Children's home run by My Choice Children’s Homes Limited in Mid Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home: SC426530 1 SC426530 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 provides care for up to four 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 July 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

Staff working in the home are referred to as adults in this report.

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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: 17 October 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: SC426530 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/10/2023 Full Good 11/10/2022 Full Good 22/06/2021 Full Good 20/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC426530 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care from adults who know them well. Adults have a good understanding of children’s goals and progress. They are guided by plans that are clear, relevant and regularly updated. This has supported children to make progress from their individual starting points, for example with making new friends or building on their independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has good relationships with other professionals who support children. Social care professionals are positive about the care provided, communication and the progress children are making. There is a sense of collaborative working to promote children’s needs. This helps children to receive coordinated care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to make progress with their education and learning. Adults work closely with education professionals and engage actively in progressing and reviewing plans, including when children are not receiving education. For one child, who moved from another area without education provision, a professional from the virtual school said, ‘From day one, they have been totally on board… I am really impressed by the way they have supported [name of child] to access school.’ The child now attends school full time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities, and adults nurture their enthusiasm and interests, such as playing in the town band, swimming, horse riding and shopping. Children take part in trips and events with each other, with friends and as part of the wider ‘family’ of homes. This helps children to develop their social skills and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s important relationships are valued. Adults work in collaboration with children, professionals and family members to support children to see and keep in touch with the people who are significant to them. Adults travel with children and supervise arrangements as required and work with others to review plans. This promotes children’s sense of identity and connection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, improvements have been made to the home environment. As a result, it is more comfortable and child friendly. This helps children to feel cared for and nurtured. However, there is not always prompt action to repair and redecorate, and children’s achievements and progress could be showcased more around the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults listen to children. Children have access to complaint forms and know how to make complaints. The views and opinions of children are sought during one-to-one time, daily conversations and regular children’s meetings. Children’s feedback is sought as part of probation reviews for new adults. This helps children to feel that their voice is valued and respected. Children’s meetings have not always been recorded. The manager has addressed this with adults to strengthen this process. Inspection report for children’s home: SC426530 4 Adults use their relationships to support children with the things that they need help with. One-to-one time is used to guide and advise children sensitively about things such as healthy relationships and the impact of traumatic experiences. Recording of this time is inconsistent, which undermines communication between adults and the quality of records available to children.

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

Adults understand the risks to children in their care and the action to take in the event of safeguarding concerns. Children’s risk assessments and safety plans are kept up to date so that all adults are aware of and respond to children’s changing needs. This shows that children’s safety and well-being are priorities.

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

The manager promotes an ethos of safeguarding and child-centred practice. When there have been allegations against adults or concerns about practice, these have been followed up thoroughly, in liaison with other relevant agencies when required. This helps to ensure that children feel listened to and receive safe, attuned care.

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

Adults take appropriate action when children go missing. There are robust procedures in place for them to follow and good liaison with partner professionals, such as the police and social workers, with whom plans are reviewed. This allows adults to monitor incidents, keep partner agencies informed and better safeguard children. For one child, this has supported a reduction in incidents when he has been missing from care.

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

Strategies are in place to promote positive behaviour. Physical intervention techniques are rarely used. When they are, the practice and recording are compliant with regulations and show the attention given to repairing relationships between children and adults. This helps children to feel safe and enjoy positive relationships.

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

Door alarms are used in the home. Written consent is sought from placing authorities, and risk assessments are in place. However, the provider’s policy does not fully explain and inform the use of the door alarms and there is insufficient evidence of regular review in consultation with others, including the child. Consequently, it is not always clear that the impact on children’s privacy is necessary and proportionate.

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

Safer recruitment checks have not been carried out in line with regulations as adults’ reasons for leaving previous employment in positions with vulnerable adults or children are not always fully explored. Consequently, checks designed to protect children from unsafe adults are not as thorough as they could be.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is fully involved in children’s lives. She has a good knowledge of the children and what they have accomplished since living at the home. The registered manager is enthusiastic in her efforts to be a trusted person for the children and adults. She promotes a culture where children’s experiences and views are important. This makes her a good role model for adults. Inspection report for children’s home: SC426530 5 The manager is a strong advocate for children and challenges persistently when children are not receiving the service that they should. This helps children to receive better responses from other agencies, such as education, and shows them that they are cared for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Adults are positive about working in the home and about the support and training that they receive. There is a comprehensive training and induction programme for new starters. Adults receive training that is relevant to the specific needs of the children living in the home and the model of care. This supports them to provide informed responses to children. However, not all adults have received all the mandatory training as outlined in the company’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and leaders have monitoring systems in place to aid them in maintaining oversight of the quality of the service. These have identified weaknesses effectively and informed action to address them, such as training for the delivery of key-work sessions. This is leading to improved support for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers work hard alongside other agencies to assess and understand children’s needs before they come to the home. Thorough impact and risk assessments which carefully consider relationships help adults to understand children’s needs and any relevant risks. However, transition support for children moving into and out of the home is inconsistent. While some children have benefited from positive introduction plans and outreach after a move, this is not always the case. This means that some children have not known what to expect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are appropriate staffing levels in the home. Temporary workers are not used often. When they are required, the manager promotes the use of regular workers known to the children. Agency and bank staff are offered training opportunities and are supported to achieve the required qualifications. This promotes consistency of care for children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC426530 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(iii)) 23 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 23 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC426530 7 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home provides a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. In most cases, children’s homes should be a homely environment. This is in relation to prompt attention to maintenance issues and the showcasing of children’s progress and achievements. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that adults consistently record information about how they have supported children and understand how this will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that any measures in place that limit children’s privacy are guided by a clear policy, properly recorded and kept under regular review. This relates to the use of electronic door alarms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes

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Recommendations

Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that the workforce development plan addresses how all adults will be supported to receive the training and supervision required to enable the delivery of the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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 for children’s home: SC426530 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: My Choice Children’s Homes Limited, Unit 3a, Mill Green Business Estate, Mill Green Road, Haywards Heath RH16 1XQ

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Inspectors

Jacob Robson, Social Care Inspector Karen Flanagan de Martinez, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC426530 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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