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

Good

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

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people develop a sense of stability and security in their lives. They form positive relationships with staff and feel valued and cared for. The home provides a safe environment where young people can begin to address the impact of past negative experiences.  The home is well managed. The safety and well-being of young people is prioritised and there is a strong emphasis on supporting staff to develop and maintain good practice.  Managers are strong advocates for young people. They effectively challenge partner agencies that are perceived not to be acting in the best interests of the young people.  Robust action is taken when young people go missing from the home. Staff take a proactive approach to ensuring their safe return at the earliest opportunity and prevent further episodes of going missing from occurring.  Staff have a good understanding of the risks young people face when accessing

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The children's home provision is good because:

the internet and social media websites. They are vigilant to signs that a young person could become sexually exploited. Young people are educated on how to keep themselves safe.  Staff demonstrate a commitment to supporting young people. Outreach support for those moving on from the home has been particularly effective in ensuring positive transitions.  Young people are encouraged and supported to engage with their education provision. This often means that young people make significant progress in school and college.  Some shortfalls were identified in relation to staffing levels and recruitment procedures. These have not had a negative impact on the safety of young people and the quality of care being delivered.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard with particular reference to sufficient staffing levels and providing consistency of care, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

Regulation 13 (2)(d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; (e) ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child. 30/4/2016

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Requirement Due date

Ensure full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. Specifically, when recruiting new staff ensure a full employment history, together with a satisfactory explanation of any gaps in employment, is obtained in writing (Regulation 32 (3)(d)). 30/04/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

Ensure that where appropriate, children's bedrooms are only searched if the child has been informed (Guide to the Quality Care Standards, page 17, paragraph 3.20).

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Recommendations

Ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, ensure risk assessments are accurate and reflect the current circumstances of the child (Guide to the Quality Care Standards, page 42, paragraph 9.5).

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Recommendations

Ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. Specifically, ensure that staff update their training to enable them to meet the needs of young people (Guide to the Quality Care Standards, page 53, paragraph 10.11).

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Information about this children's home

This children's home is owned by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation to four young people irrespective of gender who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The organisation also provides education through its independent school which is Department for Education (DfE) registered.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

4 September 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

27 February 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

8 January 2014 Interim Satisfactory progress

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Good

The young people who remain at the home over an extended period achieve a sense of security and stability in their lives. They develop positive relationships with the staff, feel valued and consequently become more emotionally resilient. They begin to come to terms with past negative experiences and their mental health and well-being improves. The young people subsequently make good progress across many aspects of their lives.

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Good

Staff provide young people with a range of opportunities to express their views and influence how the home is run. The young people feel listened to and they begin to take a more active role in planning their day-to-day care and also in complex decision making. An independent reviewing officer commented that a young person had recently made a significant contribution at his looked after child review meeting. Prior to coming to the home, the young person ‘never made himself available to attend these meetings’.

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Good

Effective planning takes place prior to a young person being admitted to the home, and this ensures that the staff are familiar with their needs before they arrive. This helps to ensure that young people settle quickly. On admission young people are given a young person’s guide and this provides them with helpful information, such as how to complain and who to talk to if they are unhappy.

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Good

All young people develop the confidence to talk to the staff about any difficulties that they may have. One young person, who had been at the home for a relatively short period, said, ‘staff are good, they support and help you. I can talk to them if I am worried, and I feel safe.’

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Good

Education is prioritised by the management and staff. All of the young people have a school placement, either within the organisation’s school or in mainstream provision. School attendance is excellent and some of the young people who have previously struggled in an educational setting have made significant progress. A social worker said that it was ‘amazing’ that a particular young person was engaging so well in school, taking into account his previous experiences.

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Good

The staff monitor the young people’s educational progress, encourage them to do well and celebrate their achievements. Practical support is given to ensure that young people who attend mainstream school arrive on time and are prepared for their lessons. The staff maintain regular dialogue with the teaching staff so that any emerging difficulties are quickly resolved. Young people generally make good progress in acquiring independence skills that will benefit them when they move on from the home. They are encouraged to develop friendships with peers in the local community and to pursue their interests outside of the home, which increases their self-esteem and confidence. Staff provided excellent outreach support for one young person who moved on from the home. Both the emotional and practical support that were given at this time ensured that the young person overcame some of the initial difficulties that she

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Good

had when adapting to independent living.

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Good

The staff take a genuine interest in the welfare and development of young people. They take account of the young people’s cultural identity and explore ways of keeping them linked to their communities, even though these may be some distance away. Healthy lifestyles are promoted and young people benefit from eating a nutritional, balanced diet. Mealtimes are social events and young people were observed interacting positively in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere around the dinner table.

