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’s provision is good because:

 The registered manager is a strong leader who has a clear understanding of the quality of care required to meet the needs of the young people.  There are close and trusting relationships between the young people and staff. Staff equip young people with the necessary ambition and skills to help them meet their personal goals in education and employment.  Consistent boundaries and tailored care plans enable staff to support the young people to a very good standard. Young people develop resilience and improve their coping skills.  Young people who were putting themselves at risk have reduced this behaviour due to the guidance, vigilance and support from staff.  Shortfalls identified during this inspection have not compromised the safety or well-being of the young people.

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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

12. The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular that staff: (2)(a)(vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies, in relation to timely report to parents and professionals. 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that: (c) within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(c)) 31/03/2017

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Children 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)

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Information about this children’s home

The service can accommodate three children, irrespective of gender, who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is one of eight children’s homes operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 30/08/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/10/2015 Full Good 24/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Staff create a warm, safe family environment, which is calm and welcoming. They care about the young people and form strong attachments. One young person said ‘The staff are awesome’, and another young person said the staff are ‘brilliant’. Young people relate well to their key workers, speak to them about painful emotions, and seek advice and support from them. This helps them to develop the resilience to manage stresses in their lives.

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Good

Staff are proud of young people’s achievements and celebrate their successes. Young people make good progress, motivated by an incentives system. Young people identify areas they feel they need to improve on and work towards achieving financial rewards or treats. One young person has increased her self-care skills as a result and is requesting goals that are more challenging.

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Good

All young people value education or work experience; staff work closely with teachers or course leaders to ensure that young people have the opportunity to reach their academic potential and pursue their interests. One young person gained five GCSEs and is attending college, and the other young people have applied for apprenticeships in areas of interest to them. One young person previously lacked confidence; however, she told the inspector, ‘I aced my last interview.’ Staff help the young people to complete curricula vitae, apply for jobs and prepare for interviews. The young people value this support, which has given them the confidence to pursue opportunities they may not have considered previously.

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Good

Young people are able to make choices. Staff consult them about the running of the home, including issues such as the menus, decoration of the home and choosing which staff they would like to spend individual time with. Staff support young people to feel that this is their home. One young person requested to keep a tortoise, staff helped her to learn how to care for her pet, and, as a result, she is a responsible pet owner. Staff struggle to engage young people in more formal house meetings in which young people can make decisions as a group and discuss any issues together. The registered manager discussed various methods they have used to engage the young people but this has not been evidenced.

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Good

Staff focus on young people’s emotional needs. Key-working sessions explore important issues. The strong relationship between staff and young people means that there is a high level of trust and respect for each other, which enhances the key-work relationship. Young people are encouraged to engage with advocates who obtain their views about important issues. One young person has used this service to request to stay in the home until she has finished her college placement. Staff encourage young people to attend all routine and necessary specialist health appointments. When young people refuse to attend appointments, staff persist in working with the young person to achieve this. The misuse of substances is decreasing. Staff support young people to learn about the dangers associated with smoking and substance misuse. Young people who want to access therapeutic support. Staff ensure that young people can access long-term support to help them

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Good

make sense of painful emotions. Staff know the young people well and respond to their distress by offering reassurance and spending time talking through worries.

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Good

Staff support and value young people’s social relationships. They work with young people to ensure that they see those individuals who are important to them, such as parents, relatives and friends. Staff, in conjunction with social workers, facilitate contact and review arrangements. They make the necessary checks to ensure that young people are staying in a safe environment.

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Good

Staff encourage young people to work towards independence, complete pathway plans and learn new skills. All the young people learn to shop, cook and budget for themselves. Staff ensure that they make healthy, home-prepared meals. Staff equip young people for when they move on to future adult placements or independent living.

