Children's home run by Choices Home for Children Limited in Cheshire East

Inspection report for children’s home: SC436559 1 SC436559 Registered provider: Choices Home for Children Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to five children who may have emotional or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, five children were living in the home.

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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: 2 February 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC436559 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/08/2021 Full Good 08/10/2019 Full Good 09/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC436559 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make positive progress when living in the home. They are supported to develop positive relationships with staff who care about them and who understand their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff implement clear boundaries in the home to help children feel secure. However, some children do not feel that their views and feelings are taken seriously and do not always understand why some decisions have been made. This does not enable children to feel listened to or heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home is large and spacious. Extensive efforts have recently been made to improve and update the living environment for children. These improvements remain ongoing, with continued plans for further development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers advocate for children’s educational needs to be met. They challenge decisions with other professionals that are not in the children’s best interests. Children who were not in school before moving to this home are now attending school regularly. Children who do not yet have a school placement are supported to engage in education in the home. This encourages children to continue striving to reach their ambitions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage in hobbies and clubs and to go for days out. They consider children’s individual preferences and support them to build positive peer relationships. Staff also engage children in activities within the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are understood. Staff support children to take care of their health and hygiene. Children are encouraged to remain active. When needed, staff take children to health appointments and ensure that children take prescribed medication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with people who are important to them. They advocate for children to have a clear plan for these visits so children know when they will see their family. This helps children to develop and maintain positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff complete regular sessions with children to help them to better understand what is going on with them. These sessions often focus on managing emotions, promoting positive behaviours and keeping themselves safe. However, opportunities to undertake sessions with children based on their presenting needs have been missed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC436559 4

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

Children say they feel safe. They can identify adults in the home that they would speak to if they had any worries. Children know how to make a complaint, but none have felt the need to do so.

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

Children’s risks have reduced significantly since moving to this home. Their plans are updated regularly and provide clear strategies for staff to follow when children are struggling. Children say that staff know how to support them to calm down when their emotions become overwhelming.

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

Staff have developed positive relationships with key people involved in keeping children safe. Professionals say that staff communicate well with them and provide individualised care to children. This enables all adults to work together to best support the children. One professional said, ‘They really invested in [the child] and built that relationship up. [The child] feels wanted there because they’ve invested that time in them.’

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

Staff use physical interventions as a last resort and are often able to successfully de- escalate situations using therapeutic models of practice. When staff have had to hold a child to keep them safe, they have recorded the incidents appropriately.

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

Allegations of harm are rare. However, when allegations have been made, appropriate procedures have not always been followed, and relevant agencies have not been informed. This does not enable sufficient external oversight of practice in the home.

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

Children rarely go missing from this home. Children’s plans are clear and are updated regularly. However, when children have previously gone missing, plans have not always been fully followed. This does not ensure that children are safe.

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

Staff working in this home are appropriately qualified, and safer recruitment practices are followed. This ensures that all staff are suitably knowledgeable and deemed safe to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and suitably qualified. He has a good understanding of children’s needs and advocates for these needs to be fully met. Staff consistently said that support from senior managers has improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is experienced and stable. Staff receive regular supervision and attend monthly team meetings, which provide them with the opportunity to reflect on their practice. One member of staff said, ‘Management are very supportive and always at hand should any issues arise.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC436559 5 Staff receive training to ensure that they can meet the individual needs of children. They complete yearly appraisals of their work with the manager. This enables them to develop their professional knowledge and create goals for their own progression.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has oversight of safeguarding incidents and the work being completed with children. The manager evaluates each incident. However, this does not always include sufficient reflection to establish triggers, consider staff practice or determine patterns and trends.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager effectively uses internal and external monitoring systems to oversee practice in the home and the progress children make. This oversight promotes the safety and well-being of the children living there.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s case records are generally well kept. However, the rationale for decision making is not always clear within reports. This does not enable children to have a full and clear understanding of their journey in care and could result in key information being missed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC436559 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children know their views, wishes and feelings are taken seriously. If there is a reason children’s wishes cannot be met, the registered person should ensure that children know and understand the reasons for this decision. 8 August 2023

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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— 8 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC436559 7 mutual respect and trust;

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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

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that each child is provided with proactive key-work sessions that are planned based on children’s presenting needs. For children who are at risk of exploitation or unhealthy relationships, staff should complete consistent and ongoing work to help children understand how to keep themselves safe.

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe; 8 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC436559 8 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all safeguarding procedures are fully followed in every instance.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that incidents and practice in the home are evaluated to establish patterns and trends. In addition, that any areas of learning are identified to enable continuous improvements to be made. 8 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)) 8 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC436559 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children live in a warm and welcoming environment with a homely feel. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC436559 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Choices Home for Children

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 31 Wellington Road, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 7ED

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC436559 11 inspects 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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