Children's Home run by The Place Young People’s Company in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2805429 1 Registered provider: The Place Young People’s Company

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is part of a large organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. The home was registered in September 2025.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Prior to this, the provider had operated another home, which ceased operation, with the manager, two children and some staff moving to this home. This is the home’s first inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Since registration, one child has moved out of the home in a planned way, and two further children have moved into the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home, and two agreed to speak with the inspector.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

A suitably qualified and experienced registered manager is in post.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2805429 2 Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2805429 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a warm, welcoming and well-maintained home. The environment is spacious, thoughtfully decorated and furnished to create a homely atmosphere. Toys and games are easily accessible, encouraging children to relax, play and enjoy their time in the home. Children’s bedrooms are highly personalised, reflecting their individual interests and identities. This helps children feel valued and secure.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into and from the home are well planned. Children moving in receive clear information and have opportunities to visit, meet staff and personalise their rooms. This supports them to settle quickly. For one child who has moved on, continued contact with staff has helped sustain important relationships. When children have moved into the home in an emergency, leaders and managers have worked closely with professionals to ensure these moves are as positive and supportive as possible.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy trusting, nurturing relationships with staff. They feel listened to and understood. One child said about living in the home, ‘I think it is really good. I can’t say anything negative to be honest.’ Staff provide individualised care informed by detailed and clear plans. These plans help staff understand children’s histories, needs and how best to support them. As a result, children make meaningful progress from their starting points.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly speak to children about important topics. These conversations aim to help children be safer, develop skills they will require in later life, and to understand what they want. Children can see the progress they are making. One child said about living in the home, ‘Before I was getting in trouble and stuff. Now I understand the benefits of being here. I am on the right track, doing a lot better than before.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is given clear priority in the home. Leaders and managers work proactively to identify barriers to learning and take effective steps to address them. Education professionals speak positively about the manager’s commitment and advocacy. One professional said that the manager consistently champions the child’s needs, working flexibly with the school on timetable arrangements, providing staff support in school, arranging transport and facilitating tutoring within the home. They said it was evident that she cared deeply about the child and was focused on securing the best possible outcomes for him.

p.3

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

Children feel safe living in the home. Safeguarding incidents are rare. When children go missing, staff take effective action. Working with relevant professionals to ensure that children return to the home safely. Inspection report for children’s home: 2805429 4 Risks to children are well understood. Staff benefit from clear, detailed plans that guide their practice and support safe, proportionate responses to risk. When risks escalated for one child, managers acted decisively, recognising that the home could no longer keep the child safe. They supported a planned move, resulting in improved safety and positive outcomes for the child.

p.3

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

Children benefit from clear and consistent boundaries. Consequences are rarely used; they are natural consequences that are proportionate to the behaviour they aim to address. Children’s achievements and progress are celebrated and encouraged using regular incentives and rewards.

p.4

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

Because staff are skilled in de-escalation, restraint is rarely used. When physical intervention is used, it is only to keep children or others safe. However, children are not always offered the opportunity to speak with an adult independent of the incident afterwards. This undermines an important safeguard and limits opportunities for reflection.

p.4

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

Poor staff practice led to a medication error for one child. Fortunately, the child was not harmed. Leaders and managers have acted appropriately in notifying the relevant professionals, undertaking a prompt investigation, and providing further support and training for staff to prevent a reoccurrence.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are child focused and advocate for the children in their care as a good parent would. They understand the strengths and areas for development in the home and use their oversight to improve children’s experiences.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals and family members are very positive about the home, they highlight effective partnership working, advocacy and communication as particular strengths. One professional said, ‘Helen is a fighter for the children. She knows them really well. She knows their needs. She challenges people to meet those needs.’ While a family member said, ‘Helen is quite driven. You can tell the priority is the kids.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers recognise the importance of a well-supported staff team. Staff receive regular supervision and team meetings that focus on improving children’s experiences. Staff describe strong team morale, good communication and supportive leadership. One member of staff said of the manager, ‘I have had the privilege of working with Helen, and I can honestly say her dedication to the young people and our team is inspiring. She leads with care, kindness and a real focus on making sure every young person feels safe, supported and valued.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training relevant to children’s needs, including specialist training. This ensures that children are cared for by knowledgeable staff. However, following a medication error in the home, there was delay in some staff recompleting their medication competencies. While this has not impacted children, it represents a missed opportunity for timely improvement. These competencies are now scheduled. Inspection report for children’s home: 2805429 5 Staffing has been affected by sickness and vacancies, resulting in high use of staff from other homes and some agency staff. For a short period, children experienced many different carers. Leaders and managers have since addressed this and the home is now fully staffed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2805429 6

p.4

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children are cared for by a consistent and stable staff team, and that staff complete their competency assessment prior to continuing to administer medication. 30 April 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

p.6

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(c)) 30 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2805429 7 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that when children are restrained, they are given the opportunity to speak to an authorised person.

p.6

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: 2805429 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Place Young People’s Company

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Lymevale Court, Lyme Drive, Parklands, Stoke-on- Trent ST4 6NW

p.8

Inspector

John Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2805429 9 regulates 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9