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Good

Key work sessions take place regularly between staff and young people. These focus on the young person’s particular circumstances, and more personal health issues are addressed within this setting. Young people are discouraged from smoking, although not all of them act upon the advice and guidance that they are given. Some of the young people at the home have a history of misusing illegal substances. This issue is also addressed through individual key working, but more specialist services can be accessed if they do not respond positively to this approach.

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Good

A good range of activities, both inside and outside of the home, are enjoyed by the young people. Many of these provide opportunities for them to take regular exercise. Group activities enable the group to bond and to maintain positive relationships. Young people report that there are no concerns about bullying in the home. The young people’s meetings are regular and provide them with the opportunity to address any issues related to group living. The young people say that they are treated well and fairly by the staff, their privacy is respected and they feel valued.

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Good

Managers and staff take proactive steps to ensure that young people’s contact with their family members is planned and supported where necessary. They advocate strongly for young people when placing authorities fail to prioritise arranging suitable contact. Where contact plans have been agreed and implemented, young people generally benefit from improved relationships with their family members. One parent commented, ‘we talk to each other now, and contact is a more positive experience.’ This constructive approach to managing contact helps young people to develop and maintain their identity and it improves their sense of emotional well- being. Judgement grade

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Good

The home provides a safe, nurturing environment for the young people, where their well-being and safety are prioritised. They say that they feel safe and they can all identify a member of staff that they would speak to if they had any concerns.

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Good

The committed staff team have a good understanding of each young person’s specific vulnerabilities and associated risks. These are reflected in risk assessments that provide detailed strategies for staff to follow to minimise the chance of the young people coming to harm. However, these risk assessments are not always updated following a significant incident, such as a young person going missing for an extended period. This shortfall has not resulted in any of the young people coming to harm but it has the potential to do so.

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Good

Staff are familiar with the potential for vulnerable young people to become sexually exploited. They are vigilant and alert to any indicators that a young person could be at risk. Staff engage young people in discussions to raise their awareness and to provide advice on keeping themselves safe. Staff recognise the importance of educating young people about the risks of becoming exploited through social media websites. The approach to keeping young people safe on the internet also includes the use of software to prevent access to unsuitable websites. Staff monitor young people’s use of personal electronic devices effectively.

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Good

There is a robust and well-coordinated response to young people who go missing from the home. Staff follow any young person who leaves the home without permission. They take effective action to disrupt the young person’s plans to access public transport when they suspect that a young person is planning to leave the area and potentially put themselves at risk. Staff follow agreed protocols when a young person goes missing and they communicate well with other professionals to secure the young person’s earliest possible return home. Increasingly, the young people remain in contact with the staff during an episode of going missing.

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Good

Young people receive a warm welcome back to the home if they have been missing. Staff engage them well in conversation and this often results in young people disclosing why they left the home and what happened during their absence. The Registered Manager ensures that this information is appropriately shared with the relevant authorities. He robustly challenges external agencies and professionals who are perceived as not responding effectively to address the underlying causes of young people going missing.

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Good

A process has recently been introduced for assessing the likely impact of new admissions to the home. This is yet to become fully embedded in practice. The Registered Manager demonstrates a determination to monitor and develop the process to ensure that it is fit for purpose. Good planning ensures that the individual needs and vulnerabilities of new admissions are known to the staff before the young person is admitted.

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Good

Well-established behaviour management strategies are implemented in practice. This ensures that young people receive a consistent message about acceptable behaviour and are familiar with the boundaries that are in place. Incentive charts and rewarding positive behaviour are prioritised over imposing sanctions. Staff reflect on the effectiveness of this approach and are able to provide examples of positive outcomes, including young people being less confrontational when challenged and being more respectful of others’ property. There have been no physical restraints since the last full inspection.

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Good

In order to ensure the safety of young people, staff have occasionally had to search young people’s bedrooms. On one such occasion, staff had the opportunity to inform the young person prior to the search being conducted, but did not do so.

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Good

Managers and staff build good working relationships with other professionals, and this ensures that effective communication takes place when there is a concern for a young person’s well-being. Child protection matters are shared in a timely manner and progress on agreed actions is recorded in detail.

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Good

The organisation has a procedure designed to ensure that inappropriate adults are not employed in the home. This procedure includes identifying and accounting for any gaps in an applicant’s employment history. One case was identified where this process was not followed, and the individual has subsequently commenced working in the home. No young people have come to harm as a result of this shortfall.

