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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC359832 1 SC359832 Registered provider: My Choice Children’s Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and run by a private organisation. The home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 5 March 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 11 December 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC359832 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/12/2019 Full Good 11/12/2018 Full Good 18/07/2017 Full Good 23/01/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC359832 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive relationships with the staff. These relationships are built on respect and honesty. This provides a safe and open environment for the children to explore their past experiences and begin to rebuild trust with adults. The children are making good progress. Staff have a very good understanding of the children’s individual needs and provide consistent care in accordance with their individual plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into the home following a carefully considered matching process. The registered manager and staff review the needs of the child moving in alongside the needs of the children already living in the home. This includes the thorough consideration of potential risks and how these can be managed. The registered manager has ensured that the location of the home and the staff’s skills meet the needs of children moving into the home. Consequently, children benefit from careful and effective care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Regular consultation shows that staff listen to the children. As a result, children have been able to experience a variety of activities and events and changes have been made to the home. Staff support the children to pursue their interests and hobbies, including joining clubs. The staff and children have developed areas of the home, such as the sensory room and areas of the garden. This gives the children a sense of ownership and pride in their surroundings. Therefore, children feel listened to, and their views are respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with sound guidance and advice. This support helps the children to make positive and healthy decisions, and sanctions are not often used. However, in one case, a child had numerous restrictions applied in response to a single incident. This range of sanctions indicated an overzealous approach, and that the staff response was excessive in regard to the child’s behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to engage in education. The staff work with the children’s education settings to provide individualised and tailored packages of support. For one child, this allowed them to engage in education at a pace that was right for them, which involved home tutoring for a period of time. Consequently, the child has been able to re-engage in a school setting and is making progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of family connections. The children are supported to maintain these relationships. One social worker commended the staff for providing a high level of support for the child to see his parent and ensuring the child’s views are shared with professionals. Staff work in partnership with people who are important to the children, and this helps children benefit from a consistent experience of care and support. Inspection report for children’s home: SC359832 4 Most children are supported to move on in a planned way. Staff help the children to prepare for, and manage, this next step. The staff use focused key working to develop independence and life skills, such as the child managing their own money, shopping and improving their communication skills. Once children leave, the staff have an open-door policy, which allows children to make contact when they need to. This level of support means children feel valued and can continue to benefit from

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff demonstrate a sound knowledge of safeguarding. Children’s risks and vulnerabilities are well understood and clearly communicated within the staff team. Children’s positive relationships with a consistent staff team have resulted in very few safeguarding incidents.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Risk management plans are in place for all children. This supports staff to understand and manage current risks. The registered manager regularly reviews children’s risks with staff to develop strategies and manage any emerging concerns. This practice demonstrates that the team values collaborative working and that every staff member has something valuable to contribute.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a good understanding of the children’s strengths and vulnerabilities. They support and encourage the children to explore their identities, friendships and relationships. Staff use key-work sessions to support the children to develop their understanding of danger and to teach them how to be socially responsible. In one example, a child was involved in writing a risk assessment for him to be able to attend horse-riding lessons. This level of involvement allowed him to explore the risks and how to manage these. This inclusive approach encourages children to increase their self-awareness and to better integrate with wider society.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Physical intervention is seldom used in this home. This is because the staff are well informed about each child’s needs and they use their skills and experience to provide a calming atmosphere and approach. When incidents do occur, the registered manager reviews each one with the children and staff involved. Positive behaviour management is promoted through incentives and rewards, which the staff and children develop together. Therefore, children are empowered to take ownership of their behaviour, which builds their resilience and coping processes when they experience difficulties.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Safe recruitment practices are understood and implemented by staff responsible for this area of practice. All necessary checks are in place to ensure that children are protected from unsuitable people working in the home. However, staff recruitment files do not clearly demonstrate these checks have taken place. For example, there is sometimes a lack of clear evidence that original documents have been seen, as well as poor recording of the reasonable steps taken to obtain references. As a result, the safety of the recruitment process is undermined by some incomplete records. Inspection report for children’s home: SC359832 5 Children’s health needs are supported by staff through careful planning and strong communication with external health professionals. The children’s medication needs are safely managed by the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is passionate about his role and has a clear vision for the home. His aspirations for the children, staff and improving the home are shared by the staff team. This child-centred approach and modelling motivates the staff team to maintain standards and to focus on what matters for children. Staff said that the registered manager ‘is amazing and goes above and beyond for the home’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision that covers a varied agenda. Records sampled showed that supervisions are reflective and offer staff support and guidance, with a clear focus on safeguarding and learning from practice. This is supported by annual appraisals and performance reviews. This provides professional development and progression opportunities for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide a comprehensive range of training opportunities for the staff, which includes specific training related to the individual needs of the children. The staff are able to undertake additional training, such as the therapeutic practitioner award. This further enhances their skills and knowledge. Therefore, children benefit from staff who are motivated and supported to provide the best care for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager reviews all the daily records which staff complete on the home’s electronic recording system. As a result of this monitoring and oversight, the registered manager has knowledge of the children’s day-to-day experiences and a well-rounded view of the progress that the children are making and the quality of care they are receiving from the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular communication with the children’s social workers results in a shared approach to managing risks and targeted care planning for the children. Social workers and an independent reviewing officer say they have ‘nothing but high praise for the staff team, who are always supportive’. In the event of incidents and concerns, information is swiftly shared with relevant professionals. Inspection report for children’s home: SC359832 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that recruitment records demonstrate that managers have taken all reasonable and practicable measures to obtain references from all previous employers. 30 April 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, help children recognise the impact on themselves and others and be proportionate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC359832 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: My Choice Children’s Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: My Choice Children’s Homes Ltd, Unit 3a, Mill Green Business Estate, Mill Green Road, Haywards Heath RH16 1XQ

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Inspector

Rebecca Fisher, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC359832 8 to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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