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

Inspection report for children's home: SC014650 1 SC014650 Registered provider: My Choice Children’s Homes 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 owned by a private organisation and provides care for up to 4 children. At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers

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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: SC014650 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/06/2025 Full Good 21/05/2024 Full Outstanding 10/05/2023 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC014650 3

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Summary of findings

Staff develop positive relationships with children and help them make good progress from their individual starting points. The child’s voice is central to staff practice. Staff provide good support for children’s health. Medication practice requires some improvement. Physical intervention is rarely used and only when necessary to prevent harm.

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Summary of findings

While children’s views are not consistently recorded as part of matching decisions, safeguarding arrangements are effective overall. Managers and staff collaborate effectively with professionals to ensure children receive the support they need. Staff feel valued and well supported through regular supervision and training. Leaders promote equality, diversity and inclusion. Staff support children to maintain important family relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people:

Children have positive relationships with staff. Staff care about the children and understand the children’s needs. Staff relationships help children to develop a sense of belonging. Children experience stability and enjoy positive day-to-day experiences in the home. One child has lived in the home for more than 3 years. This child has received consistent, safe and nurturing care over a sustained period.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people:

The children’s guide is bright, welcoming and easy to understand. It includes photos of staff, information about how to make a complaint and details about advocacy services. It gives children clear information about the home and what they can expect when they live there. This helps children to understand their rights and entitlements. Staff ensure that children are always well informed. They champion the child’s voice and encourage them to share their views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people:

While staff understand children’s individual health needs and support them with their medication, staff do not always record when children have refused medication or identify when medicines should be provided for specific symptoms. These recording shortfalls could make it harder to meet the children’s health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people:

The manager and staff have provided strong individualised care and support to children. One child was supported to communicate with the professional network around him. The staff supported the child through difficulties in family relationships. Despite increased risks, staff stayed committed to the child. They worked to help him make safer choices and better understand his friendships. The child made good progress from his starting point and settled well before moving on. This demonstrates effective planning for the future and positive outcomes for the child. Inspection report for children's home: SC014650 4 Professionals speak very highly of the home and the care provided. One social worker described staff as providing high levels of care to children, with staff being excellent communicators and strong advocates. This shows how well staff work together to meet the children’s needs.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Staff respond well when incidents between children occur. Bullying in the home is robustly acted on. Staff complete key-work sessions and restorative discussions with children. Children understand the impact of their behaviour. Children are supported to resolve disagreements and build positive relationships with others. As a result, children feel safe and supported in the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Since the last inspection, there has been one physical intervention involving a child. This intervention was necessary and proportionate to prevent harm to another child. Following incidents, staff complete debriefs with both the child and staff. This allows for shared reflection, learning and understanding. This reduces the likelihood of similar incidents occurring in the future. Staff promote clear and consistent boundaries, which supports children’s safety and wellbeing.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Staff maintain positive and meaningful relationships with children. Staff understand the risks that children may face. This includes risks associated with online activity. Staff have effective safeguards in place to protect children online. Children complete key-work sessions that help them understand how to stay safe. This proactive approach helps children to recognise potential dangers and make safer choices.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Staff implement effective health and safety arrangements to protect children. The alarm in the office sounds often due to motion detection outside. The alarm sound can detract from the homely environment. Door alarms for children are based on individual assessments. Managers respond promptly when risks increase for children. One child does not have a door alarm in place because it has been assessed as unnecessary. Restrictions on children’s liberty are only used when needed to keep them safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected:

Managers consider carefully whether children moving into the home will match well with the children already living there. Managers undertake thorough planning before children move into the home. Children’s views regarding matching have not always been recorded. This remains an area for improvement. Admission decisions are robust and risk led. Recording children’s views would further strengthen decision-making. The children’s wishes and feelings need to be recorded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers:

The registered manager is well respected by professionals, staff and stakeholders. Professionals consistently speak positively about the manager and their leadership. The manager is committed to providing children with the best possible care. The manager has high aspirations for what children can achieve. This positive ethos is shared by the Inspection report for children's home: SC014650 5 staff team members, who are proud of their work. Staff remain dedicated to helping children succeed. Children receive individualised care from staff who care about them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers:

When specialist support is required, the manager is proactive in seeking this. Staff have links with local professionals. The local police community support officer provides support for children. The professional relationships ensure children receive support across all areas of their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers:

The registered manager understands the home’s strengths and areas for development. The manager recognises when management oversight and review of incidents could be better. Greater strategic evaluation of events would help identify learning opportunities. The manager’s awareness of shortfalls demonstrates a reflective approach to leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers:

The manager understands the children’s needs and the progress they are making. The children have access to independent advocacy services when needed. This was particularly beneficial for a child, ensuring their views and wishes were represented.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers:

Staff report that they feel supported by the registered manager and enjoy working in the home. Staff receive regular supervision. Leaders and managers ensure that staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. The staff follow a strong therapeutic approach. Therapy helps staff to understand children’s experiences and respond in a trauma-informed way. Staff provide consistent, nurturing care that supports children’s emotional wellbeing and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers:

Leaders and managers invest significantly in the development of staff. Mandatory training is up to date. Staff have either completed the level 3 diploma or are within timescales to achieve it. It is positive that new staff are enrolled onto the qualifications as soon as possible rather than after their probation period. Children are cared for by a stable and consistent staff team. Agency staff are used, but they are familiar individuals who know the children and the home’s routines.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers:

Managers and staff work hard to engage families and help children manage often complex and emotional family dynamics. Staff provide children with reassurance and support following family contact. One parent stated that they could not have wished for a better home for their child. The parent praised the staff in supporting their child’s return to full-time education.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers:

Managers are ambitious advocates for children and have high expectations for both children and staff. They speak proudly about children’s achievements and remain focused on improving children’s lives. The managers are determined to strive for the best possible outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers:

Leaders and managers actively promote equality, diversity and inclusion. Children are supported to celebrate their individuality, culture and identity. Children attend activities in the community and recognise cultural celebrations, including Burns Night. This helps children feel valued, respected and accepted for who they are. Inspection report for children's home: SC014650 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that oversight of the quality and frequency of recording of children’s files and medication administration records is effective. 21 August 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records are kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children and is a homely, domestic environment. The children’s home must comply with relevant health and

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Recommendations

Inspection report for children's home: SC014650 7 safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.). However, in doing so, the home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. Specifically, motion sensor alarms should not be required during daytime unless risk assessed as needed. (‘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: SC014650 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: My Choice Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Kerry Meller-Rayment, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Emma Haskell, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC014650 9 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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