Children's Home run by Platinum Services for Children (Residential Care) Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2503915 1 Registered provider: Platinum Services for Children (Residential Care) Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home cares for up to 3 children who have social and emotional difficulties and are likely to have experienced trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a manager in post who registered with Ofsted in August 2023 and has a relevant management qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home. All 3 children were spoken to during the inspection.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2503915 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/05/2025 Full Good 16/07/2024 Full Good 15/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2503915 3

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Summary of findings

Children are positive about the care and support they receive and the relationships they have built with staff. Staff understand children’s individual needs and support them to make progress from their starting points. Safeguarding practice is good and children can identify trusted adults they can talk to. The managers know children well, enjoy spending time with them and work well with other professionals. There has been a period of instability which has affected the experience and progress of some children who have lived in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a caring and supportive environment where they are valued and respected. One child described their experience of living in the home as ‘amazing’. Children are involved in their care. Staff talk to children and use interactive tools to explore their views about their friends, family, safety and the care they receive. Children are encouraged to speak about how things can improve or what they have found most difficult. This information helps staff to make changes where it matters most to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to make progress in education. Staff support children with core subjects while also supporting them to read, improving their literacy skills. One child has clear aspirations for the career path they wish to pursue, and staff build on the child’s passion through discussions. Staff understand the importance of routine and how it helps children to concentrate at school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff further support children’s development through various activities. Children are supported to attend football club and swimming lessons. These activities, along with a healthy balanced diet, educate children about the importance of having a balanced routine. Building life skills is encouraged through tasks such as cooking. One child enjoys making their own meals with the support of staff. This is helping children to build their independence and develop everyday skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build positive relationships with children’s wider support network and support children to maintain links with people who are important to them. Staff ensure children spend time with their families and see and speak to them regularly. When children experience challenges in their family relationships, staff provide emotional support to help them understand their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 4 children have moved out of the home. Not all children experienced positive or well-planned endings, and 2 of the children left due to concerns about peer bullying. A reliance on agency staff during this time also contributed to disruption and instability for children. The staff team has since stabilised, and this is leading to more consistent and reliable care. As a result, children living in the home are experiencing positive, nurturing and predictable care. They are feeling settled and are Inspection report for children's home: 2503915 4 building positive relationships with each other. This has enabled them to enjoy a recent holiday together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children have not consistently experienced positive relationships with their peers, and this has had a negative impact on their overall experiences. Leaders and managers have recognised this and have used this situation to reflect on dynamics between children and strategies to support this. However, progress in this area is not yet fully effective, and further development is required to help children build the skills they need to play safely and enjoy activities alongside their peers.

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

Staff understand children’s individual vulnerabilities and the risks they face. They follow clear risk management strategies, work confidently as a team and respond swiftly when children are at risk of harm. They help children to understand these risks and what action to take to keep themselves safe. Where additional support is required, staff work with other safeguarding agencies and support services, ensuring children receive tailored support. An external social care professional stated that staff had supported one child to engage in some important work around their safety.

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

Children can identify trusted adults they can talk to, ensuring they can seek out support when they need it. Staff talk openly with children and help them understand that their views matter. This approach supports children to build trust and feel safe, knowing that staff will respond and listen. As a result, children share their worries at an early stage, enabling prompt action to review safety planning and increase children’s safety.

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

When children go missing, staff follow agreed safety plans and respond quickly. They work closely with safeguarding agencies to share information and support children to return home quickly and safely. Children are welcomed home in a sensitive way, ensuring they have the opportunity to share their feelings in a safe and supportive way. Staff gather information following incidents and use it to inform future practice and strengthen safety arrangements.

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

On occasions, staff search children’s bedrooms to ensure their safety. Room searches only take place when necessary and reasonable. However, staff do not consistently use professional curiosity to explore unsafe items or worrying comments made by children, limiting their ability to fully assess potential risks.

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

Physical intervention is only used when necessary and to keep children safe. When incidents do occur, managers and staff take time to reflect on their practice and consider how situations might be managed differently in the future. Children are supported to share their views and feelings about what happened. This reflective approach promotes learning and strengthens relationships. Inspection report for children's home: 2503915 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively and efficiently by a permanent and suitably qualified manager. She is supported by 2 child-focused and committed deputy managers. They know the children well and speak about the children in a caring and nurturing way. Managers understand children’s needs and enjoy spending time with them. There is good management oversight of the home, and monitoring and review systems are in place to support continuous improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said they feel valued and enjoy working in the home. They describe managers as supportive and approachable. Staff speak positively of the relationships they build with children and enjoy helping children to develop their confidence and independence and achieve their goals. This creates a nurturing environment where children benefit from positive relationships and genuine care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive support through regular supervision, team meetings and ongoing training, which helps them feel equipped and confident in their roles. In addition, the clinical team provides specialist guidance, enabling staff to develop their understanding of children’s emotional needs. This helps to promote a culture of reflective practice and demonstrates a commitment to improving experiences and outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are supported to make complaints about the care they receive. Any complaints are taken seriously and any concerns about the safety of children are appropriately shared with external agencies. Leaders and managers have reflected on their responses to children’s complaints and recognised that the previous approach did not always keep children fully informed. As a result, they have introduced a new process that ensures children are informed of the outcome through discussion and a child-friendly letter. The new way of working is intended to ensure children feel heard and reinforce that their voice is valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works proactively with other professionals on a day-to-day basis, and she understands the importance of good communication. One social worker described the manager and staff as good advocates for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2503915 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children receive well- planned and appropriate support when they move on from the home. 16 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

that staff— 16 October 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2503915 7 help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them.

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iv)(xi)(xii) (xiii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to helping children understand and develop the skills they need to build positive relationships with others.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, that they use professional curiosity to explore and understand risks to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2503915 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Platinum Services for Children (Residential Care) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Union House, 111 New Union Street, Coventry CV1 2NT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Leonard Pattinson

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Inspector

Salma Ahmed, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2503915 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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