Children's home run by My Choice Children’s Homes Limited in Mid Sussex

This monitoring visit

This home was judged to have declined in effectiveness at an interim inspection carried out on 27 January 2016. A monitoring visit was carried out on 22 February 2016 to assess the progress made in meeting the seven requirements and four recommendations made at the interim inspection. As a result of continued concerns about the standard of care, four compliance notices were issued relating to regulations 10, 11, 12 and 34.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out on 13 April 2016 to examine and assess progress made in relation to meeting the compliance notices. The inspection found that the requirements made in all compliance notices had been met.

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Compliance notice in relation to regulation 10

In order to meet the health and well-being standard, the registered person should ensure that

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Compliance notice in relation to regulation 10

(1)(a) the health and well-being needs of children are met. In particular, ensure:- (i) consultation takes place with the young person's named diabetes nurse. A health care plan is produced which contains measures to address the young person's failure to accurately record blood sugar levels and take medication as prescribed. (ii) that, following consultation with the named diabetic nurse, managers and staff are familiar with the health implications for the young person if he fails to take prescribed medication, and that these are recorded in the health care plan (iii) that managers and staff have received the training required to ensure the health care plan is implemented in practice.

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Compliance notice in relation to regulation 10

This notice was issued due to serious concerns about the lack of staff knowledge and their ineffective management of this health condition.

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Compliance notice in relation to regulation 10

A diabetes nurse has reviewed the home’s risk assessment regarding monitoring of the young person’s condition. All members of staff, except one very recently appointed, have undergone training with a nurse so that they have the knowledge to understand and react to any issues related to diabetes. There is a clear protocol for the staff to follow in the event that they have concerns. This has been followed effectively in practice.

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Compliance notice in relation to regulation 10

Since the issuing of the notice, the home and organisation have taken effective steps to ensure that they meet the regulation and that the young person’s health needs are known and met.

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Compliance notice in relation to regulation 11

In order to meet the positive relationships standard, with particular reference to managing harmful relationships and staff supervision, the registered person should ensure staff:

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Compliance notice in relation to regulation 11

(2)(a)(vi) help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child's age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; in particular, ensure:- (i) staff consult with relevant professionals and make a plan which focuses on how individual young people can be helped to recognise when a personal relationship is supportive or harmful (ii) young people have a consistent, named key-worker. The key worker engages the young person in weekly key-work sessions until the planned work around managing personal relationships has been completed.

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Compliance notice in relation to regulation 11

(2)(a)(vii) help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship; in particular, ensure:- (i) key-work sessions are used to provide young people with information so they can recognise the characteristics of a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship. (ii) staff assess whether each young person has the skills to withdraw from a harmful relationship. Use placement plans to identify what work staff will do to enhance the young person's ability to keep themselves safe in personal relationships.

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Compliance notice in relation to regulation 11

(2)(a)(x) are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; in particular, ensure:- (i) all staff receive practice based supervision within the time frame described in the home's statement of purpose and that notes are made of each supervision session. (ii) supervision provides staff with the opportunity to reflect on the emotional impact of working with vulnerable young people.

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Compliance notice in relation to regulation 11

This notice was issued after serious concerns were noted at the monitoring visit on 25 February 2016, relating to the management of harmful relationships between the young people, and lack of key working and guidance being provided for them. There was a lack of formal supervision provided to members of staff to enable them to manage their own feelings in response to the behaviour of the young people.

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Compliance notice in relation to regulation 11

Since this monitoring visit, the home has implemented weekly key-work sessions with the young people. This has put a structure in place so that the young people are able to discuss relationships, safe behaviours, sexualised behaviour, anger management and self-esteem. These discussions have been instigated by staff and managers. Additionally, the home has commissioned an external service to provide young people with group work and individual sessions to address these issues. A young person reported that he has individual sessions with members of staff ‘all of the time’, and that he enjoyed the sessions provided by the external provider.

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Compliance notice in relation to regulation 11

Regularity of staff supervision has improved since the monitoring visit. Due to the relatively short time span since the monitoring visit, the long-term effectiveness of this is yet to be tested. Not all members of staff have received supervision since the visit, but there is a clear plan and schedule in place for this to happen, and senior managers say that they are monitoring this. The last regulation 44 visit, which took place on 8 April 2016, also commented on improvements in this area.

