Children's home run by My Life - My Choice Ltd in Hyndburn

Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 1 SC489038 Registered provider: My Life - My Choice Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care and short breaks for children and young people with disabilities. Services are provided for children aged up to 17 years. They can be continued through from the ages of 18 to 25.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 13 February 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2024 Full Good 06/03/2023 Full Good 22/03/2022 Full Good 05/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 3

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improvement to be good

Children are cared for by nurturing and dedicated staff who know them well. Staff and children’s families have positive relationships and share regular communication. This results in children experiencing continuity of care and routine while having their stays in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy spending time at the home. They can participate in a range of activities in the community and in the home. Children have new experiences and have fun. Parents and social workers said that children look forward to their stays. Generally, children can choose the bedroom they prefer to stay in, and they can make this their own for the duration of their stay.

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improvement to be good

Children have memory books that capture their time from when they started to receive support up until when they leave. This helps to provide children with good memories of their time in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children have complex needs and are supported by staff who know them well. However, they are not regularly provided with communication resources, as identified in their care plans. This means that children are not encouraged to develop their communication skills. This impacts on their ability to make choices and express their views, wishes and feelings.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not regularly review children’s targets in their plans, which would benefit from being aligned with their education, health and care plans (EHC plans). Failure to review these targets can limit staff’s expectations of children and may result in the targets becoming irrelevant to the child. Additionally, records do not clearly show whether children are making sufficient progress.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care records, plans and assessments are written in a way that brings the children to life. The quality of these records enhances staff’s understanding of the children’s needs and the care they provide. However, some inconsistencies were identified in the recording of children’s needs, which includes their health needs, and certain records include unhelpful language around behaviour that has challenged adults caring for children.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans address their vulnerabilities and include clear strategies for staff to follow. The risks identified are understood and are managed by staff. Support and care provided by staff help children to stay safe. There have been no missing-from-home incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 4 Children are assessed as requiring some restrictions, such as a specialised harness when travelling in a vehicle and a tailor-made bed, to keep them safe and to promote their welfare. However, the use of some restrictions is not clearly recorded, which prevents restrictions being regularly reviewed.

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improvement to be good

When concerns are raised about staff, managers address their practice and take appropriate action. However, leaders have not always reported the matter to the local authority designated officer (LADO) and the placing authority. This compromises safeguarding and reduces external oversight.

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improvement to be good

Physical interventions take place as a last resort. Where necessary, they form part of the child’s behaviour support plan, including techniques to be used. However, the recording is not always in line with regulations. For example, it is unclear how children who may not use verbal communication share their views following incidents. Furthermore, children are restricted from using certain parts of the home during the night when additional staff are needed, as they have to sleep in the lounge.

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improvement to be good

The manager has ensured that fire practices in the home are safe. Each child has a personal emergency evacuation plan that provides staff with details of the support that they require in the event of a fire. All staff are suitably trained in fire safety. Children regularly take part in fire drills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A suitably experienced registered manager is supported by a consistent staff team. The manager swiftly applied to register with Ofsted and has worked hard to build positive relationships with the children, staff, parents and relevant professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff welcome the manager’s leadership and constructive challenge. The manager actively shares information with others involved in the children’s lives. One parent said, ‘The manager is great, she really knows [name of child], and she has made so much progress while in her care and loves the home. This is evident with the big smiles when she knows she is going to [name of home].’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager finds the external monitoring of the home valuable. She has recently implemented auditing systems. This has supported the manager to identify actions, and she regularly comments on the quality of information in the children’s records. The oversight of the home continues to improve; however, it needs to be further embedded into practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers have not ensured that there is a record of the actual hours worked by a behaviour support lead who operates across the provider’s homes. This fails to demonstrate when this individual is actively supporting the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is a core group of staff, which provides consistency for the children and fosters stability. There is a strong teamworking ethos, and staff say that they feel well Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 5 supported. Staff are encouraged to take on additional responsibilities, which promotes shared ownership, boosts confidence and aids their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is a range of core training and specialised training available to help staff meet children’s needs. All training is up to date. New staff receive a thorough induction that provides them with a detailed programme of training and guidance in their new role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Practice-related supervision is not taking place with staff consistently. This limits the opportunity for staff reflection and learning. Some supervision records evidence staff raising concerns about each other’s practice, but it is not clear what action leaders and managers have taken to address these concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is positive feedback from families and professionals. One parent said, ‘Staff are always so receptive and friendly.’ Another parent said, ‘Staff really understand my child’s needs, and for the first time recently my child has enjoyed a trip to the cinema.’ One professional said, ‘When [name of child’s family] were at breaking point, the staff stepped in and successfully prevented the family from being separated.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 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 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that all staff are supported to understand how to meet children’s daily individual needs

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Requirement Due date

Staff must be able to identify and respond appropriately to all known risks keeping them safe from harm. 1 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 7 Leaders and managers must ensure that care records provide detailed accounts when there has been safeguarding incidents and identify any learning to prevent reoccurrence.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that they report safeguarding incidents to the relevant agencies, such as the LADO, the local authority and the regulator. A full investigation must be carried out to support learning and to prevent reoccurrence.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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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. 1 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 8 (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that any restrictions used on a child are recorded and regularly reviewed. The restrictions require multiagency review at the child’s EHC plan review.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any consequences used are appropriately recorded.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when conversations take place with children following the use of physical intervention, the use of restraint is explored with the child, using communication aids that support the child’s engagement.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that supervision sessions and annual staff reviews include discussions about children. When staff raise concerns, managers must provide clear 1 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 9 evidence of how these concerns have been addressed. Records must include explanations of the actions taken and steps implemented to resolve the issues raised.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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The registered person must ensure that children’s case records contain up-to-date information about the child and the support offered by staff, specifically in relation to children’s health needs.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that staff record information about individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact and opinion. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. 1 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the staff duty roster should detail the actual hours worked by all staff, including the behaviour support manager. 1 February 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should work with the placing authority, the child’s parents or carers, and education providers to agree on how to support the child’s educational targets during their short break. These targets should be jointly agreed and incorporated into the child’s plans to guide staff on providing the best support. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.22)  The registered person should ensure that children have access to all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. Any decisions to limit a child’s access to any area of the home and any modifications Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 10 to the environment of the home must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and kept under

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Recommendations

regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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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: SC489038 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: My Life - My Choice Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 22a Albert Street, Oswaldtwistle, Accrington BB5 3NB

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Andrea Brighouse

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Inspectors

Jennifer Quest, Social Care Inspector Kerri Lynch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 12 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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