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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2625942 1 Registered provider: My Choice Children’s Homes Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The 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

Four children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in March 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2625942 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/04/2023 Full Good 17/05/2022 Full Good 16/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2625942 3

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outstanding

Children make exceptional progress from their individual starting points. This is due to the unconditional love, acceptance and consistency of care provided by the dedicated staff.

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outstanding

Staff have a clear understanding of the children’s backgrounds and needs. They get to know the children as individuals and support them extremely well. Staff promote children’s life skills. This helps children to become more independent and builds their self-confidence.

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outstanding

Staff are committed to gaining children’s views, wishes and feelings. They do this in a number of ways, including through children’s meetings, individual planned conversations and everyday practice. The children choose what activities they want to do, both individually and as a group, and feel heard.

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outstanding

All of the children are engaged in full-time education. They are learning and are making good progress from each of their starting points. Staff are ambitious for children and support them to attend and do well in their education. Managers liaise closely with teaching staff. Staff from the home offer good support to children to keep them in school when they start to struggle.

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outstanding

Staff manage children’s healthcare needs very well. Clearly documented guidance is in place to ensure that children’s medication is administered safely. Staff maintain close liaison with external agencies and healthcare professionals. This ensures that children receive the best medical care and maintain good health.

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outstanding

Staff always promote positive endings when children leave the home. This has enabled one child to have a successful transition back into their family home. The child remains in regular contact with staff.

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outstanding

The manager ensures that any moves into the home are well planned. The views, needs and feelings of other children living in the home are taken into account. Staff and children sensitively welcome the new child. Consequently, children experience a successful move into the home and settle quickly.

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outstanding

Staff exhibit kindness and warmth towards the children and each other. This contributes towards the homely environment and supportive team culture. Children are treated with dignity and respect. They experience care and support that are sensitive and responsive to their identity and family history. This helps them to develop a positive self-view and build emotional resilience and a sense of their own identity. Inspection report for children’s home: 2625942 4 Staff build open and trusting relationships with the children, who speak very highly of the care and support that they receive. Children feel that the staff genuinely care about them. One child said, ‘It is the best home ever.’

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outstanding

Staff support and encourage children to spend time with their families safely. Staff work proactively and positively with parents. The children trust the staff and discuss their feelings with them. Staff sensitively support the children and help them to make informed decisions.

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outstanding

Children feel safe. Staff understand the risks and vulnerabilities that children face and respond to any concerns swiftly. They escalate any concerns to the appropriate professionals, including the police and other specialist services, to ensure that children receive high-quality care and support.

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outstanding

Staff are guided by comprehensive plans and risk assessments. These give a great insight into the needs and risks of each child and how these are to be managed to ensure the children’s safety and well-being.

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outstanding

Incidents are well managed. Staff are trained to use de-escalation to avoid physical interventions. When physical intervention is used, it is reasonable and proportionate. Staff always use physical intervention as a last resort, and managers monitor incidents appropriately. Staff support children sensitively after any incident. They give the child the opportunity to reflect on the incident itself and how they were feeling at the time. Because of staff practice, there has been a significant reduction in the number of physical interventions used in the last year.

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outstanding

Strategies to help keep children safe are clearly set out in their individual support plans. These are reviewed frequently. Staff support children to identify their own behaviours and triggers and how staff can help them to feel safe. These strategies are outlined in detailed individual safety plans.

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outstanding

The manager ensures that staff recruitment practices are thorough and follow safer recruitment principles. This ensures that children are cared for by staff that are suitably experienced and vetted.

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outstanding

Management of health and safety issues, including fire, is effective. Any maintenance issues are quickly resolved to a high standard. Children live in a safe environment. Staff and children know how to keep themselves and others safe in an emergency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager knows the children very well and is actively involved in their lives. He recognises the importance of working in partnership with health, education and social care professionals and therapists to meet children’s needs and is a strong Inspection report for children’s home: 2625942 5 advocate for children. Other professionals report good relationships with staff. They feel that staff communicate with them regularly, and they feel that the team supports children well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All staff receive good-quality practice-related supervision and annual appraisals. Staff consistently say that they are very well supported by the manager and enjoy working in the home. Staff use team meetings as a reflective space. They invest in these, which encourages curiosity and problem-solving as a collective. The manager provides constructive and high-quality debriefs to staff following any incidents, and staff feel able to express their views. Consequently, staff morale is high.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a range of monitoring systems that identify strengths and areas for improvement effectively. The manager’s monitoring enables a comprehensive oversight by the senior leadership team. Consequently, the leadership team is able to implement changes efficiently. The manager follows up, and discusses with staff, any issues identified with the quality of recording. However, on occasion, records still lack clarity and detail.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers and staff have high expectations for the team and are ambitious about children’s futures. They speak passionately about providing a high quality of care and working with children to unlock their potential. Inspection report for children’s home: 2625942 6

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What does the children’s home need to do to improve?

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure 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: 2625942 7

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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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Inspectors

Emma Haskell, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Sonata Brisley, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2625942 8 regulates and 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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