Children's Home run by Island Choices Ltd in Isle of Wight

Inspection report children's home: SC399866 1 SC399866 Registered provider: Island Choices Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is one of two operated by a private company that is commissioned by the local authority where the home is based. It is registered to provide care for up to four children. Four children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2009.

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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 children's home: SC399866 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/03/2023 Full Good 04/11/2021 Full Good 13/11/2019 Full Good 31/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC399866 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live happily in the home and have trusted relationships with staff which provides them with a secure base. Staff are child focused and committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are effective in promoting education and encourage the children to attend school. When children are out of school staff work closely with education and social care professionals to advocate for children’s rights. One child was able to sit their exams at the home and another has a personal tutor in preparation to return to education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create clear plans of care for children. The plans are detailed and consider the child’s history prior to living in the home. Staff regularly review the plans highlighting the children’s progress. However, children’s plans do not always include the child’s most up to date local authority care plan or education health care plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection children have moved in and out of the home. Staff have worked with the local authority in a planned and child focused manner. Children’s needs are well assessed prior to moving into the home, with consideration given to the needs of the other children already living in the home. Children are welcomed into the home and the new children have settled in well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend quality time with friends and family. They have clear rules in place to develop their independence skills and keep them safe. Children take part in regular activities outside of school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children identify key staff they are comfortable talking to and can share their worries and concerns with them and feel listened to. Children can access advocacy when required and are encouraged to use this service by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children report they get along well with each. Staff offer children opportunities to take part in group activities. Children continue to not have meals with each other which is a missed opportunity to develop their relationships.

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

Staff are attuned to safeguarding issues and demonstrate consistent professional curiosity when they have concerns. Staff have frequent conversations with the children to explore known risks. The staff work very well with the local authority to share concerns and reduce risks for children.

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

Staff respond well to children who are missing from home. There is excellent communication with the local authority and police. Staff are clear on procedures, Inspection report children's home: SC399866 4 and these are consistently followed in practice. When there are concerns about children there are clear plans in place to manage risk.

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

Children’s health needs are met. Staff help children to make informed decisions about their health including the medications they take. Staff speak with children about substance misuse and smoking to help them understand the risks. Staff sensitively support children with health appointments and seek further help and guidance when worried about children’s health.

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

Staff promote positive behaviour. Staff are trained to use physical interventions. However, there has not been the need to use them. There is a clear ethos around behaviour management that are reflected in children's individual plans. The plans are child centred and involve the children to develop support strategies. These plans are regularly reviewed. Children are rewarded for following the rules of the home.

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

Staff understand identified risks for children. There are risk assessments in place that are reviewed often. However, risk assessments do not always reflect the current level of risk for children, to inform staff if risks have reduced or increased for children.

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

Leaders undertake safer appropriate recruitment checks on new staff to ensure that they are safe to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a highly experienced and suitably qualified manager. The manager is a present figure in the home. They are highly child focused and have good relationships with the children. An organised and knowledgeable deputy effectively supports the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and experienced staff team with minimal staff changes. This provides consistent care to children. Staff understand the ethos of the home and demonstrate this in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work closely with family members and partner agencies. Leaders communicate effectively with partner agencies sharing key information. These strong relationships benefit the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager supports the staff team well. Staff receive regular good quality supervision that is well structured. This promotes staff welfare and focuses on improving the quality of care for the children. Staff are well trained to carry out their roles. Staff say they enjoy their roles and work well as a team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring systems in place. The manager uses the independent person’s visits well to identify shortfalls. The manager has a clear development plan in place to improve the quality of care for children. Inspection report children's home: SC399866 5 Complaints are rare. Children feel listened to when they talk to staff about their worries. Since the last inspection one complaint was made against the manager. The complaint was shared with the child’s social worker. However, there was a missed opportunity to share this with the local authority designated officer. The manager has improved the complaints procedure to make this more effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager notifies key professionals and Ofsted of serious events for children. However, notifications are not always without delay. These delays have not impacted on the safety or wellbeing of the children. Inspection report children's home: SC399866 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 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, when risk assessments are updated, they should reflect the current level of risks for children. 08 January 2024

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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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; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 08 January 2024 Inspection report children's home: SC399866 7 In particular, notifications must be made to Ofsted without delay.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure the home has a copy of any plan for the care of the children prepared by the child’s placing authority and education health care plan. 08 January 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are encouraged to sit together to eat, and not have meals in their bedrooms. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations including the quality standards', page 15 paragraph 3.8)  The registered person should consult with the relevant local authority designated officer when investigating complaints that include practice concerns. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 44 paragraph 9.1)

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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 children's home: SC399866 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 67 Argyll Street, Ryde PO33 3BY

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: William Stanbridge

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Inspector

Mark Dawkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC399866 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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