Children's Home run by My Choice Children’s Homes Limited in West Sussex

Unique reference number SC364812 Inspection date 12/06/2012 Inspector Gaynor Moorey Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 16/01/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

The home offers accommodation for up to two young people between the ages of eight and 18 years with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

This inspection of the home found that the service provides a good standard of care to young people. Relationships between staff and young people are positive and the manager and team have created a culture of support and nurturing which is recognised and valued. Robust and detailed systems are in place to assess, monitor and review care needs ensuring that care delivered is of a very high standard. Young people say they feel safe within the home and that they feel their opinions and feelings are respected and valued. Education and enriching activities are promoted to an excellent standard. Young people have achieved remarkable successes especially when bearing in mind their starting points when they were admitted.

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Overall effectiveness

Quality of care in the home is subject to thorough and robust monitoring. A stable and committed staff team examine their practice constantly with a view to improving the service that they offer to the young people.

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Overall effectiveness

The home was given one requirement at this inspection which relates to sending in all significant event notification to Ofsted.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure all significant events notifications are passed on to Ofsted. (Regulation 30.1) (NMS 24) 25/06/2012

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are outstanding .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from individualised support which helps them grow in confidence and to understand their past. The key-worker system enables young people to focus on their goals and progress. Regular key-work sessions provide an avenue for them to discuss their feelings. Staff are aware of young people's strengths and vulnerabilities and help to nurture their talents and interests. One social worker said, 'We have been impressed with how the home has worked to encourage and stimulate this young person to find themselves, and grow in their confidence.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people confirmed they practice their independent living skills and prepare meals. One young person said the food was good and they got to choose what they wanted to eat. Young people confirmed staff do educate them about healthy living through their independence skills training. One young person talked about going shopping that day with the budget for the week and the preparation and cooking of a meal for everyone that evening. The young people have been growing vegetables in the garden and have used these to cook meals at the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people enjoy a variety of activities in which the staff enable them to partake. This includes bowling, cinema and going to London. Due to the age group of the young people they also tend to decide on their own activities. One young person said, 'The staff take me out to different places when I ask to go.'

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people prosper from having their general health needs and emotional health promoted to a very high standard through regular appointments with health professionals such as opticians and dentists. The staff support any specialised assistance from a range of professionals, such as mental health professionals and medical professionals to help address the needs of individual young people. Young people are given and receive comprehensive advice and guidance on issues, such as sexual health and drug awareness to ensure that as they became more independent they will have the information to help keep them safe.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit to an excellent degree from the positive promotion of their education and the opportunities to experience this as part of their lives. Young people are in educational placements and have over 90% attendance. They receive excellent levels of support and benefit from members of staff being willing to advocate on their behalf and ensure on-going excellent attendance levels, especially when taking into consideration the young people's experiences and attendance levels before they were admitted to the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from appropriate contact with family, friends and other people who are important to them. Through files and in discussions with the young people they are encouraged to have positive contact with family and friends. Restrictions on visits could be seen where needed. One social worker said, 'The home has been brilliant at supporting contact and always informs us of any issues or changes to the young person's care.’

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people receive excellent and carefully thought-out support to develop their independent living skills as appropriate to their age. Support offered to young people when in transition and preparing to move on is excellent with staff finding the right level of support for each young person's needs. One young person said, 'Independence has made me more confident and able to express myself,' and 'the carers are really good and they have helped me. I like being here as I can go the college and see my friends and girlfriend.’

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Quality of care

The quality of the care is outstanding .

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Quality of care

Young people are able to benefit because the staff team offers excellent personalised support. As a result of their approach, the young people are able to benefit from positive relationships with clear boundaries and a committed staff team. One social worker said, ‘The staff have worked very hard to encourage confidence and self- belief.’

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Quality of care

The young people's views are promoted and valued to an excellent standard. Each young person has numerous forums, both formal and informal, to voice their feelings and opinions. House meetings, involving the young people, are treated as extremely important and are embedded into the culture and routine of the home. There is a culture of promoting young people's rights and encouraging them to voice their feelings and opinions appropriately. Young people are able to influence decisions relating to their daily lives, such as independent living.

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Quality of care

Young people's comprehensive care plans clearly identify their individual needs. Excellent monitoring enables staff to evaluate young people's progress and to ensure that care plans are up to date and outline the needs of each young person. This process in turn positively contributes to statutory reviews and means that reports and staff input accurately reflect each young person's progress and areas of concern.

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Quality of care

Young people are enabled to follow their individual needs including cultural and spiritual. The culture of the home ensures that education is promoted and highly valued. Results for young people are excellent, with young people achieving success that they have never experienced prior to their admission to the home.

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Quality of care

Members of staff also enable the young people to take part in positive and enriching activities. This approach enables young people to develop their self-esteem and confidence and to experience being a positive part of a community. Holidays provided by the staff team have been particularly beneficial to the young people and in developing relationships.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from living in a home which is well maintained. They are encouraged to personalise their rooms and to choose colour schemes and décor and so can invest and take ownership of their environment.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people report that they feel supported, cared for and protected in the home. They feel that they can share any fears or anxieties with the staff and that these will be treated seriously and acted upon. Members of staff are aware of what to do in the event that they have concerns about a young person’s well-being. One social worker said, 'The staff ensure that young people feel safe and are able to voice their concerns.’

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Safeguarding children and young people

Each young person has an individual protocol in place as to what course of action needs to be followed in the event that they are missing without permission. Strategies are in place for staff to encourage young people away from going missing. The home has a clear protocol in place with the local police in the event of a young person leaving without permission.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The effective management of the young people's behaviour is a strong aspect of the home and situations are dealt with through discussion and communication. The young people feel that the rules in the home are fair and understand their purpose. Positive relationships between staff and the young people ensure that the use of physical restraint would only be used when no other choice was given.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people benefit from a stable staff team. The home has a robust recruitment policy which ensures that only adults who have been assessed as suitable to work with young people are employed.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Numerous risk assessments and safety checks of the premises and fire equipment ensure that the young people live in a safe home. Fire drills are undertaken at regular periods to ensure everyone is up to date with emergency procedures. The systems operated in the home and attention in detail to each young person's needs and vulnerabilities have ensured that their safety is promoted to a good standard.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good . Young people benefit from a home which is very effectively and consistently managed. Robust monitoring and reflective practice ensure that the manager communicates an expectation to the staff team that care given to the young people is of an excellent standard. Members of staff report being very committed to the well-being of the young people and very well supported in their role by good management. This approach is underpinned by having thorough systems to monitor the quality of care. Regular training and supervision ensure practice is of a high standard and young people benefit from a consistent, supported life style at the home.

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Leadership and management

At the last inspection, the home received one recommendation and one requirement. The requirement related to the registration of the manager and this process has now been completed. The recommendation related to ensuring enough fire drills were undertaken and at regular intervals; this is now part of the home’s general practice.

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Leadership and management

Good compliance can be seen in the home’s use of the Regulation 33 reports and how these have been used to boost practice and meet any areas of weakness. Regulation 34 reports also show how the manager has monitored areas of improvement and acted upon them.

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Leadership and management

The staffing complement ensures that there are always sufficient staff members on shift to be able to respond to young people's needs. The low staff turnover and the stability of the staff team ensure that the young people benefit from consistent care by a motivated staff team.

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Leadership and management

Generally, all significant events relating to the protection of children accommodated in the home are notified by the registered person of the home to the appropriate authorities and appropriate action is taken following the incident. However, on one occasion it was seen that Ofsted had not been notified of a significant incident, although the incident had been dealt with appropriately having no impact on the young person.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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