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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1250194 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

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

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has recently resigned. A new manager has been appointed and has applied for registration with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 26 September 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: 1250194 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/09/2023 Full Good 15/02/2023 Full Good 02/03/2022 Full Good 17/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1250194 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living in the home and receive nurturing care from staff who are committed to improving their outcomes. Staff have a sound understanding of children’s risks, strengths and vulnerabilities. Support is carefully planned to ensure it is individualised, and children have been helped to develop positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to preparing children to live independently in the future and are invested in making sure that moves in and out of the home are well managed. When children are admitted in an emergency, staff do all they can to prepare and to address any anxieties that children may have, and they ensure that children have a warm welcome. As a result, children who have not previously been able to settle now trust staff for the first time and feel able to share their views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to safely see people who are important to them. Managers and staff help children to sustain relationships; that ensures that they enjoy positive and meaningful time with their family. Parents speak highly of staff and appreciate the high level of communication. One parent said their child has made significant progress at the home, particularly in relation to being able to talk about how they are feeling. The parent said that they ‘love being there; staff are amazing, and everything is perfect’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities that enable them to try new experiences and have fun with other children. Staff talk to children about what they would like to do during holiday periods and how they would like to celebrate special events such as birthdays. Consideration is given to the structure of the children’s week; children are supported to attend scheduled events, and they have a free choice of activities available.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers take action to ensure that children have access to the most suitable education provision for them. When children face difficulties, staff find ways to help them continue to positively engage, at a pace that suits their individual needs. Children are helped to understand the options for further education, and staff enable them to make short-term choices while continuing to plan for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has introduced a system to formalise the process of setting individualised goals for children, but this is yet to be embedded. In the meantime, children’s plans do not provide clear information that informs staff how to support children to achieve the goals that are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Individual risk plans are detailed and up to date. It has been a challenging period for the staff, who are committed to responding to high-risk situations to keep children safe. However, some staff lack confidence and knowledge in implementing strategies to Inspection report for children’s home: 1250194 4 address behaviour. Although some newer staff are not confident in their approach, there are plans in place for training.

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improvement to be good

Children’s complaints and allegations are not always robustly managed to ensure children’s safety. On one occasion, a child made an allegation against a staff member following a physical restraint. This complaint has not been investigated by the manager, and no consultation has taken place with the local authority designated officer.

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improvement to be good

When physical restraints occur, the manager carries out a thorough review with the staff involved to explore what happened and to look at ways to reduce the risk of further incidents occurring. However, following physical restraints, children are not routinely offered the opportunity to speak about the measure with someone who was not involved.

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improvement to be good

Children who currently live at the home rarely go missing from care. This is significant progress for one child. Records of missing-from-care episodes for two children, who have now left the home, demonstrate that there is a robust response from staff to ensure that children return safely when they go missing.

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improvement to be good

The home requires some refurbishments to bring it up to an appropriate standard of living. One communal room had a damaged light switch that had not been noticed by staff. Some of the children’s bedrooms are not well kept and lack love and personalisation. One child had items of broken furniture in their room. Action was taken during the inspection to make repairs, and the manager has a clear plan for home improvements and to use the staff’s skills to work towards a personalised home environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager reflected on how difficult the operation of the home has been since they came into post. Despite dealing with significant incidents and changes in the staff team, they have had a positive impact on the home in a short period of time. The manager has quickly developed trusting relationships with children and gained respect from the staff. The manager has a clear vision for the future development of the home to secure ongoing positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is knowledgeable about the strengths and weaknesses of the home. They are making plans to improve monitoring systems and are acting on key areas of development, such as ensuring staff appraisals are completed and regular meetings are held with children. Senior managers are confident in the new manager and recognise the level of care and nurture that they have brought to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they love working in the home and feel listened to by all managers, who have a prominent and valued presence. Staff value the support and leadership being brought by the new manager and are excited about the changes and the positive impact this will have for them and the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1250194 5 An updated system is in place that ensures staff receive regular supervision, where managers praise staff for their individual contributions. Meetings give staff the time and space to reflect on their own practice and contribute their ideas for the development of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are proactive in identifying training for staff in response to emerging needs of children. Senior staff are encouraged to undertake specialist training that will benefit the whole team. If staff lack confidence, further training is arranged by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers share information regularly with other professionals to ensure there is a collaborative approach to meeting children’s needs. One professional reported good communication with the manager and staff. Managers advocate for children when there are concerns about future placement plans and escalate concerns where needed to ensure that the child’s voice is heard. Inspection report for children’s home: 1250194 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, The 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that allegations against staff are recognised and responded to appropriately and without delay. 19 August 2024

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the home’s environment is maintained to an acceptable standard for the children. 19 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(c) 19 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1250194 7 In particular, the registered person should ensure that children are spoken to following a restraint by a person who was not involved in the restraint.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff are supporting children to achieve the goals that are important to them. 19 October 2024

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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: 1250194 8

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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

Shirin White, Social Care Inspector Helen Simmons, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: 1250194 9 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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