Children's Home run by My Future Matters Ltd in East Sussex

Inspection report for children's home: 2736855 1 Registered provider: My Future Matters Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home was registered with Ofsted in April 2024. The home provides care for up to 3 children who may have social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2026.

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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: 2736855 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/05/2025 Full Good 06/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2736855 3

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Summary of findings

Children make positive progress and benefit from a child-centred environment in which they are supported to develop important life skills and helped to enhance their social interaction and communication. Staff understand potential risks to children’s safety and welfare. They safeguard children well and collaborate with other professionals to ensure that children can access the services and the support they need.

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Summary of findings

The home is led by an effective leadership team, with comprehensive training, reflective practice and wellbeing programmes in place. Quality assurance systems are strong, leading to consistent approaches for the children who live at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled at the home. The environment is warm and welcoming. There is a family feel, and children are comfortable in their surroundings. The downstairs communal areas have creative relaxing spaces for children and staff, with comfortable sofas and resources such as games, crafts and music equipment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive highly personalised care and have made good progress since they moved in. The staff understand children’s needs well and tailor their approach accordingly. An external professional commented that one child had made significant progress since moving into the home. ‘This can be seen in their ability to build trusting relationships, regulate their emotions more effectively and engage more openly with the adults supporting them. Their overall presentation reflects a noticeable improvement from their starting point.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Health and wellbeing are prioritised, including mental health. The staff help children to express their emotions in ways which are important to them. They seek professional support and provide resources for their wellbeing. The staff are trained to support the children emotionally, so that children receive the help that they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children are enrolled in education placements. The staff work well with schools to ensure that children have the support they need to maintain their place and overcome barriers to attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move on from the home, they do so in a planned way. The staff advocate strongly for children to ensure they have a positive experience of moving on, even when moves happen with little notice. The staff continue to maintain appropriate contact with children once they have left the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children benefit from clear routines. They are supported in a variety of ways to express their wishes and feelings, promoting a sense of autonomy and inclusion for them. This includes personalising their bedrooms and displaying their photos and Inspection report for children's home: 2736855 4 artwork on the walls in the communal living areas. However, the children’s bedrooms are not always sufficiently well maintained.

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

Regular and effective communication with external professionals supports the ongoing management of risk. One professional stated, ‘The staff respond appropriately and quickly to any safeguarding concerns or incidents that occur within the home. Communication is always clear and timely, with full written details following as soon as they are available. The staff in the home are transparent and proactive, and I feel they base decisions on [child’s name] needs and wellbeing.’

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

Physical intervention has not been used since the last inspection. The manager and staff have developed a culture in which children do not expect to be restrained. The staff know the children well. They use their relationships with them to better understand the challenges the children face and provide a more personalised and supportive response. As a result, children have more positive experiences.

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

The manager and staff take effective action to address concerns about children’s safety. There is a good culture of learning from incidents and implementing changes to support the safeguarding and welfare of the children.

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

Recruitment is managed safely, in line with statutory guidance. The organisation has an effective system in place to ensure that all the necessary checks are carried out before new staff are employed. This reduces the potential for unsuitable adults to work at the home.

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

When children go missing from the home, they experience a well-coordinated response from the staff. The staff work with the police and others in the children’s networks to locate them and ensure their safe return. The staff work effectively with placing authorities to ensure that children are offered an opportunity to speak to someone independent about their time away from the home.

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

The leadership team responds proactively to allegations. This helps to ensure that the children feel heard and listened to.

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

Staff understand children’s risks and vulnerabilities. They take effective action to address concerns about children’s safety. However, on one occasion, information was not disseminated in a suitable timescale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by a dedicated registered manager who leads by example, showing warmth and care for the children. She seeks to ensure the children feel safe, secure and heard and that the home provides the space and support needed to nurture and develop opportunities for them to thrive. She is always striving to ensure children’s progress and is supported by an experienced leadership team who visit the home on a regular basis. Inspection report for children's home: 2736855 5 Leaders and managers have a clear understanding of the progress the children are making. They are inspirational, confident and ambitious for children, and influential in changing the lives of those in their care. They recognise what progress looks like for each child individually. They use effective internal monitoring and quality assurance systems to understand the strengths of the home and have clear plans in place to address areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

In line with their therapeutic model, the manager and senior leaders have instilled a positive culture of staff using reflective practice and additional learning materials to help them better care for the children. Regular team meetings and reviews enable the team to focus on what matters to the children and this creates a safe and positive space in which children can flourish.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers work in close partnership with other professionals and specialist provisions to promote the wellbeing and safeguarding of the children. As a result, the children’s all-round needs are met by staff who have benefited from a wide range of training that is relevant to the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff say they are well supported and have opportunities to reflect on their practice. They are complimentary about the support they receive from managers. One member of staff said that they are proud to be part of the team, and have felt well supported through consistent training opportunities, regular clinical supervision and an approachable senior management team. Inspection report for children's home: 2736855 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)  The registered person should ensure the children’s bedrooms meet the children’s basic day-to-day needs and physical necessities. This includes ensuring the bedrooms are clean and tidy. Staff should seek to meet the child’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met. Doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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: 2736855 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: My Future Matters Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 38, Sussex Innovation Centre Science Park Square, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9SB

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Inspector

Maria Calway-Kennedy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2736855 8 achieve excellence in the care of children and children, 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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