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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2736862 1 Registered provider: My Choice Children’s Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation and is registered to provide care for up to six children who experience social and/or emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, four children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2023. This is the home’s first inspection since registration.

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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 outstanding

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2736862 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a spacious, comfortable and well-furnished home that benefits from different spaces, allowing children to be together or separate if they wish. Children’s displayed artwork gives the home a personal touch. All children have their meals together, which gives them opportunities to talk about their day and share news. This helps children to have a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like their bedrooms and enjoy personalising them. Consequently, each bedroom reflects an aspect of the child’s personality and their personal interests and hobbies. Children are proud to show their perfume and jewellery collections, toys, and pictures on their walls. For example, one child has their own projector light which creates a star effect on their chosen painted purple wall.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children have recently moved into the home and have built relationships with each other and the adults who care for them. There is a real sense of warmth between staff and children. Dedicated staff take time to invest in building positive relationships with children. This gives children a sense of trust and they can flourish. One member of staff said, ‘It does not feel like “a” children’s home, it feels like “the” children’s home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are sought regularly and are valued. Staff listen to the children and support them to have a say in the way that they are cared for through key-work sessions and children’s meetings. Records of sessions are personal to each child with comments from the manager. Children choose meals and activities and what they want to talk about. One child said, ’I can talk to any staff, but I love my key worker and they are my go-to person.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a wide variety of activities, including horse riding lessons, swimming and going shopping to spend their pocket money. Incentives for positive and kind acts also give children additional treats, for example going to a nail salon. Furthermore, children have opportunities through the organisation to attend events, such as Halloween and Christmas activities. One child is part of a mentoring programme and is proud of the additional activities this responsibility brings, such as going to see a newly released film at the cinema. However, there are some missed opportunities to further showcase children’s achievements and better evidence their progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children either attend education or are in the process of attending personal tutoring linked to education. Staff advocate strongly for them and attend all meetings in relation to their schooling. Children’s moves into the home are sensitively managed, which means that they feel nurtured and safe. For example, children chose to write welcome letters to a child who recently moved in, and their favourite meal was cooked for them. One social worker said, ‘I was waiting for the Inspection report for children’s home: 2736862 3 day [name of child] could move in, and when they did, their bedroom was just perfect.’

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

Staff are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and work well in partnership with the local authority designated officers. Safeguarding allegations are infrequent. When they occur, they are recorded and reported in depth, involving relevant agencies. These are reviewed as part of the wider organisation safeguarding team.

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

Staff are trained well to meet the individual needs of the children living in the home. Staff are supportive of children’s past experiences and have strong links with therapists who help them to understand their emotions. For example, one child is being supported with life-story work, and another child is supported to identify three positives at the end of each day. This builds trust and self-esteem.

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

Staff are trained in positive behaviour management. They explore de-escalation techniques, which means that there has been no physical interventions. Following incidents, staff and children are given opportunities to reflect and learn from them.

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

Staff demonstrate good knowledge in key areas of safeguarding, such as online safety risks to children and episodes of children going missing from home. One social worker said, ‘Since living at the home, she has not gone missing, she is not easily led, staff are proactive and just on it.’

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

Leaders and managers make sure that staff are safely recruited. They are aware of their responsibilities to ensure that effective health and safety processes are in place. Risk assessments are thorough, meaning that staff ensure that children live in a safe home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is dedicated, passionate and has an ambitious vision. They lead a team of staff who have high expectations for what all children can achieve and ensure high standards of individualised care. Consequently, the management team has good oversight of children’s day-to-day experiences. One social worker said, ‘They are brilliant and always trauma informed, I can’t fault it.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management arrangements provide a supportive, united and caring culture in the home for everyone. There is a real sense of teamwork and of strong working relationships. Agency staff feel part of the team and they all acknowledge difficulties and support each other. This provides a stable team for the children. One member of staff said, ‘There is clear and effective leadership, empowering the team around them.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and deputy manager have a comprehensive knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Senior managers are visible and supportive. They model good practice and help to ensure that there is a shared Inspection report for children’s home: 2736862 4 therapeutic ethos and that children are cared for consistently, in line with the home’s statement of purpose. There are effective monitoring systems in place and the home’s development plan is detailed to reflect the highly valued vision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Feedback from external professionals, such as social workers, is excellent regarding communication and partnership working. This demonstrates a culture of openness that keeps children’s needs at the heart of decision-making and ensures that children benefit from meaningful joint working. One social worker said, ‘It has been brilliant, and it is a pleasure “parenting” with them, not “working” with them.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are grateful for the thorough induction process and how the model of care is interwoven through this to enable them to support the children who live at the home. One member of staff said, ‘Reading the history of the children living in the home before they moved in really gave me a sense of the care and support they need.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are supported through regular supervision, and the registered manager is meticulous in their recording. Supervision and team meetings give staff time to reflect on practice, discuss children’s needs and improve the quality of care. These sessions provide staff with space to reflect on their practice. Staff respect and value their manager’s leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Training to support children’s needs is a high priority. The home has good links with a learning and development manager, who is clear about the expectations of staff and said, ‘If we are doing it right, then children leave feeling safe, giving them the tools to feel confident in the world around them.’ They added, ‘My heart is happy when I come to the home, memories are created, children have fun, and they feel safe and go to bed feeling loved.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2736862 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff fully recognise, capture and celebrate children’s progress and achievements. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.7)

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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: 2736862 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: My Choice Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Hannah Cox, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2736862 7 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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