Children's home run by Island Choices Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 1241939 1 Registered provider: Island Choices Ltd

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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 one of three homes operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children. At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2021.

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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1241939 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/03/2025 Full Outstanding 03/01/2024 Full Good 28/03/2023 Full Good 24/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1241939 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy. One child described the staff as ‘good and really kind’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress towards meeting their individual goals. For example, a child with communication needs is improving how they express themselves and can now share their wishes and feelings with staff. Another child has developed life skills that helped them secure employment during the summer. As a result, children build confidence, independence and sense of achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are generally healthy, with their physical and mental health needs well supported. They are supported to maintain a healthy lifestyle and staff pay close attention to each child’s wellbeing. For example, one child who had been misusing drugs has greatly reduced their use and is now engaging with mental health support. Consequently, children feel cared for and gain the confidence to make better choices for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to take part in education. One child who had been struggling to attend school is now attending full time. Another child, while not yet in full-time education, has increased the hours they attend. During the inspection, they were able to go on a day they had not managed before. This shows the positive impact of the home’s consistent routines and encouragement, helping children re-engage with learning, build confidence, and make steady educational progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are listened to and respected. They help make choices about their daily routines, meals, and how their rooms are decorated. One child’s wish to travel abroad was fulfilled, giving them their first holiday abroad, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Staff also encourage and support children to take part in statutory meetings, so they are involved in decisions about their lives. As a result, children feel valued, knowing their voices truly matter.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy warm, positive relationships with staff, who are caring, attentive and responsive to their needs. Staff encourage and model respectful, kind interactions, helping children build friendships with their peers. During the inspection, staff and children were seen playing together and having relaxed conversations. This creates a welcoming and supportive environment, which boosts children’s confidence, emotional wellbeing and sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in many fun activities they choose, such as gaming, cinema, gym, spa days and football matches. Children also attend clubs which include a football club and a youth club. Staff also help parents and carers access activities with children. This makes children feel happy, connected and supported. Inspection report for children’s home: 1241939 4

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

Safeguarding processes are clear and transparent. The registered manager and staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and work together effectively with other professionals. Safeguarding is discussed regularly in meetings to provide consistent training and development for staff.

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

Staff provide personalised support for children who experience difficulties with mental health or self-regulation. They work closely with specialist services to implement recommended strategies and use structured discussions to help children reflect. As a result, children develop greater confidence in managing their emotions and engage more positively with staff.

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

Staff take proactive steps to reduce risks by holding open and honest discussions with children about healthy relationships and potential dangers. Children are encouraged to share concerns safely. As a result, children are empowered to make safer choices, and develop greater awareness of risks, which is necessary to sustain positive and healthy relationships.

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

Children rarely go missing. When they do go missing staff follow clear, child-focused missing person protocols, and work collaboratively with relevant agencies to ensure that children are safe. Children are supported on their return home, with emotionally supportive discussions about their actions and they are educated about risks. This helps build trust and accountability.

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

Children are mostly supported to access the internet safely. However, for one child, the boundaries have not been consistent from when the child moved in. As a result, this placed their safety online at risk.

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

Children are supported and encouraged to become independent through everyday self- care and life skills. One child is now able to confidently use public transport and attend job interviews independently. In readiness for adulthood, the child has developed personal finance skills, which enabled them to purchase their own motorbike.

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

When incidents occur, they are managed promptly and safely. Staff provide emotional support to children, and explore what led to the behaviour, to better understand how to best support children. The registered manager reviews all incidents to ensure that practice is safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a registered manager who knows the staff and children well. She leads by example to support and develop the staff team. The manager is actively involved in the children’s day-to-day care. The manager and staff have high aspirations for each child and work hard to help children to enjoy their childhoods. Inspection report for children’s home: 1241939 5 The registered manager strives to ensure that each child’s needs are met to a high standard. She advocates for children and is tenacious in her support and maintains a child-focused ethos in her decision-making. This has led to more collaborative support from professionals involved in supporting children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager spends one-to-one time with each child to get to know the children and build meaningful relationships with them. She does this while engaging in activities that each child enjoys. Therefore, she can make informed decisions about their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers admitted a child whose needs were not in line with the home’s registration and statement of purpose. Making sure that admissions are in line with the home’s statement of purpose helps protect children’s wellbeing and ensures they all get the care and support they need to thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision takes place regularly and staff feel supported by the registered manager. They commend the registered manager for being passionate, empathetic and focused on meeting children’s individual needs. One staff member described the manager as a ‘great manager’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager values staff. Consequently, this has created a culture of support within the home where staff welfare is promoted to ensure that children receive the best care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Working collaboratively with external professionals and parents is a key strength of the registered manager. Feedback is highly positive about communication with the home, with one parent describing staff and the manager as ‘absolutely amazing’. A professional attributed children’s progress to staff being highly proactive in their support for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1241939 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 6 July 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that there are clear and consistent safeguarding measures in place regarding children’s internet use from the time they move in. This should be in line with the child’s level of understanding. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.9)

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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: 1241939 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: East Quay, Kite Hill, Wootton Bridge, Ryde PO33 4LA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: William Stanbridge

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Inspector

Chido Mangava, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1241939 8 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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