arise, staff remain focused on achieving the best outcomes. Children respond positively to staff and appear happy, settled and relaxed in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s cultural and religious needs are respected and actively supported. For example, one child is supported to attend the mosque at a time that suits their individual needs. Cultural celebrations, such as Eid, are recognised and celebrated in the home, and halal meals are consistently provided. This ensures that children’s identities are valued and nurtured.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager is a strong advocate for the children. When an issue arose regarding a child’s access to a bank account, which was preventing them from receiving disability- related benefits, the manager took proactive steps to escalate the matter. Their persistence led to a successful resolution, ensuring that the child received the financial support they were entitled to. Inspection report for children’s home: 1263505 4

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

Children’s safety and well-being are a priority in this home. Staff demonstrate an understanding of risk management and take proactive steps to safeguard children. While risk assessments are regularly reviewed, some lack key information, meaning they do not always fully reflect all risks to children. One child did not have access to bedroom furniture or their belongings due to concerns about property damage, but this was not recorded in their risk assessment or recent incident records. This limits staff’s ability to ensure a consistent approach to managing risks.

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

Incident management is a strength of the home. The manager provides clear oversight and ensures that lessons are learned to improve future responses. Staff benefit from regular discussions in team meetings and training sessions, which contribute to continuous learning and improvement in safeguarding practice.

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

When concerns or allegations of harm arise, they are appropriately shared with safeguarding agencies and responded to in line with statutory guidance. Children receive support during these processes, helping to protect their welfare.

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

Children are encouraged to express concerns, and staff support them to make complaints. In one example, a child who communicates without language was assisted by a staff member to raise a concern, leading to action being taken. Complaints are acknowledged by the manager and handled in a timely manner.

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

The use of video surveillance to monitor a child in the home lacks clear documentation and oversight. There is no recorded rationale for its continued use in the child’s risk assessment, and no evidence that it has been recently reviewed or discussed with the child’s social worker. As a result, the necessity and proportionality of this measure remain unclear, potentially impacting the child’s right to privacy.

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

Positive behaviour is promoted through a nurturing and individualised approach. Staff consistently use de-escalation techniques and adapt strategies to meet each child’s specific needs. The use of restrictive practice is minimal and only applied when necessary to safeguard children. All incidents are closely monitored by leaders, who review and reflect on staff practice. However, debriefs with children who communicate without language are not consistently carried out. This means that opportunities to help children process incidents and share their views are missed.

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

The home has a well-structured approach to managing missing-from-care episodes, which has led to a significant reduction in incidents for one child. Staff respond swiftly and appropriately, demonstrating a good understanding of individual triggers. They actively search for children when they go missing, ensuring their safety. However, a child who went missing was not provided with a debrief that was suited to their communication needs, meaning that an opportunity to understand their experiences was missed. Inspection report for children’s home: 1263505 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has an in-depth understanding of the children in the home and is dedicated to improving their outcomes. She is passionate about creating a nurturing and supportive environment where children can thrive. Her commitment is evident in the positive culture she has fostered in the home, which is reflected in the strong relationships between staff and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported and speak positively about the leadership team. They demonstrate a thorough understanding of each child’s care needs and the strategies in place to manage risks effectively. Staff describe feeling valued and empowered in their roles, and their passion for supporting children is clear.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is proactive in developing the skills and knowledge of her team. She has a strong awareness of staff strengths and areas for development, and has implemented clear plans to upskill and support career progression. Staff are encouraged to share their expertise by delivering training, fostering a culture of continuous learning. Individual development plans ensure that staff are equipped to provide high-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals working with the home provide highly positive feedback. One social worker said, ‘I have no concerns; they are absolutely exceptional. They go above and beyond for [name of child].’ Communication with external agencies is effective, and professionals express confidence in the quality of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Families also speak highly of the home. One parent commented, ‘I can’t fault them [staff]. I speak to them all the time, and they tell me everything I need to know. They are very good with [name of child], who has complex needs. They do lots of activities and are very intuitive to his needs.’ This demonstrates the home’s commitment to strong partnerships with families, ensuring that children receive consistent and responsive care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision discussions and team meetings, which provide both support and challenge. This ensures that staff are well equipped to meet the needs of the children and continuously improve their practice. However, some staff members have not yet completed their qualifications within the required timescales. The manager is aware of this and has plans in place to address it, ensuring that all staff achieve the necessary qualifications to maintain high standards of care. Inspection report for children’s home: 1263505 6

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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 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. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that provisions for the monitoring of children are reviewed, removed or reduced in line with the level of risk identified for the child. 13 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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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”). 13 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1263505 7 The relevant date is—

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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 (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff complete their qualification in the correct timescale.

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 Staff should have the skills and confidence to communicate easily and understand the importance of listening to, involving and responding to the children they care for. They should also understand how children might communicate their feelings through their behaviour, or non-verbally, especially where the child has a disability that does not allow them to communicate as others might. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.10)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 1263505 8

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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: 1263505 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Platform Childcare Limited

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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

Lauren Barwell, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1263505 10 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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