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

Inspection report children's home: SC364812 1 SC364812 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

This home is owned and run by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to five children. There were five children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager of the home was registered with Ofsted in August 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC364812 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/10/2023 Full Good 03/01/2023 Full Good 02/02/2022 Full Good 10/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC364812 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they like living in the home, feel safe, and can talk to staff if they have any worries. One child was proud to say that they no longer go missing from the home, and has been taught the risks of vaping, so doesn't do that anymore. Another child spoke about how they enjoy going shopping to spend their pocket money and another child said, ‘The best thing is swimming.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's views are sought frequently, and staff listen to them. Children know how to make a complaint. Staff have regular key worker sessions with children and these are linked to their experiences and support their ongoing development. Children can choose meals and activities and have a say about how their bedrooms are decorated. Children were proud of their favourite toys, photos, and books. This gives children a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in a variety of fun and enriching activities. These varied opportunities help children to develop their confidence and self-esteem. Children are encouraged to develop personal interests that support them to lead healthy lifestyles and develop improved emotional well-being. For example, three children attend swimming lessons, and one child plays football with their friends regularly. Children also enjoy visits to the local parks and taking long walks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy spending time with their family and friends. One child has friends to visit and spends regular time with their family. Another child invited friends to share their birthday celebrations and visits friends for tea. The wider organisation promotes activities that support children to make lasting friendships. These include a pamper day, inflatable days and youth club and holidays, which children enjoy. One child has a memory book that had been made for them when another child left the home. These children have remained in contact with each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well with external professionals to encourage children to attend education. One child who has been out of school, is now enrolled on a reduced timetable and staff work closely with the school staff to increase this to full-time. Two children have recently started at a primary school, and this is being carefully reviewed. Another child is on track to take their GCSE’s.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is large and spacious, and children have a range of activities in the home and the garden, including books, games, swings and a trampoline. However, some areas of the home still require attention to make it cosier and free from clutter. There are missed opportunities to showcase children’s artwork, photos and achievements around the home for everyone to see. Inspection report children's home: SC364812 4

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers understand their safeguarding responsibilities and ensure joined up working with other professionals. Safeguarding logs are clear and include a detailed chronology of events and actions taken by staff. However, on occasion, there have been delays in sharing information internally and staff not being clear on the reporting process. As a result, there is the potential for the level of response from other professionals to be insufficient or delayed.

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improvement to be good

Overall, there are some effective monitoring systems in place at the home. However, some children’s information is not always known when they come to live in the home and case records do not always contain up-to-date information. For example, risk assessments for one child regarding how the staff should minimise risks is not clear. As a result, not all staff know how to support the child consistently. This also compromises the effectiveness for new staff who rely on these records.

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improvement to be good

Children rarely go missing from the home. Staff are well informed and alert to the risks as a result of children spending more time in the community as part of their independence. Staff discuss this openly with the children, who in turn, are developing an age-appropriate awareness of risks and how to make safe choices.

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improvement to be good

Senior leaders ensure there is a clear selection procedure in place when recruiting new staff. Safer recruitment processes ensure that only suitably vetted staff are employed to work in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff work closely with all health professionals to ensure that children’s health needs are managed effectively, including specialist support where necessary. Although medication is stored safely, the administration of medication is not in line with the homes policy. For instance, one child's healthcare plan has not been updated to reflect a change in medication, and there is limited information for two children who recently moved into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a clear vision for the home, which is supported by the ethos of the home’s statement of purpose. He strives to make continuous improvements to the quality of care provided to children. The manager is supported by an experienced deputy manager. Together, they have high aspirations, and the children respect them and seek them out for advice and guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are dedicated and feel well supported in their roles. This is attributed to an improvement in the frequency of their supervision sessions and to new staff completing a thorough induction. Regular team meetings are held and enable staff to reflect on their practice and identify their professional development needs. Inspection report children's home: SC364812 5 Staff receive training to support children’s needs, and additional training is sourced to develop the staff’s skills and knowledge even further. For instance, attending therapeutic workshops. This provides staff with the knowledge and skills to support children’s past experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The continuity of a permanent staff team is not yet fully embedded in the home. As a result, children are not yet receiving care from a stable and consistent staff team. However, senior managers have been proactive in upskilling staff, and continue to recruit new staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager finds the reports by the independent person useful tool for reflection on the current service provided and how to develop it further. Swift action is taken by managers to address any recommendations. However, reports are sometimes incorrect, and information provided is not always considered. Therefore, it is difficult to determine if an impartial judgement about the quality of care is made. Inspection report children's home: SC364812 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.

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should escalate concerns about children’s safety and welfare to external safeguarding professionals without delay. The registered person should also ensure that all children’s records are up to date. This is in relation to behaviour management strategies, risk assessments and healthcare plans. 19 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 19 July 2024 Inspection report children's home: SC364812 7 receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home;

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that all information is received and considered prior to children moving into the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1)(2)(c)) 19 July 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the independent person they appoint has the skills and understanding necessary to assess all relevant information and form an impartial judgement about the quality of the home's care. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations, including the quality standards', page 65, paragraph 15.8)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children's home provides a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of the children. The home should offer a homely, domestic environment. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations, including the quality standards, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff recognise and celebrate the experiences, memories and progress of children. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations, including the quality standards', page 31, paragraph 6.7) Inspection report children's home: SC364812 8

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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: SC364812 9

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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 Childrens Homes Ltd, 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 children's home: SC364812 10 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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