Children's home run by Platform Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2754808 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 privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to 6 children with learning and physical disabilities and sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection there were 3 children living at the home. The children contributed to the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 17 September 2024

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2754808 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/09/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2754808 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make exceptional progress in all areas of their lives. This progress is in relation to the children’s development, including health, education, communication, and enjoyment in everyday activities. One family member said, ‘He is very happy there, I can see it in how he looks and responds.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home environment has been made more accessible. This includes a complete transformation of the garden area. It is fully accessible to children who use wheelchairs. It includes sensory toys and specialist play equipment. It is an excellent additional resource for the children. This is now a much improved area that children will enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Detailed care plans for children are meticulous and reviewed and updated with regularity. This helps staff to provide the children with high quality and individualised care. Children’s specific, and often, complex health needs are understood and well met to a consistently high level by staff. There are also comprehensive health plans that guide the staff care practice. These include instructions for complex health procedures. Staff are trained to meet these additional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff place a high emphasis on children’s education and learning. All children are helped to attend school on a full-time basis. Care and support are tailored to help each child. For example, for one child staff support them within school so they can make progress. Staff make learning fun so that it continues out of school. Children enjoy a range of activities that help them to learn, develop, and have fun. This includes interactive reading sessions to improve overall literacy and engagement in learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff understand the children extremely well. They have excellent relationships. They understand each child’s preferred methods of communication, and this is set out in each child’s relevant plan. This includes for speaking and non-speaking children. Staff know what different sounds, facial expressions and gestures for each child. They help children to make choices. They can identify if a child is feeling unhappy or unwell and take action to help and support them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff spend very high-quality one-to-one time with children. These keywork sessions are planned but, at times, take place spontaneously. They are recorded and elaborated with lovely photos of the children enjoying this time with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and staff have excellent relationships and developed strong bonds. The staff speak very positively about each child and know their individual personalities. They enjoy spending time caring for the children. They ensure that children are kept safe and extremely well cared for, while the children have fun, learn and develop. Inspection report for children’s home: 2754808 4

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

Staff have a particularly good understanding of risks to children and the impact of additional needs. Assessments of risk identify known and potential risks and the vulnerabilities for each child. The level of risk is assessed in depth, reviewed and plans amended to reflect the risk to children. Additionally, proactive strategies are identified to help staff to mitigate the risks and keep children safe.

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

The manager has completed a very good location risk assessment for the home. This considers known and potential hazards in the local area and the steps required of staff to mitigate and manage any risks to children. Other agencies contribute their views to this assessment and information is up-to-date and accurate.

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

Each child has a behaviour support plan. These show how a child may present at various stages of emotional response to situations. If required, the child will also have a crisis support plan. This specifically covers crisis moments with complex health needs. It explains the intervention required and any emergency responses.

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

If any child’s behaviour falls below expectation the staff manage these well. Staff are trained to de-escalate more challenging situations. The staff have never had to hold children to manage behaviour. The staff understand the triggers to children’s behaviour when the children have tried to harm themselves or others. Specialist mental health support is accessed for the children, if required. This is to help staff understand specific behaviours and how to respond to them to keep children safe and reduce such behaviours.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. They always receive a minimum of one-to- one support from staff. However, there are clear policies and protocols in place for if this should happen.

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

Advocates provide additional support to children when required. Children are visited at the home and their school. The manager is also an excellent advocate for the children. She confidently raises any concerns she or staff may have. This is when care from others involved with the children falls short of expectations.

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

A staff member has creatively designed a range of safeguarding posters. They highlight the signs of abuse in children with complex needs. This adds to safeguarding training. Also, discussions within supervision sessions and team meetings. The manager and staff take a pro-active approach to keeping the children safe, they anticipate potential risks to children and act quickly to address any risks. This excellent safeguarding practice and keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff love working at this home. They feel extremely well supported and helped by the manager to fulfil their role. The manager receives a high level of support and oversight Inspection report for children’s home: 2754808 5 from her direct managers, including the responsible individual and a service manager. The staff describe the manager and deputy as, ‘Just brilliant.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager ensures that staff receive regular professional supervision. Supervision sessions are of a very high quality. They are undertaken by the deputy manager or trained senior workers. These supervision sessions are effective and focus on care practice and address the wellbeing of staff. They also discuss scenarios on important topics such as safeguarding and medication procedures, these help staff to develop their care practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive a comprehensive range of training from their induction onwards. It includes training that is very specific to the complex health needs of the children. This helps staff to feel fully equipped for their role and provide excellent care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is very aware of the strengths of staff and areas that she still wants to develop further. This is supported by very good home and workforce development plan. This includes an ongoing large range of development work that the manager and staff have devised. This is excellent work focussed on staff helping each other to learn and develop. This includes embedding research topics into care practice and projects with children. There is a very creative, ‘skills practice box’ for staff with regards to undertaking more complex health procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Team meetings take place monthly. These are reflective and productive meetings that are entirely focussed on meeting the children’s needs. They include in-depth discussions about the care of the children. Also, elements of staff learning and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Comprehensive monitoring and auditing tools are used by the manager and leaders. They have excellent oversight of the care and protection of the children. Management comments are added to all aspects of recording. The manager spends quality time with the children each day. This is especially at the important time when children return to the home from their schools.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager works closely with other professionals involved in the child’s life. They speak extremely positively about the manager, staff and of the care of the children. This includes the level of communication and reports provided by the manager. One social worker said, ‘I only have great things to say about this home. They go above and beyond for the child and their family.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2754808 6

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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: 2754808 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Platform Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Avenue, Centrum 100, Burton-on-Trent DE14 2WE

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Inspector

Shaun Caplis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2754808 8 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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