Children's home run by Channels and Choices Limited in Dover

Inspection report for children's home: SC434517 1 SC434517 Registered provider: Channels and Choices 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 run by a private organisation that operates several registered children's homes. The home is registered to provide care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. There were 4 children living at the home at the time of inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2024.

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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 outstanding

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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: SC434517 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/03/2025 Full Good 23/01/2024 Full Good 21/03/2023 Full Good 07/03/2022 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC434517 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they are happy living in this home and they get on well with the staff. Children say that the staff listen to them and help them, and they would not change anything about their home. One child said, 'I get the opportunity to be a kid here and I really love it. The adults want me here.'

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in activities that are enjoyable and meaningful to them. One child was attending Beavers club and has now moved up to Scouts. Staff creatively encourage children to play outdoors, such as by creating scavenger hunts. Children's participation in such activities is beneficial to their social development and physical wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to share their views and wishes about the care that they receive. Children's thoughts and requests are discussed during staff team meetings and actions agreed. Staff provide children with prompt feedback to demonstrate how they have been listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are child focused and help children through difficult times. When a child experienced a bereavement, they were provided with timely, thoughtful and sensitive support from staff, which allowed the child to process what had happened. Staff work cohesively with the in-house therapy team to ensure that children receive the right help.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress in education. For one child who was not engaging in education, staff made alternative arrangements, which meant that the child successfully completed a different course and gained a qualification. Another child was finding the move to secondary school difficult, so staff worked closely with professionals to ensure they could settle into their new school.

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

Children are well safeguarded and helped to understand risks affecting them. Staff have a good understanding of individual children's needs and behaviours. Staff use strategies, such as social stories, to de-escalate situations when children become upset.

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

Extensive efforts have been made to reduce the number of missing periods. When children do go missing, staff follow protocols and collaborate closely with the police and other agencies. Staff take proactive steps to locate children and work diligently to reduce the risks of exploitation.

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

Children are safeguarded online. Furthermore, staff use interactive activities to help children understand what to do to keep themselves safe when using the internet and social media.

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

Staff work collaboratively with external agencies and there is positive feedback from professionals about the efficiency of safeguarding measures. Inspection report for children's home: SC434517 4 When physical interventions occur, these are used a last resort. Afterwards, children are provided with support and staff explore children's experiences. However, s taff do not consistently use child-friendly language during these conversations. On one occasion, a child was spoken to in a way that was unsuitable. This did not enable the child to suitably reflect on what had happened.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by a registered manager who is dedicated to providing children with top- quality care. She has developed a culture of high aspirations and positivity, inspiring the same values in her staff team. The manager ensures that a child-centred approach is integrated into staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a strong advocate for children. She is quick to challenge when children are not receiving the right support. When decisions are made that are not in the best interest of children, she advocates for them to ensure the best possible outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has provided consistent and effective support to staff during difficult periods. She prioritises staff wellbeing, offering guidance, reassurance and opportunities for reflection. This helps staff to feel valued and supported. As a result, staff remain resilient, motivated and able to continue providing consistent care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular supervision, which they feel is helpful for their practice and supports their wellbeing. Staff said that there is a genuine sense of teamwork and shared commitment to providing the children with dedication and support. A staff member said that the manager 'is very supportive and helpful. She is always trying to improve what we do here'.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a strong understanding of the strengths of her staff and is persistently eager to improve through reflective practice. She demonstrates professional curiosity with both staff and children, which helps to ensure that there is effective oversight of the home. The manager encourages key workers to take ownership and make day-to-day decisions. Her role modelling inspires and empowers the staff to adopt a child-centred approach in their own practice. Inspection report for children's home: SC434517 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff consistently maintain constructive dialogues and respond appropriately if challenged by a child in their care. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 39, paragraph 8.14)

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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: SC434517 6

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Channels and Choices Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 3rd Floor, 15 West Street, Brighton BN1 2RE

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Adam Holland-Hobbs

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Inspectors

Stephanie McDonald, Social Care Inspector Mark Newington Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC434517 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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