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. 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 has been registered with Ofsted since 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: outstanding

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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

08/05/2024 Full Outstanding 25/04/2023 Full Good 17/05/2022 Full Good 16/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2625942 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children live in a home that has a warm, family vibe. They make exceptional progress because they are encouraged to develop a sense of their own identity in an environment where diversity is celebrated. This improves children’s confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Robust planning takes place when children move into the home. Two of the children have chosen to live there, having previously lived in the organisation’s other homes. Additionally, staff promote positive endings when children leave the home. One child has made such good progress they have been able to successfully move into foster care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff team understands children’s backgrounds and needs well. Staff have learned how to best support each individual child. Children speak fondly about the registered manager and the staff. Children say that they feel safe and supported. All the children want to stay at the home until they turn 18, which demonstrates their feelings of acceptance and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff have formed secure relationships with the children, and consequently children are able to talk about their feelings. Key-work sessions are used to good effect for children to have meaningful conversations about issues that are important to them. ‘Repair sessions’ have proved particularly important for one child in terms of gaining their trust and helping them to learn new coping strategies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s views, wishes and feelings are very much listened to and taken into consideration by staff when they are making plans about children’s care and the way the home is run.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s healthcare needs are managed very well. Close liaison with external agencies and healthcare professionals ensures that children receive the medical care that they need. All the children are engaging positively with therapy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff and managers are relentless in their advocation for children, ensuring that their best interests and, ultimately, their rights are met. Children say that they can count on staff for anything and know they’ll be helped, supported and kept safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are flourishing in a range of ways. They all attend full-time education and have regular contact with family members. One child has learned how to independently visit their family, and another child enjoys regular activities with their siblings. One child is being helped to build on their relationship with their family by staff making family time more structured. As a result, incidents during family time have reduced significantly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home environment is immaculate in its presentation and is welcoming and homely. The home has recently been redecorated, and a large extension has been added. Children’s new bedrooms have undergone extensive decoration, including new furniture, Inspection report for children’s home: 2625942 4 and have been personalised to each child’s taste. The provider has applied for a variation in their registration to provide care to up to six children, which is subject to approval.

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

Children’s safety is at the core of staff practice. Incidents are well managed, and staff know how to de-escalate situations through a patient approach and effective distraction techniques. Physical restraint is used only as a last resort when this is proportionate and necessary. Records are shared with the child’s social worker, which demonstrates a transparent approach. The manager’s review of incident reports is reflective. It takes account of potential triggers for children and provides guidance to staff on adapting their approach in line with children’s needs. Support for the child post-incident is delivered in an empathetic way, giving the child the opportunity to reflect on the incident and how they were feeling. The culture of the home is one of always looking to improve practice and learn from every incident to do things better next time.

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

The registered manager and senior leadership team are proactive in escalating their concerns if other professionals do not take appropriate actions in a timely way. This ensures that children receive the services that they need to thrive.

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

Children know how to raise complaints or concerns. Staff understand the risks and vulnerabilities of the children and respond to any concerns swiftly. Managers and staff work in line with safeguarding policies and procedures and, when necessary, they escalate concerns to professional networks, including the police, to provide children with wraparound care and support.

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

Strategies to help keep children safe are clearly set out in their individual support plans, which are reviewed frequently. Furthermore, children are supported to identify their own behaviours and triggers, and how staff can support them to feel safe through detailed safety plans.

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

Health and safety in the home, including to reduce the risk of fire, is effective. Children live in a safe environment, and staff and children know what is expected in an emergency to keep themselves and others safe. The company’s maintenance team remedies any issues in the home very swiftly.

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

Feedback from external professionals is unanimously positive, particularly in relation to children’s individual progress. Family members have also been complimentary and say that they feel their children are being kept safe and are well cared for.

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

Staff treat the children with respect and understanding according to their individual needs and experiences. Staff provide consistent boundaries and transparency in their practice. This enables the children to feel safe and understand that there are consequences to their actions. Children’s achievements are celebrated. This helps build children’s feelings of self-worth and confidence. Inspection report for children’s home: 2625942 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is committed to children’s welfare and safety and does not give up on children who might challenge the staff team. When children’s placements end sooner than expected, the registered manager and staff team go to great lengths to ensure that the ending is nonetheless positive for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager ensures that all incidents are followed up with children and they are supported to reflect and learn. Staff receive good-quality debriefs where they are free to express their views, worries and concerns. This ensures that any learning from incidents is taken forward for care-planning purposes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers and senior leaders acknowledge that there is room for improvement in terms of their independent visitor, in that they are required to spend more time with the children to gain their views, wishes and feelings. This is a missed opportunity in terms of there not being sufficient independent scrutiny, as well as not giving children access to an independent person on a regular basis.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Robust quality assurance is in place with managers’ monthly monitoring and auditing. The registered manager has clear oversight of the service, with a strong senior leadership team behind them for support. The responsible individual is familiar with all the children and spends lots of time with them during the many company events that take place throughout the year.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel very well supported by the registered manager and valued as a staff team. Staff are actively encouraged and supported to progress to more senior roles. Staff are supported through regular supervisions, team meetings and reflective practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are aware of the process for reporting allegations against staff and how to escalate concerns if needed. Therapeutic input plays an integral part in supporting the staff team to then support the children with a trauma-informed approach. Senior leaders are also proactive in regularly visiting the home and supporting the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is deeply committed to enhancing staff practice to ensure the best outcomes for the children. Staff are provided with appropriate mandatory training, as well as more specific training as and when behaviours and risks from the children become prevalent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff retention is a strength of the home. Managers work hard to ensure that there is flexibility around their availability and the support offered to the staff team. While agency staff are used on occasion, this has dramatically reduced since the last inspection. This ensures that children are cared for and supported by people they are familiar with. Inspection report for children’s home: 2625942 6 The registered manager recognises the importance of working in partnership with health and social care professionals and therapists to meet children’s needs in all areas, and this is resulting in consistently high-quality care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager role models effective, proactive and consistent collaboration with professionals. Relationships between the home and the professional network and the children’s parents and family members are transparent and mutually supportive. This has resulted in excellent partnership working to provide children with the best outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers ensure that staff provide children with positive experiences. Children benefit from predictable routines and staff instil boundaries, spend time with the children and show an interest and encourage curiosity in children’s hobbies and interests. Children enjoy a wide variety of extra-curricular activities both after school and in the community. This gives children the option to explore new hobbies and experiences, keep up their physical fitness levels, as well as make positive links in their community. Inspection report for children’s home: 2625942 7

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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

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)(b) (4)(a)(b)) 12 August 2025

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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 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, West Sussex RH16 1XQ

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Inspector

Emma Haskell, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2625942 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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