Children's home run by Platform Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 1263773 1 Registered provider: Platform Childcare Ltd

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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 privately owned and operated. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with emotional and behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, four children were living at the home. All four children contributed to this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a registered manager.

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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: 4 February 2025

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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: 1263773 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/02/2025 Full Good 11/10/2023 Full Good 03/10/2022 Full Good 04/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1263773 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak warmly about their experiences of living in the home. Relationships between children and staff are warm and caring. The children feel understood and supported by staff. A nurturing approach to care practice helps children feel secure and encourages steady and positive progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to maintain good relationships with people who are important to them. Staff promote and support family time between children and their families. Staff make every effort to build relationships with the children’s families, where appropriate, and connections with family members have grown stronger for the children and are supported by the manager and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

For the manager and staff, children’s physical and emotional well-being is the priority. The children and staff have regular and meaningful conversations that support the children to stay safe and develop healthy relationships and interests. This also contributes to helping children remain safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff’s care practice is tailored to each child’s needs and guided by detailed support plans. This helps the staff to support children’s emotional health and personal development. School attendance and engagement have improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When appropriate to do so, children are encouraged to develop their level of responsibility in preparation for their transition to adulthood. For example, some children receive the support they need to plan, shop for, and cook their own meals. Children are also encouraged to develop budgeting skills. This ensures that children can improve their own resilience and life skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a wide variety of activities of their choice, including ice skating, picnics, and holidays to the coast. These experiences help them develop new skills, make friends, and create lasting memories.

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

Children experience a sense of safety and stability within the home. Staff have a thorough understanding of the individual risks and vulnerabilities of each child. They implement effective strategies to mitigate these risks. This has led to a sustained improvement in children’s overall safety, well-being, and general happiness.

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

Staff respond calmly and confidently to behaviours that may challenge staff. Behaviour is managed in a consistent and child-centred manner. There have been no occasions where children have had to be held by staff since the last inspection. Consequences imposed by staff in response to poor behaviour from children are Inspection report for children’s home: 1263773 4 increasingly rare. Staff engage children in meaningful discussions following incidents, helping them to reflect on their behaviour and develop greater self-awareness.

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

Allegations made by children are treated with urgency and seriousness by the managers and leaders. Leaders and managers act swiftly to safeguard all involved. They inform the relevant external professional agencies and maintain open communication with the child throughout. This responsive approach reinforces children’s trust in staff and contributes to their sense of safety and being heard.

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

Safer recruitment processes are thorough. This ensures that anyone employed in the home is safe to work with children.

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

The manager has ensured the home’s location risk assessment is reviewed on an annual basis. This means that staff have local intelligence regarding risks in the community. This assists the staff to keep children safe from risks in the local area.

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

The manager has assessed that it is necessary to use bedroom alarms to safeguard two of the children. However, the risk assessments for the use of these alarms are not reviewed effectively to ensure that the measure continues to be necessary and proportionate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. She has a clear vision for the home and is committed to driving through positive outcomes for the children. She has a good understanding of each of the children, their needs, and risks. The manager is supported by a capable and committed deputy manager, who plays a key role in supporting staff and the child, contributing to the stability of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children are cared for by a dedicated and skilled group of staff who understand the children’s needs very well. Staff benefit from regular, individual supervision sessions with the senior staff of manager. This encourages them to reflect on their care practice and promotes learning and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular staff team meetings are child focused. Staff can share experiences and knowledge of the children with colleagues. This supports the staff to develop a deeper understanding of each child’s needs and reinforces consistency in the care being provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a range of training that supports them to care for the children effectively. However, central records of staff training are not always clear. This hinders the opportunity for the effective management review of staff training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager welcomes independent scrutiny of the home. The independent person comes to the home monthly, and any recommendations for improvement are swiftly addressed by the manager. The care that the child is provided is regularly reviewed. Inspection report for children’s home: 1263773 5 Patterns and emerging risks are quickly identified, and swift action is taken to improve practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 1263773 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises–

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised;

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (c)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the use of door alarms and sensors must be kept under regular review by the registered persons. 8 October 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have a key role in ensuring the effective monitoring and review of the training of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: 1263773 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Platform Childcare Ltd

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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

Lisa Walsh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1263773 8 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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