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Good

Safeguarding training includes child sexual exploitation and whistle-blowing. Staff spoken to were able to demonstrate a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures. Policies and procedures are generally followed and any safeguarding issues are reported immediately. However, there was one occasion when there was a delay in reporting an incident to the young person’s social worker. There was also another occasion when staff did not inform a parent that her daughter was missing. The registered manager is addressing these issues with the individual staff involved and through team meetings.

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Good

Staff engage with the young people and build up strong relationships with them. They reinforce good behaviour by using incentives and clear boundaries. Young people now rarely go missing or return home late. In the event of a young person leaving the home without permission, staff do their utmost to locate them. They keep in touch with them and offer to pick them up. Staff work closely with the police to trace young people, and the police carry out welfare checks (through a brief interview) on their return. The registered manager ensures that the local authority arranges return interviews and will challenge the local authority if this does not happen.

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Good

Staff ensure that any criminal matters are dealt with sensitively. They recognise that young people can show behaviours which are out of character. For example, while following company policy in relation to finding illegal substances in the home, staff negotiated with the police to ensure that a young person was not criminalised unnecessarily.

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Good

Physical interventions are only used as a last resort and in line with young people’s risk assessments and recorded strategies. Since the last inspection, there have only been two occasions of physical restraint. Staff use de–escalation techniques to manage a young person’s distress. This has been effective over time, and she now rarely puts herself at risk necessitating physical intervention for her own safety. However, when this intervention occurred staff did not seek her views. She was, therefore, unable to express her feelings about the incident and this was not available to the registered manager for evaluation.

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Good

Yong people are encouraged to take responsibility for themselves in preparation for when they leave the home. Staff teach them to manage social media and their mobile phone safely. Key-work sessions demonstrate that young people are trustworthy and respond to staff’s guidance. Clear agreements are in place, which young people have agreed to, with consequences if they do not adhere to these expectations.

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Good

The registered manager has a level 5 qualification in leadership and management for residential childcare. He is an experienced manager who has been in post since January 2013. He is a strong leader who inspires staff to care for the young people well. The registered manager maintains systems in place to ensure that staff know the necessary policies and procedures, including those for safeguarding and countering child sexual exploitation. The organisation provides a high level of training, including specialist training regarding specific issues relating to the young people placed.

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Good

The home is fully staffed; all staff are qualified to the level 3 diploma in residential childcare, or equivalent, or are working towards this. Inductions for new staff are thorough; there are support systems in place throughout their probationary period. In the event of a staff member not being able to work a shift, the registered manager employs staff from a sister home rather than agency staff. If these staff are unfamiliar with the young people, they read the young people’s care plans, strategies and risk assessments prior to working with them. These are all up to date and are reviewed monthly. This equips staff with the necessary information and guidance to care for the young people.

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Good

Supervision is of a high calibre, and is regular and effective. Staff have the opportunity to reflect on their practice. The focus is on the young people and on staff development and evaluation. Accountability and reflection underpins the learning for staff, which increases their competence.

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Good

Staff value the leadership of the registered manager. Those spoken to describe him as ‘approachable, with an open door policy’. Team meetings are effective; staff discuss the young people’s needs and how they can address these consistently. The registered manager also challenges staff’s practice when necessary to ensure continual improvement of the service.

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Good

The registered manager has good working relationships with professionals and parents, which are effective in ensuring a multi-professional approach. Social workers recognise the positive impact that the staff’s intervention has with their young people. One social worker said, ‘My young person had a history of going missing, this has significantly reduced. This is the most settled she has been in any placement.’ Another social worker said, ‘They manage her behaviour well, they have her interests at heart, and I am very impressed.’ A parent said, ‘They have been able to contain her and have stuck with her, they do a fantastic job.’

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Good

The statement of purpose is up to date and clearly states the ethos of the home and its aims. The children’s guide is appropriate for the young people who stay there.

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Good

The registered manager is clear about the strengths and weaknesses of the home and aims for continual improvement to ensure a sustained high level of care.

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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 children looked after 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 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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