Children's home run by Platform Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2627409 1 Registered provider: Platform Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2024 and is suitably qualified.

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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 November 2024

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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: 2627409 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/11/2024 Full Good 26/09/2023 Full Good 21/02/2023 Full Good 08/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2627409 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector spoke with all three children living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from individualised, child-centred care delivered by staff who know them well. Relationships between staff and children are warm, nurturing and built on trust. This helps children make progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are unsettled, staff work diligently to help them re-engage. When one child needed to move from the home, this was managed well by staff, with the child’s voice being heard. Staff shared necessary information with appropriate individuals and facilitated the child’s visit to their new home. This helped to make sure that the move was positive for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage high aspirations for children and especially the importance of education. Staff help children who have had poor educational attendance to re-engage in learning. Children’s attendance has now improved. They have aspirations for their futures and have passed their exams.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who struggle with their emotions are helped through the consistent use of the home’s therapeutic model of care. In-house therapeutic support is available, and staff work closely with the therapeutic team to support the children. Staff consult external professionals when additional support is required. This ensures that children receive the right help at the right time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities and experiences. They have been on holiday and on trips to theme parks and places of interest. One child went skydiving and raised money for a local charity. Children have also helped the local homeless charity by making food parcels to distribute to those in need. These opportunities help children build confidence, develop social skills, be part of and contribute to the wider community and create positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from families and professionals is overwhelmingly positive. They say that staff are committed, caring, and effective in meeting children’s needs.

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

Children are kept safe by a committed and knowledgeable team of staff who demonstrate a strong understanding of their individual needs and vulnerabilities. Staff seek advice and guidance when needed and adapt their approaches to meet the evolving needs of children. This demonstrates a commitment to understanding and responding to behaviour in a trauma-informed manner. Inspection report for children’s home: 2627409 4 Staff help children develop an understanding of risk. As a result, children are increasingly able to make safer choices and demonstrate improved awareness of personal safety.

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

Incidents of children leaving the home without staff permission are rare. When incidents occur, staff respond promptly and in accordance with established missing-from-home procedures. Children are returned to the home quickly, and staff take appropriate follow- up actions.

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

On occasions, staff have used physical intervention to keep children safe. When used, the interventions are proportionate and only used when necessary. Staff follow organisational procedures, and this helps keep children safe under challenging circumstances.

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

Staff use a system of rewards and consequences to encourage positive behaviour. While natural consequences are sometimes applied in response to unwanted behaviours, they are not consistently recorded or subject to oversight to ensure that they are appropriate, effective, and used as learning opportunities.

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

Allegations against staff are taken seriously. They are reported and investigated in line with safeguarding procedures. When necessary, disciplinary action is taken, including all necessary follow-up actions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders demonstrate a strong commitment to children and maintain high expectations of themselves and the staff team. The registered manager is aspirational and consistently looks for ways to improve the support given to children and to develop staff’s understanding of children’s needs and behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a strong commitment to collaborative working. She demonstrates a proactive approach to engaging children, families and professionals regarding the care provided. Managers seek external advice and support when needed to ensure that children receive care that meets their individual needs and promotes positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has carefully considered placement decisions. She has reflected on a previous placement breakdown and uses these insights to inform her decisions about future admissions. Effective learning from previous experiences will help improve practice and contribute to children’s placements being more stable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers’ monitoring systems are used effectively to review incidents, including allegations. The manager is currently reviewing children’s records to align them with the home’s therapeutic approach. However, during this transition, some documents, such as care plans and risk assessments, lack clarity and accuracy, which has the potential to affect the consistency of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report feeling well supported by the manager. They receive regular supervision and have access to a range of learning opportunities. A comprehensive induction programme Inspection report for children’s home: 2627409 5 is in place, which includes a range of training. Additionally, the manager facilitates topic- based learning during team meetings, which enhances staff’s knowledge and skills. However, training records do not show all the training staff have completed. This limits the ability to fully evaluate the effectiveness of staff development and whether it is helping to provide staff with the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2627409 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that records detail the learning and development opportunities staff have engaged in and that children’s records are clear, up to date and reflect their current risks and needs. 7 November 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. Specifically, ensure that records of any natural consequences used are kept and overseen by the manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38) Inspection report for children’s home: 2627409 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: 2627409 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

Debbie Bond, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2627409 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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