Children's Home run by My Choice Children’s Homes Limited in West Sussex

Inspection report for children’s home: SC364812 1 SC364812 Registered provider: My Choice Children’s Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and run by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to 5 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There were 5 children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC364812 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/07/2025 Full Good 04/06/2024 Full Good 03/10/2023 Full Good 03/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC364812 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children enjoy living in this home, and they are happy and well cared for. Staff know children well, and there are close and positive relationships between them. The home has a homely feel, and children are encouraged to add personal touches throughout.

p.3

Summary of findings

Safeguarding incidents in the home are well managed, and staff work hard to ensure that children are kept safe. Some children are not making progress in their education. Leaders and managers have not developed strategies to further support children in this area.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences. They are settled and enjoy living in the home. Children speak fondly about their experiences and the memories that staff have supported them to make.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know children well and have positive relationships with them. Children feel cared for and are excited to spend time with staff. Warm interactions are reciprocated between children and staff. Children are observed to be welcomed by staff with hugs and personalised handshakes. Children respond positively to this emotional warmth.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to build memories with their families. Staff build positive relationships with family members and ensure that they are kept up to date in regard to children’s progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into and on from the home are well managed. The registered manager ensures that new children are carefully considered to ensure stability for the children already living in the home. Moves out of the home are well thought out, and staff ensure that children are prepared and supported for their next steps. Many children maintain relationships with the home following moving on.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to ensure that they carry out meaningful interventions with children to support them to flourish. However, this is not always captured clearly in children’s records. Some children who have left the home do not have any records capturing their last days in the home, while other children who have been working towards independence have limited records relating to this. These are missed opportunities for children who may want to reflect on their time at the home in the future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Not all children are making progress in their education. While 2 children are attending school, one child receives limited tuition and another child is not receiving any education at all. Leaders and managers are not actively advocating for these children to receive further support regarding their education. This limits children in reaching their full educational potential. Inspection report for children’s home: SC364812 4

p.3

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

Positive behaviour is promoted well. Physical interventions are used as a last resort and only when necessary. Following physical interventions, management oversight and reflection is of a good quality, and children and staff have the opportunity to discuss what occurred. Incident records are detailed and provide a clear understanding of what happened during the incident.

p.4

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

When children have gone missing from home, it has been well managed. Staff have a thorough understanding of children’s missing-from-home protocols. They act promptly when children go missing and ensure that all relevant professionals are informed while making efforts to contact the child. Records relating to missing-from-home incidents are thorough and clear. When children return home, staff ensure that return home interviews are carried out, and staff show curiosity about children’s experiences while they were away from the home.

p.4

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

Children know how to make a complaint and are supported to do so if they wish. Complaints are rare, but when they do occur, they are taken seriously and are well managed. The registered manager ensures that children’s voices are heard, and investigations are carried out following any complaints being raised.

p.4

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

Children’s mental health is prioritised. When mental health challenges arise, staff ensure that children feel cared for, and they support them to engage with medical professionals. Management oversight in this area is in depth and considers all avenues to support children. Staff talk with children to support them when they have had difficult times. However, these conversations are not always recorded, which makes measuring progress in this area difficult.

p.4

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

Allegations are infrequent in this home. However, one allegation has not been managed effectively. In this example, a child was overheard alleging harm by a staff member. Leaders and managers did not follow this up with the child or the staff member. Furthermore, neither the child’s social worker nor the local authority designated officer were informed of this allegation. This meant that statutory safeguarding procedures were not followed and the allegation was not addressed.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are dedicated and committed to the children. They enjoy working in the home and feel supported by leaders and managers. Staff have positive and supportive relationships with one another. Staff speak positively about the induction and training programmes and feel that they are well equipped for their roles.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are safe and well cared for. Staff communicate effectively with parents and keep them updated on their children’s progress. Parents notice that children have made progress and feel that staff have supported them to do so. They have confidence that children are kept safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC364812 5 Communication with other professionals is effective. Professionals speak positively about the home. They comment that staff know children well and work in line with children’s individual plans and interests.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inductions for new staff are thorough; they consider procedural arrangements as well as practical elements and training. New staff speak positively about their experiences and feel welcomed and supported. Staff training is thorough and up to date, and new staff are trained promptly. The home provides extra training in areas that are specific to children’s individual needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are appraised annually. Appraisals are of a good quality and consider staff’s strengths and areas for development. Appraisals include feedback from children and professionals, as well as identifying actions to be worked towards.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback is not always used consistently to improve the home. The only feedback sought is from the independent visitor. This limits the leaders’ and managers’ ability to understand external scrutiny and use this to further develop the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The frequency of staff supervision is inconsistent and is not in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Staff are not receiving regular supervision, with some staff members not having had supervision for numerous weeks. While ad hoc and informal supervision is taking place regularly, staff members are not being provided with protected supervision time. Inspection report for children’s home: SC364812 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

p.6

Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

p.6

Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located;

p.6

Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(d)) 31 July 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.6

Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study; 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC364812 7 understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

p.7

Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

p.7

Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(vi)(viii)(ix))

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff are provided with supervision in line with the timeframes set out in the home’s statement of purpose. 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC364812 8

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all children’s records are kept up to date and reflect full and accurate accounts of children’s lived experiences. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from monitoring, including actively gaining feedback from parents, carers, professionals, children and staff and through other external mechanisms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

p.8

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: SC364812 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: My Choice Children’s Homes Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3a Mill Green Business Estate, Mill Green Road, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 1XQ

p.9

Inspector

Sheniz Hudaverdi, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC364812 10 and 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10