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Compliance notice in relation to regulation 11

Since the issuing of the notice, the home and organisation have taken effective steps to ensure that they meet the regulation and have addressed the issues raised in the compliance notice.

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Compliance notice relating to regulation 12

In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to risk management, preventing children harming each other, supervision and keeping children safe, the registered person must ensure that staff:

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Compliance notice relating to regulation 12

(2)(a)(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; in particular, ensure:- (i) risk assessments are evaluated for effectiveness following an incident where a young person has placed themselves at risk of harm. (ii) risk assessments are regularly reviewed and amended, and particularly after each incident where a young person has placed themselves at risk of harm.

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Compliance notice relating to regulation 12

(2)(a)(iv) manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; in particular, ensure:- (i) the numbers of staff on duty allow for the young people to be supervised in accordance with their risk assessments and behaviour management plans. (ii) staff undertake planned key-work sessions with young people. These focus on developing young people's ability to recognise when a personal relationship is supportive or harmful, and provide young people with the skills to withdraw from harmful relationships. (iii) team meetings provide staff with the opportunity to discuss and analyse group dynamics between young people.

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Compliance notice relating to regulation 12

(2)(a)(vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; in particular, ensure:- (i) an investigation is undertaken in respect of a young person receiving indecent images via the internet. This investigation to analyse the effectiveness of actions taken immediately after the incident and make recommendations for preventing a similar occurrence. (ii) the indecent images are no longer accessible. (iii) in partnership with other relevant agencies, assess whether the young person who received the indecent images is now at increased risk of child sexual exploitation. Identify actions to be taken to reduce the risk of the young person being sexually exploited.

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Compliance notice relating to regulation 12

This compliance notice was issued in relation to the ineffective monitoring of young people’s behaviours and risk-taking activities, especially with regards to internet access and staff supervision of the young people. In particular, concerns that at times there were not enough staff to supervise the young people effectively. This also related to staff engaging with the young people with regards to their risk- taking behaviours and ensuring that meaningful individual and key-working sessions took place to enable the young people to reflect on their behaviours and choices.

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Compliance notice relating to regulation 12

Since the monitoring visit, all risk assessments have been reviewed and managers have established that members of staff are aware of the vulnerabilities of the young people and know how to manage their behaviours and to reduce the risks.

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Compliance notice relating to regulation 12

There are now enough staff in the core team to ensure that staffing ratios ensure that there is always at least one member of staff on shift for each young person in the home. This ensures that the young people have sufficient support and supervision. Additionally, regular team meetings discuss the dynamics of the young people’s group and review what strategies are in place to support and manage them.

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Compliance notice relating to regulation 12

Following an incident in which a young person had received indecent images via social media, an investigation took place and access to the internet is now more strictly assessed and controlled. All indecent images have been removed, and the organisation now has a member of staff who regularly audits internet histories and permissions to ensure that young people are not able to access inappropriate content. Risk assessments are clear as to the risks posed by the internet, and what specific measures are in place for each individual young person.

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Compliance notice relating to regulation 12

Key-work sessions with members of staff and workers from an external organisation enable young people to reflect upon relationships and their behaviour.

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Compliance notice relating to regulation 12

Since the issuing of the notice, the home and organisation have taken effective steps to ensure that they meet the regulation and have addressed the issues raised in the compliance notice.

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Compliance notice relating to regulation 34

Provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response (Regulation 34(2)(d)).

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Compliance notice relating to regulation 34

At the monitoring visit on 25 February 2016, the recording of specific incidents of a serious safeguarding nature were found to be of a poor standard and did not show when key decisions had been made or how the incident had been pursued with other stakeholders such as placing authorities. The recording of these incidents has been reviewed and now contains clear details of which agencies have been contacted, their responses and ways in which the issues have been addressed. Information regarding these incidents has also been shared with the young people’s subsequent placements, so that their vulnerabilities are known and can be planned for in order to keep them safe.

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Compliance notice relating to regulation 34

Since the issuing of the notice, the home and organisation have taken effective steps to ensure that they meet the regulation and have addressed the issues raised in the compliance notice.

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Information about this children's home

The service can accommodate three children, with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, irrespective of gender. It is one of eight children's homes operated by a private company. Education can be provided on site.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the home since compliance notices were issued on 7 March 2016. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. 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

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Information about this inspection

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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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