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

The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

children and young people since the most recent full inspection. This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness . The requirements and recommendations at the previous inspection have been effectively addressed. The organisation’s protocol regarding young people missing from home has been reviewed. Staff adhere to the revised procedures. A workforce plan is in place to ensure that all staff have the level 3 qualification or are working towards it, including agency staff. Young people make good progress. One young person is now able to travel independently. Staff set small, achievable steps to enable her to accomplish this safely. The young person is very proud of her achievement. Staff support young people to become independent. They help them to complete job application forms and apply for jobs. Staff supported one young person to gain part-time

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

employment. Staff teach young people to budget, shop and cook for themselves in preparation for independent living. One young person is now able to live on her own without additional support. Individual risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated, resulting in an environment where the welfare of young people is protected. Staff generally have positive relationships with young people and provide consistent expectations and boundaries outlined in the young people’s risk assessment. As a result, two young people have significantly reduced their missing from care episodes. Staff work closely with professionals to keep these young people safe. Staff have not been able to engage with one young person who continued to put himself at risk. Staff are unable to prevent this young person from going missing from the home and putting himself in danger. They did not seek feedback from independent return to home interviews for this young person, so are unable to learn

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

from these discussions. There was an increasing concern that other young people may go missing alongside the one with this ingrained behaviour. Consequently, the service managers gave his local authority a short notice period and made arrangements for him to be moved to another placement as soon as he returned to the home. This meant that the young person did not have a positive experience of the end of his placement. The manager recognises that there are lessons to be learned from the difficult ending of this young person’s placement. Planned transitions for two young people have been very positive. Staff supported one young person to successfully move to independent living from the home’s secure base. This young person’s goal was to move to her own accommodation. Staff ensured that the placement remained open so that she had a safety net for the first month. This young person is now living independently, attending college

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

and has a part-time job. Staff worked closely with adult services to help another young person to make the transition to a supported placement. This young person was fully involved in his transition. Staff continued to visit him during the settling in period. He has managed the move well and has adapted to the new placement. An admission for one young person was very positive. She was clear about what to expect when she arrived. She was given the children’s guide, which helped her to be clear about expectations. However, she was not aware that she could question some of the safety measures in place, for example, night door alarms. Young people’s meetings have not been held regularly, which means that these types of issues are not discussed or reviewed. All young people attend full-time education. They have college places identified for the new academic year. One young person is attending a summer school and is

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

working towards qualifications. Another young person has taken some GCSEs. This is a great achievement. She has previously had poor school attendance and has managed full attendance while at the home. Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff and respond to attention to their individual needs. They have learned positive coping strategies for when they are frustrated or upset. There have been no incidents requiring physical intervention since the last inspection. This leads to greater stability. Young person’s feedback questionnaires collated by the home are positive. One young person wrote ‘the staff should keep doing their jobs, they are amazing’ and another young person said ‘I really enjoy it at this home’. Interagency working is good. The manager has established professional working relationships with the young people’s local authorities. A social work manager recorded, ‘The professional network is very impressed with the work that [the

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The effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of

home] has undertaken with the young person and with the progress she has made in placement.’ Another social worker stated that she is ‘very, very happy with the quality of care’. The current manager was appointed in June 2016, having previously been deputy manager. She is applying to be a registered manager for the home. The manager is proactively involved in monitoring individual care arrangements. She is very aware of the progress of young people and how to support the staff to achieve measurable positive outcomes. Staff describe her as ‘approachable, her door is always open’. She ensures that staff have regular supervision and are encouraged to learn new skills so that they can be promoted within the organisation.

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately owned children’s home that is registered to accommodate four young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

18/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

13/01/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard In order to meet the care planning standard, with particular reference to a young person’s experience at the end of the placement, young people should— (1)(b) have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 30/09/2016

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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

 Young people must be consulted regularly on their views about the home's care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11).  Homes should take account of information provided by return from home interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30).

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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

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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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