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Good

Regular health and safety checks relating to the premises are undertaken. This includes inspection of all fire safety equipment. Young people receive advice on fire safety when first admitted to the home, and subsequently take part in fire drills. These measures ensure that the young people live in a safe, well-maintained physical environment.

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Good

An experienced Registered Manager, who holds the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare, manages the home effectively. There is a stable core team of experienced staff. However, at the time of this inspection, the home did not have sufficient numbers of staff to consistently care for the young people as described in the home’s statement of purpose. Staff shortages are covered by permanent staff working overtime, agency and casual staff and by deploying staff from the organisation’s other homes. Consequently, care is being delivered by a number of members of staff who have no permanent connection with the home. This has the potential to undermine young people’s sense of consistency and continuity, despite the Registered Manager’s attempts to ensure that only the staff known to the young people work at the home. During the week in which a vulnerable young person was admitted to the home, there were three

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Good

occasions when 50% of the members of staff on duty were agency workers.

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Good

The Registered Manager has ensured that the organisation is taking all necessary steps to address the staffing shortage. Where possible, and in in order to maintain some consistency, he avoids permanent staff being deployed to other homes within the organisation. He is familiar with the risk of permanent staff becoming exhausted, through taking on overtime, and also the potential for sickness levels to increase. By monitoring staff performance and offering high-quality support to staff, he has ensured that the quality of care being delivered has not been compromised.

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Good

There are established systems for monitoring the quality and standard of care. These include seeking feedback from a range of stakeholders, including young people. Any serious incidents are reviewed by the Registered Manager and steps are taken to avoid similar situations from arising. This approach recently resulted in closer monitoring of a young person at the times when he was likely to go missing from the home. Despite the overall good standard of monitoring undertaken by the Registered Manager, shortfalls in the standard of risk assessments, referred to in the help and protection section of this report, had not been identified.

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Good

An independent visitor regularly undertakes visits to the home, and reports are submitted to the regulator within the required timescale. This provides an additional level of monitoring within the home.

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Good

The Registered Manager and staff maintain positive working relationships with external professionals. This ensures that there is good sharing of information, which in turn results in the young people’s placement plans clearly identifying their needs, and how they will be met. A Social Worker commented that he is kept informed ‘of all issues and concerns. Staff communicate well and they are good at what they do’.

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Good

Similarly, working in partnership with parents and carers, where appropriate, ensures consistency of care for young people. Parents and carers are consulted and encouraged to contribute towards the care planning process. One parent said that their experience of working with the home had been ‘exceptionally positive. Staff are excellent and everything has been made clear to us’.

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Good

Any concerns relating to young people’s progress are promptly shared with the placing authority, particularly when the concerns relate to the young people going missing from the home. Managers and staff are skilled at identifying the possible causes of a young person going missing and advocate strongly on their behalf to achieve resolution. The Registered Manager ensures that young people’s plans and strategies are reviewed in multi-agency forums, and challenges partner agencies effectively when they have failed to act in the best interests of a young person.

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Good

Staff receive good line management supervision that enables them to reflect on their practice and identify areas for professional development. The young people’s safety and their individual needs feature prominently in staff supervision records. The Registered Manager prioritises the professional development of individuals, in order to build a strong, cohesive team. In recent months, he has focused on developing a greater understanding amongst the team of the home’s statement of purpose and how this should underpin the care delivered to young people.

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Good

A comprehensive range of training courses are provided by the organisation. All of the staff complete mandatory training that covers topics such as child protection, first aid and behaviour management. However, not all of the staff have kept up to date with additional training which would further enhance their ability to meet the needs of the young people. Some staff have recently missed training on substance and alcohol misuse, which is particularly relevant to the needs of some of the young people in the home. This is partly attributable to current staff shortages.

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Good

Staff work collaboratively, and have a shared understanding of the ethos and values underpinning the home’s approach to caring for vulnerable young people. They feel well supported by the Registered Manager, and express confidence in his ability to resolve any disagreements or misunderstandings relating to practice issues. The management and staff take a positive attitude towards regulatory inspection and clearly strive towards continuously improving the service delivered to young people.

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Good

Some structural alterations have recently taken place at the home, in order to accommodate a fourth young person. At the time of this inspection, some communal areas of the home had yet to be decorated following the completion of this work. The Registered Manager is taking steps to ensure that this work is completed in a timely manner, and to a high standard.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place. However, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or that result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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