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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC390785 1 SC390785 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

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

At the time of the inspection, four children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2018.

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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: 21 February 2023

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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: SC390785 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2023 Full Good 09/02/2022 Full Good 01/05/2019 Full Good 18/12/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC390785 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from thoughtful and sensitive care. They enjoy the genuine affection and fondness shown to them and are relaxed and comfortable when they are with the staff. Relationships are formed which become meaningful and lasting. Members of staff remain in contact with children who have left the home and continue to offer advice and reassurance when needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

As a result of the stability and consistency provided by staff, children make good progress from their starting points. They are enabled to develop their life skills and coping mechanisms. Consequently, they learn to understand their emotions and how to manage these more positively. Children are helped to increase their insight into their past experiences and use this understanding to move forward in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children learn the value of education through the constant reinforcement and encouragement they receive from staff. They benefit from bespoke education programmes which consider their abilities and are designed to help them to overcome their past barriers to engaging in education. Staff advocate strongly on children’s behalf to ensure that they have a meaningful education placement that is tailored to their needs. As a result, children have improved chances of making progress in education, especially when considering their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each child makes good progress in developing independence and self-care skills. They receive support from the staff to prepare them for moving on to independence. Children learn vital life skills, such as independent travel, cooking and budgeting. This helps them to become more self-sufficient and confident in their abilities. As a result, children’s self-esteem and confidence also improve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s contact with their families is supported and nurtured. They can rebuild important relationships due to the guidance and help staff give to them and their families. This well-thought-out process has a significant impact on the children’s sense of belonging and stability.

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

Staff have sound awareness of children’s strengths, vulnerabilities and risks. As a result, they know what to do to keep children safe, and they know who to inform if they have concerns about a child’s well-being.

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

Importantly, staff support children to identify risks and help them to develop strategies to minimise these. For example, they work with children to identify risks of exploitation and help them to develop their awareness and skills when online and using the internet and social media. As a result, children learn how to manage these risks and potential conflicts. Inspection report for children’s home: SC390785 4 Staff are skilled at using established and respectful relationships to underpin behaviour management and guidance. There have been no incidents of physical restraint in the home since the last inspection. This has been achieved through skilful use of de-escalation and staff knowing how each child needs to be supported at times of anxiety or distress.

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

There is no use of consequences. Members of staff spend time reflecting on behavioural incidents with children. There is an emphasis on restoration and repairing any relationships rather than a punitive approach. This means that mutual respect and trust are developed, and children become more settled.

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

There are clear individual protocols in place for staff to follow in the event of children going missing from the home. This helps the children to return safely and reflect on the reasons behind the missing-from-home episode. Consequently, incidents of children going missing have reduced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and the staff team know the children well and provide them with nurturing care. They take pride in the progress that children make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is very settled with few changes since the last inspection. This ensures stability for the children and underpins the consistency of care and routines. Members of staff report cohesive teamwork and say that there are excellent levels of support from the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff receive regular supervision and a variety of training. All new members of staff attend a well-structured induction programme which makes sure that they are prepared for their role. The combined approach to supervision and training means that staff have the knowledge and insight to provide good levels of care and support to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff advocate strongly on behalf of the children. They challenge professionals when necessary, for example to ensure that children have school placements or if contact arrangements with families need to be reviewed. This helps the children to trust the manager and staff and promotes positive outcomes for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals report good levels of communication with members of staff and are positive about the standard of care provided. Children are complimentary about the care and approach of the staff. The feedback means that the staff and the manager are reassured that they are having a positive impact on children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Several records, such as some key-work sessions and some supervision records, have not been updated or lack sufficient detail. Although this shortfall has not had an impact on children’s well-being, it is a missed opportunity for staff to evidence their efforts made for the children and to ensure that areas explored during supervision have been addressed and resolved. Inspection report for children’s home: SC390785 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should make sure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and 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: SC390785 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: Unit 3a, Mill Green Business Estate, Mill Green Road, Haywards Heath RH16 1XQ

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Inspector

Paul Taylor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC390785 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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