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

Inspection report for 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 who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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 registered with Ofsted in August 2022.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/06/2024 Full Good 03/10/2023 Full Good 03/01/2023 Full Good 02/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC364812 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff. All the children can identify at least one person who they get on well with. The approach from the staff to the children is caring and nurturing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the children’s engagement with their education. When there are barriers to the children accessing their school, staff take effective action to help them. For example, a laptop was purchased to allow one child to receive their education remotely when they were no longer able to travel to school. When the children are not yet in full- time education, staff work with the children on schoolwork in the home, and plan activities to enrich children’s day-to-day experiences while they work with the local authority to find more permanent school placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff place importance on the children’s time with their families. Staff help the children to organise their visits with families and the children are becoming more independent as a result. One child is now travelling on public transport on their own to visit their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When the children have health needs, these are well understood by staff. Staff help the children to improve their confidence in managing their own needs more independently. For example, one child is now administering their own medication, which has improved the child’s willingness to follow their medication plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and pleasantly decorated. The children’s artwork is displayed throughout the home and their bedrooms are personalised. The home environment is well maintained, and any damage is quickly rectified.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted through a range of age-appropriate and individualised reward strategies. However, consequences given by staff in response to challenging behaviour are not always restorative. As a result, the children are not always helped to understand the effect of the behaviour on themselves and others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When new children move into the home, they have positive experiences. One child said that moving was supportive and that staff helped them to settle in quickly. However, there are still shortfalls in the admissions process, which mean that managers do not collect all available information about a child before they move in. As a result, staff and managers do not fully understand whether they are able to meet children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC364812 4

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improvement to be good

Leaders have not yet taken effective action to address safeguarding shortfalls identified at the previous inspection. On one occasion, staff did not share a concern about staff practice with a safeguarding leader promptly. This resulted in delays in a consultation with the local authority designated officer.

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improvement to be good

Leaders’ allegation management is not always effective. Following concerns about the practice of a member of staff, leaders made the decision to reallocate the member of staff to work in another children’s home within the organisation while allegations were investigated. Leaders were unable to demonstrate how they intended to mitigate potential risks to other children or how information about the concern was shared with the leadership of the other home. As a result, leaders cannot be sure that relevant safeguards had been implemented.

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improvement to be good

The responses that the children receive when they are missing from the home are inconsistent. Plans for staff to follow are not clear. As a result, staff have not sustained contact or attempted to locate the children when they are missing overnight, even when there are concerns about the children’s activities when they are away from the home. Despite this, staff work collaboratively with the police and other agencies to locate the children and return them to the home safely. The children are welcomed home warmly, and staff work with the children to help them understand the risks they may experience away from the home.

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improvement to be good

Medication systems are not yet effective at minimising risks to the children. The room that medication is stored in is not temperature controlled. As a result, medication is being stored in conditions that are not in line with manufacturers’ instructions. Additionally, there are still frequent gaps in the records of whether the children have been administered medication.

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention is used rarely to manage behaviour. When it is used, it is proportionate and necessary to keep the children and others safe from harm. Managers thoroughly review the use of restraint and identify good practice and learning.

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improvement to be good

Fire safety is well managed in the home. The children know what action to take in the event of emergency evacuations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about the children receiving a high standard of care. They have a good understanding of what the home does well and have plans in place to address identified shortfalls. The manager’s knowledge of the progress that the children make is informed by a recently introduced assessment and monitoring tool. This helps the manager to identify where the children may need more help. Inspection report for children’s home: SC364812 5 Staff receive a good-quality induction that provides them the training and skills needed to prepare them for their roles. When needed, staff have received specialised training to meet the children’s needs. For example, the children’s medical teams have been invited to provide information supporting the staff to ensure that staff fully understand the children’s needs and how best to support them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s views and feedback about their care are captured in a variety of ways. Their voice shapes their experiences. For example, their choices have influenced the decor in the home, the resources provided for them, the activities they do and the food they eat. The children also know how to make a complaint. Managers take action to respond to the children quickly and investigate their concerns. As a result, the children know they are taken seriously.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback received from social workers and parents is generally positive. They say that communication is good, and the children have positive experiences. The manager is working effectively with one parent and the placing authority to review their child’s care arrangements. One social worker said, ‘The home has been amazing, communication is great, they are proactive with everything.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders work well with agencies such as the police and safeguarding partners to address concerns about one child’s activities away from home. They understand that they are unable to meet the childs needs. Managers have weighed the risks and benefits of the child continuing to live at the home while a more suitable home is found. This has meant that the child maintains stability and protective relationships, while managers are also keeping this decision under constant review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have not been consistent in their approach to informing Ofsted about what they consider a serious matter when the children are missing from home, particularly when children have been missing for over 24 hours. This has meant that not all serious events have been notified, which undermines regulatory oversight. Inspection report for 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, 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

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

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)(iii)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the skills to identify when a child is at risk of harm and inform safeguarding leaders without delay.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when decisions are made, to not suspend staff from duty while concerns about their practice are investigated, and that the assessment of the relevant risks and measures put in place to safeguard children are clearly documented.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the previous inspection and is restated. 30 August 2025

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)) 30 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC364812 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that all information is received and considered prior to children moving into the home. This should include consulting with families and professionals with relevant knowledge of the care of the child, as far as is practicable.

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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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the storage of medication is in line manufacturers’ instructions. 30 August 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should clearly specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from home or away from the home without permission. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)  The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the

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Recommendations

registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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: SC364812 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

Glen Strowbridge, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC364812 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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