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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC064011 1 SC064011 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

This home is owned and run by a private organisation. The home is registered to provide care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, five children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 19 April 2012.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 29 October 2024

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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: SC064011 2

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judgement

29/10/2024 Full Good 08/11/2023 Full Good 16/11/2022 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC064011 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children enjoy positive relationships with familiar staff. These relationships create a settled and consistent environment that enables the children to make progress. When staff from other homes or an agency are used, they are regular staff known to the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strength of the organisation is the inclusive community events, which cultivate a sense of belonging. Children are encouraged to join in with a range of communal events, such as charity work to raise money for firefighters, who join the children to celebrate Christmas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is keen to be more independent, which is being encouraged by slowly increasing the child’s independence by moving them into a flat inside the home to give them more autonomy at a pace that is sensitive to their needs. Another child has learned the skills to be more independent by being encouraged to follow an independence programme.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the children to explore their identity in a safe and accepting way. Focused and informative discussions with children are used to explore relevant topics and guide children to make progress with their agreed plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves into and on from the home are well managed. Staff are sensitive to the children’s individual needs and pace these moves to make them successful. One child was supported effectively by staff to move to a foster family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are nurturing with the children and know them well. The use of a counselling service enables children to access emotional support. This informs staff’s practice and complements the trauma-informed practice training. However, on one occasion, a child’s plan around responding to the child’s wish regarding physical contact with staff was not transparent with the child. A senior manager has addressed this and staff now provide a more age-appropriate and transparent response.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff generally support the children to attend education. One child who is not attending school is helped to access online education. However, one child who was suspended from school was not engaged in meaningful activity during this period.

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

Managers take effective action when safeguarding concerns arise. Managers share concerns and work collaboratively with professionals to safeguard children. Any learning is shared with the staff team to inform practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064011 4 Concerns about staff practice are well managed. Managers move staff to other homes while investigations are carried out. These arrangements are subject to risk assessments, which are agreed with professionals involved in the children’s care and shared with other relevant managers in the organisation. Any reparation work is undertaken with children and followed up to ensure that relationships with children are repaired once investigations are concluded.

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

When children are missing from the home, there is an effective and well- coordinated response from staff. One child’s risk of criminal exploitation and going missing from home has been significantly reduced. Managers have agreed realistic plans for the child, which prepares the child for when they move to more independent living. Staff have used an external specialist to help the child recognise risks and reduce their vulnerability. The child is proud of the progress they have made in this area and no longer needs this support.

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

Any physical interventions are well recorded and are reviewed by an experienced trainer who shares learning with the staff team. The trainer supports staff to discuss interventions with children using their model of care. Staff can use a range of effective strategies that help to de-escalate when a child is in distress.

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

Staff manage the relationships between children well. They continuously promote social skills to help develop positive time together. When conflicts arise, staff intervene effectively to enable children to have quality time together.

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

Maintenance has improved and responses are timelier. The home has been redecorated to improve the environment, which now looks more homely.

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good

The managers’ oversight of the home is not consistently effective. The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. However, their oversight of the children’s plans and assessments is not effective. The children’s plans are inconsistent and incorrect, and risk assessments are not individualised.

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good

The manager has not met the requirements set at the last inspection. These have been restated following this inspection.

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good

Monitoring practices are not used proportionately. Although one child’s door alarm was reviewed as no longer being needed, it is still in place. The use of a door alarm for another child has not been reviewed, despite them being prepared for more independent living.

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good

Consequences for children’s behaviour are not always relevant or restorative. One child had a financial consequence that was not in line with the ethos of the home. Another child had their electronic devices removed, despite the child’s behaviour not Inspection report for children’s home: SC064011 5 being linked to its use. Planned restorative discussions between staff and the child did not take place. The manager has not identified this staff practice and sought to improve it.

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good

Staff working in the home feel well supported by managers. Supervisions and appraisals of staff are now more regular, and there is evidence of constructive challenge to improve practice. Team meetings are more regular and any learning from practice is shared to develop the staff team.

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good

Staff training is well maintained, and the training is managed and monitored centrally through the organisation. Staff value the training on offer and feel this complements and enhances their practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064011 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 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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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 31 January

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 31 January Inspection report for children’s home: SC064011 7 This requirement is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The behaviour management and discipline standard is that no measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any child—

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Requirement Due date

imposing a financial penalty, other than a requirement for the payment of a reasonable sum (which may be by instalments) by way of reparation. (Regulation 19 (1) (2)(f)) 31 January

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive and provides age-appropriate boundaries in relation to the child’s behaviour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. This would allow staff to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: SC064011 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

Suzy Lemmy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC064011 9 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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Inspector

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