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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2736862 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 run by a private organisation and provides care for up to six children who experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, six children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2023.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2736862 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/07/2024 Full Good 06/12/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2736862 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress while living in this home because of the nurturing relationships that they have with the team of dedicated staff. Children talk to staff about the challenges in their lives because they know that they will get the help that they need. One child said, ‘I trust them when they say they will do things.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are important to staff. They are involved in day-to-day decisions and changes in the home, such as the decoration of communal rooms. Children’s artwork is displayed proudly throughout the home. Managers respond promptly to requests from children. For example, one child asked for a calming space outside. As a result, there is now a dedicated ‘nature area’ in the garden, with seating, plants and a small water feature.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of the individual needs of the children and the actions that they should take to keep them safe. Staff recognise the influence of their interactions on children’s behaviour and have recently completed a course in a more therapeutic approach. There is a strong emphasis on positive role modelling. As a result, children are learning how to better empathise with the experiences of others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to become more independent. Staff help children to build confidence in planning their time with families with less support. One child recently arranged their own plans to stay with their family overnight for the first time since living at the home. Another child recently moved into the semi-independence flat in the grounds of the home. They look after this space with minimal support from staff and benefit from the increased responsibility, while working towards their goals. This approach helps children to prepare for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children are engaged in education which is best suited to their needs. Staff work proactively with other professionals to help children to access their schooling. For example, staff worked with one local school to overcome barriers to two children accessing their GCSE examinations, despite them having been out of full-time education beforehand. When children are not in school, managers work closely with placing authorities to identify the best options for their ongoing education. This minimises the impact on their education while more permanent plans are made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Planning for children moving into the home is excellent. Children are heavily involved in the arrangements to move in, and they are consulted about how they can be helped to settle in well. Consequently, children have positive experiences of moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with children and placing authorities to make sure that children are supported to move on from the home. Staff advocated for one child, which resulted in them moving to their preferred home. The child has returned to visit the home regularly Inspection report for children’s home: 2736862 4 since leaving and attended a music festival with staff. This demonstrates the strength of the relationships formed during their time at the home.

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

Children’s health needs are well understood by staff, and staff work well with healthcare professionals to ensure that children get the help that they need. They work creatively, inviting professionals to visit the home to provide services to children. This helps to overcome barriers to children’s needs being met.

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

Staff help children to find strategies which help them to manage their emotions in more positive ways. For example, one child uses a chalk wall in their bedroom to express themselves when they feel unable to talk to others. This helps staff to understand what the child is experiencing, and they can then put in place appropriate support.

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

Physical intervention is used proportionately and only when required to keep children and others safe. Managers speak to children about their experiences of being restrained. This helps them to identify any practice concerns and helps children to understand why restraint was used.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff work effectively with the police to ensure that they are located and returned to the home as quickly as possible. Staff talk to children about their experiences while they were away from the home and ensure that they get the support that they need from other services to address urgent needs. Children are encouraged to reflect on the reasons why they go missing from the home. As a result, the frequency of missing episodes for one child has recently reduced.

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

Children have not always been helped to understand the risks associated with their behaviour or the impact on others. On one occasion, staff noted concerns about children’s inappropriate interactions online. On another occasion, children were observed by staff to be vaping in the home at night, which caused a fire evacuation and disruption to the other children. Managers did not review these incidents at the time, and there was no further work completed with the children. However, children were spoken to about these incidents during the inspection, and strategies to manage these behaviours were updated.

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

When children experience feelings which lead them to harm themselves, staff work effectively with other agencies to get them the help that they need. The response to a serious concern about one child’s health was robust. Staff understand their responsibilities and have confidence in their ability to keep the child safe in the home. When this child has been away from the home, staff have completed regular welfare checks. However, there was no clear plan to manage this situation. Inspection report for children’s home: 2736862 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about children receiving a nurturing and loving approach from staff. He is experienced and suitably qualified and is an excellent role model for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have a good understanding of the progress that children are making and how this is important to them individually. They know the strengths of the home and recognise the areas where they can improve services to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has helped children to be involved in their local community. Some have been involved in charity initiatives, such as choosing presents for children in a local hospital at Christmas, while others presented their experiences of care on a local radio segment. This gives children a better understanding of the experiences of others and of the world that they live in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have responded to serious incidents by seeking to understand how they have been caused. They have taken timely and effective action to put in place further safeguards. Any learning has been promptly shared with the wider staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they receive good support from managers. Staff have received the training they need to meet the needs of children in the home, and new staff say that their inductions prepare them to perform the role well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is positive. They say that the communication with the home is very good, that the home supports and advocates for children and that staff understand the children’s needs well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment practice is robust. The manager is supported by the human resources staff in the wider organisation to ensure that relevant checks are completed for staff working in the home. As a result, risks to children are reduced. Inspection report for children’s home: 2736862 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that, where children present with concerning behaviour, staff complete relevant work with the child to reduce their risk and help them to understand the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, managers should have effective oversight of concerns about children’s behaviour so that they fully understand the circumstances and can respond as is needed, without delay. 31 August 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the plans created to keep children safe are kept under constant review, consider any relevant changes needed and are clear about the actions that staff should take. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2736862 7

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2736862 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: 2736862 9 regulates 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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