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

Inspection report for children's home: 1250194 1 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

This home is owned and run by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to four children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2017.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 1 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1250194 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/07/2019 Full Good 15/01/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1250194 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are being cared for by a team of staff who are committed and resilient. The current group of children are struggling to live together harmoniously. Managers are working closely with children’s placing authorities to try and reach a resolution which avoids an unplanned ending for any child. Children are making good progress despite the current challenges.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Encouraging children to engage in education is a priority for staff. Children make good progress from their starting points. One child, who had poor school attendance because he experienced low self-esteem and anxiety before he arrived, has benefited from attending a local community farming project for his education. As a result, the child is learning new skills and has a much healthier daily routine. Children’s life chances are improved because of a sensitive, individualised approach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Working in partnership with people who are important to children is given high priority. The social worker for a child who lives far from home spoke extremely positively about the lengths staff go to. This related to the support given to ensure that the child and his parent can spend quality time together. An inclusive approach supports children to maintain positive relationships with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive proactive support from staff to learn skills which are important for them. In one example, a child is engaging well in bespoke key-work sessions which are being used to teach the child how to learn to live more independently. The child’s key worker knows the child well. They adapt the pace and length of key-work sessions to the child’s ability to engage on the day. Children are benefiting from nurturing relationships with knowledgeable staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between some of the children are very strained. Children report that the behaviour of other children is having a negative impact on them. Two children told the inspector that it seems that ‘staff are always keeping the other children busy to stop them kicking off’. Attempts made by staff and managers to teach children about respect and acceptance have not been wholly successful. As a result, children are not benefiting from opportunities to learn how to build and maintain positive relationships with each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Maintenance of the home’s environment is an ongoing challenge. Several areas of the home have been damaged during some recent incidents, and some other areas have a tired appearance. However, redecoration has begun. In order to give children a sense of ownership and pride in their surroundings, children have been involved in choosing items to make the lounge more homely. Each child’s bedroom has personal items which reflect their interests, culture and identity. Managers and staff understand the importance of creating and maintaining a comfortable environment which tells children diversity is celebrated. Inspection report for children's home: 1250194 4

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

Children’s safety and well-being are priorities for staff. Staff make good use of the multiple information-sharing systems in place. As a result, staff have up-to-date knowledge of children’s current risks. They can make sound decisions in response to children’s requests, such as for money and free time. Effective and open communication with children’s social workers further underpins the safeguarding culture and promotes children’s safety.

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

There is a robust process in place to assess children’s needs before they come to live at the home. Managers carefully consider the child’s referral information and consult with other professionals working with the child. Managers ensure that they have as much information as possible. They thoroughly assess the likely impact of the child moving into the home on the children who already live there. Well-planned introductions to the home take place before children move in. Matching assessments are updated when incidents involving children occur. Managers use these assessments to inform staff about how to reduce the risk of one child’s behaviour having a negative impact on other children.

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

Positive behaviour is promoted by providing predictable structures and routines for children. For one child in particular, behavioural incidents have reduced in frequency and severity because of clear strategies which managers have put in place for all staff to follow. The use of sanctions is rare and is limited to asking children to contribute a small amount of money to repair or replace items which they have damaged. The overall approach supports children to have a positive experience of learning how to make amends for their mistakes.

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

There has been a recent safeguarding incident. A child in one of the organisation’s other homes alleged that a child living in this home sent them an explicit photo. Staff did not follow the organisation’s safeguarding policy, and they spoke to the child before the incident was reported to external safeguarding professionals. This has had the potential of impeding an independent investigation into whether the child is putting himself and others at risk of harm by not staying safe online.

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

Recruitment practices include necessary checks being carried out to ensure that staff employed to work at the home are safe to work with children. However, staff recruitment files do not demonstrate that applicants’ conduct and performance in all their previous work with children and vulnerable adults are fully scrutinised. Some incomplete recruitment records undermine the otherwise safe recruitment practices.

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

Minutes of staff supervisions and team meetings demonstrate that managers and staff are alive to the fact that the current poor dynamics between children could result in bullying behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is fully involved in the children’s lives. He has high expectations about the quality of care which staff provide to children. Inspection report for children's home: 1250194 5 Working in partnership with other professionals is given high priority by the registered manager. He confidently challenges decisions made by other professionals when he believes that they are not in line with children’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report excellent support from managers. Staff receive good-quality training provided by the organisation and regular, meaningful supervision. Staff describe a culture which promotes mutual respect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Generally, managers demonstrate that they recognise the importance of learning from incidents. However, there has recently been a situation where staff took the decision to change a child’s planned activity without fully assessing the potential risks. Managers have responded robustly and taken steps to ensure that children’s safety was promoted. However, they have not shared learning from the incident with the staff involved or with the wider staff team. This is a missed opportunity to talk to staff about the importance of them being able to dynamically assess risks and make decisions which keep children safe while also enabling children to have the same experiences as other children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are committed to empowering children to have a say in decisions which affect them. Children know how to complain if they are unhappy about any aspect of their care. Complaints are taken seriously, investigated and acted on. However, there is a recent example of a child not receiving feedback about their complaint in a timely way. This is partly due to the investigating manager being unable to visit the home because of an outbreak of COVID-19. However, not seeking an alternative way to keep the child updated has resulted in the child not being confident that his voice has been heard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is supported well by his managers. Detailed monthly reports by an independent person identify shortfalls and are an essential part of the quality assurance process. The registered manager closely monitors the progress of the children and all aspects of the home. As a result, the registered manager has a sound awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Inspection report for children's home: 1250194 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b)) 31 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and 31 May 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 1250194 7 are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to the registered person ensuring that staff are familiar with the correct procedure to follow when there are concerns that children are not keeping themselves safe online.

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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 sought to verify applicants’ reasons for leaving all previous roles involving work with children or vulnerable adults. 31 May 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted on. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 1250194 8

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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: Unit 3a, Mill Green Business Estate, Mill Green Road, Haywards Heath RH16 1XQ

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Inspector

Helen Simmons, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1250194 9 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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