Children's home run by The Place Young People’s Company

Inspection report for children’s home: 2484055 1 Registered provider: The Place Young People’s Company

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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 run by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children with emotional and social difficulties. There is a registered manager in post.

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Information about this children’s home

At the point of the inspection, there were four children living at the home. The inspector observed all four children and spoke with three of them.

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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: 2484055 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/11/2024 Full Good 14/11/2023 Full Good 07/12/2022 Full Good 17/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2484055 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At this home, relationships are the foundation of the good-quality care that children receive. Staff build genuine connections with children and enjoy spending time with them. Staff are proud of the children and their achievements. Praise and laughter are heard frequently in the home. One child’s school has recognised how the relationships that the child has with staff have helped them to grow in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have helped to personalise the home; there are photos and artwork done by the children displayed throughout the home. Children’s growth is marked on one door frame, which contributes to an environment that celebrates children’s development. The staff ensure that the home feels welcoming and a comfortable place for children to live. One child has invited his friend to the home to play. A social worker said the children’s bedrooms were ‘the best I have seen’ due to the level of personalisation that has taken place. Children have pets in the home, which they are responsible for looking after. The pets bring comfort and develop a sense of responsibility in children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s voices are heard throughout their plans. Children are involved in goal setting within the home, contributing to plans that are meaningful to them. This means that staff listen to what is important to children and help them to achieve outcomes that are important to them. Staff encourage children to share their views in wider meetings about their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good school attendance, and there are routines in the home that promote education. Staff encourage children to read regularly, and staff help with homework. Staff talk to children about school and help children to think about their next steps. Through the co-working with the school, one child, who had inconsistent early education attendance, has achieved the expected standard in their national tests and transitioned successfully to secondary school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family relationships and their significance are understood by staff. Two siblings live together in the home and are helped to have a positive relationship. Staff work in accordance with children’s plans to ensure that children see their families. For one child, when family time had not happened, staff listened to the child and advocated appropriately. This means that children are able to maintain links with people who are important to them.

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

Children in the home feel safe. Children can identify staff who they trust, and they can ask for help. This means that children can talk to staff about their worries and know that they will be taken seriously. Family members were reassured that there Inspection report for children’s home: 2484055 4 were staff in the home who children had a good relationship with and said, ‘Staff are there when [name of child] needs them.’

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

Staff understand children’s behaviour support plans and risk assessments. Children contribute to their plans through key-work sessions to influence how they are cared for. This means that children’s behaviour is managed with a calm, consistent approach.

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

Staff are skilled in recognising children’s triggers and using de-escalation strategies, meaning that physical interventions are rarely used. When physical intervention is required, it is proportionate and is used to ensure safety. Children receive thorough debriefs following any holds. There is rigorous learning and management oversight in relation to the use of physical intervention, which has meant that there has been a significant reduction in its use since the last inspection.

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

Staff are curious about changes in children’s presentation and use support from therapists to develop the care that children receive. Children access regular therapy and are taken to appointments by staff. One child previously self-harmed multiple times a week. Through the collaborative approach between the child, staff and therapist, the child has sustained five months without self-harming.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. Before moving to the home, one child went missing frequently. Over time, staff have worked with the child on plans to increase independence in the community in a safe and managed way. This means that they are now able to catch the train to college and safely have time in the community.

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

Key-work sessions have taken place about online safety and phone use in advance of children receiving a mobile phone. Children are involved in developing individual agreements about the safe use of technology in the home. This helps children to understand how to stay safe online through a preventative approach.

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

Staff demonstrate a commitment to taking allegations seriously. However, the recording of these allegations is inconsistent. Allegations made within the home are responded to promptly. In contrast, when a child raised a concern about an adult outside the home, there was a delay in staff’s response, resulting in investigations not being initiated in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A strong leadership team supports the registered manager. Together, they are achieving their ambition to deliver high-quality care for children. The managers model relational practice and kind interactions with children. This creates a nurturing environment for children to live in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has developed a culture where there are high expectations for children. Children in the home have strong routines and age-appropriate Inspection report for children’s home: 2484055 5 responsibilities. The registered manager is passionate about celebrating children and ensures that they receive regular praise and have certificates displayed and framed in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are robust monitoring systems in place, which means the registered manager has oversight of all areas of the home. The auditing systems help managers to identify trends and patterns, making changes to children’s care plans at the earliest opportunity. The registered manager appropriately advocates for children about their plans. This means that plans remain on track with minimal drift.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team in the home. This provides children with predictability and consistency of care. Professionals recognise how well the staff know the children and share information frequently. One staff member from the school commented, ‘It is incredibly easy to work with them.’ One social worker felt that the consistent team ‘is a positive sign in terms of how the home is run’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong management presence in the home. Children have good relationships with managers. Staff receive regular, reflective supervision and engage in team meetings where children’s needs and safeguarding are discussed. Inexperienced staff receive more frequent supervision to ensure that they are inducted into the home thoroughly. Additionally, staff feel able to seek advice from managers on an ad hoc basis. This means that staff feel supported in caring for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has not met the requirement of the last inspection to ensure that all staff achieve the necessary qualification for their role in the required timescales. This remains an area of development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2484055 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly requires the registered person to ensure that any recording of allegations is done accurately and that concerns are shared with relevant agencies without delay. 31 October

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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 31 October Inspection report for children’s home: 2484055 7 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (1) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring that all staff are registered on the level 3 diploma and completing this to the timescale.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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: 2484055 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Place Young People’s Company

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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

Ali Owens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2484055 9 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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