Children's Home run by Channels and Choices Kent LLP in Kent

Inspection report for children’s home: 2624222 1 Registered provider: Channels and Choices Kent LLP Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation that runs several registered children’s homes. It provides care for up to 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a school on the same site; however, the inspector only inspected the social care provision.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has recently left their role, and the responsible individual has appointed an interim manager.

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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

Date of last inspection: 3 September 2025

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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: 2624222 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/09/2025 Full Good 19/11/2024 Full Good 06/03/2024 Full Good 21/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2624222 3

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Summary of findings

Children appear happy, are making progress, and benefit from strong relationships with experienced staff. They enjoy a range of activities, holidays, and involvement in the community, all of which contribute to positive experiences. Educational outcomes and attendance have improved, supported by effective and consistent encouragement. Safeguarding arrangements are strong, with a reduction in incidents of children going missing from home and minimal use of restraints. However, there is a need for greater consistency in staff responses to children in their day-to-day care. Leaders are implementing changes, including a new management team, strengthened oversight to promote consistent staff practice, and improvements to the environment; however, these improvements are not yet fully embedded.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children appear happy, are making progress, and enjoy living in the home. They form positive relationships with experienced, long-standing staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children regularly participate in a wide range of clubs and activities that they enjoy. This includes playing football in the park, going on trips to theme parks and joining a local trading card game club. These opportunities help children develop important social skills, such as sharing, playing cooperatively and negotiating with others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have enjoyed holidays in France and Wales, where they have had positive experiences and created lasting memories. They speak about these opportunities with great affection. Children are encouraged to be active members of the community by raising money for charities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children, including those who have moved on, have made educational progress and improved their attendance. When children have experienced difficulties at school, leaders have worked effectively with professionals to identify and secure a new school that is closer to home and better aligned with their individual learning needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 3 children have moved on from the home, and one child has moved in. Moves for children are carefully planned, whether to foster placements, other homes, or back to living with family. All children are supported through these transitions using social stories and opportunities to meet key individuals in their new homes. Children’s wishes are considered when determining the pace of any changes. Children moving into the home receive the same level of care and consideration. Staff use social stories to support them, and children are invited for visits and meals before moving in. Children’s needs and risks are carefully assessed to ensure that they are appropriately matched and able to live together. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624222 4 Children are supported by an experienced staff team, alongside a wide range of specialists from the organisation’s therapy team. The home has an allocated therapist

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

who ensures that recommendations from reports, such as occupational health or neurodiversity assessments, are incorporated into the child’s individual care plan. Children are then sensitively supported to understand these recommendations and the impact they may have on their lives in an age-appropriate way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Important achievements, successes and any areas of concern are shared promptly with relevant individuals. Daily handovers are sent to social workers, including any newly developed care documents and examples of conversations that are important to the children.

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

Children are kept safe by a staff team that has a strong understanding of their individual risks and the factors that may make them vulnerable. Staff are clear about the expectations of them to safeguard children and feel confident in responding appropriately when incidents occur.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home. When such incidents occur, children are encouraged to reflect on the reasons behind their actions and to consider the associated risks. This approach, which combines care, concern and education, has had a positive impact on children’s decision-making. As a result, the frequency of children going missing has reduced.

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

Incidents and the use of physical intervention are rare. Children appear happy, and careful planning helps to minimise opportunities for concerns to arise. When physical intervention has been necessary, it has been managed appropriately. Staff consistently check on children’s wellbeing afterwards and ensure that they understand why the intervention was required. However, staff are not always consistent in applying boundaries and expectations, and responses to children can vary. The new leadership team has recognised this and has begun work to improve consistency across the team.

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

When errors have occurred in the administration of medication, leaders have responded promptly and appropriately. All staff have received refresher training and have been reassessed to ensure that they possess the knowledge and skills to administer medication safely and effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there have been notable changes. Leaders identified shortfalls in the registered manager’s oversight and monitoring of care, which resulted in him leaving the role. Leaders have established a new management team, with an experienced manager and deputy manager joining the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

These changes have been implemented effectively, with staff and children kept informed and supported throughout. As a result, the impact on children has been minimal. Staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2624222 5 have responded positively to these changes and welcome the increased support and direction, recognising the guidance they need to provide consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the importance of delivering high-quality care, maintaining strong relationships, setting clear boundaries, and improving the environment. They acknowledge that these priorities have not always been addressed consistently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

More recently, appropriate action has been taken to address these shortfalls. This includes improvements to the home, clearer direction and instruction for staff, and changes to the management arrangements. While the benefits of these are beginning to be seen, leaders recognise that they are not yet fully embedded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new leadership team has a clear ambition and a strong vision for how children should be cared for. Staff know the children well, and the strength of these relationships underpins effective practice. Leaders and managers recognise this and set high expectations for the delivery of individualised care. As a result, children receive tailored support that enables them to thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, structured supervision and annual appraisals that are reflective and appropriately challenging. Practice is reinforced, and individual development needs are identified and addressed. New staff are supported through detailed induction plans, ensuring that they receive the training required to provide effective care. Staff learning needs are well understood, and new starters report feeling valued and supported from the outset. As a result, children are cared for by confident, well-supported staff who are equipped to meet their individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624222 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide appropriate and consistent boundaries in relation to behaviour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 9.12)  The registered person should ensure that the environment meets children’s needs and is homely and in a good state of repair and decoration. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2624222 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Channels and Choices Kent LLP

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 15 West Street, Brighton BN1 2RL

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Adam Holland-Hobbs

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Inspectors

Mark Newington, Social Care Inspector Steve de Souza, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2624222 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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