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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC408584 1 SC408584

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Registered provider: Channels and Choices Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 18 November 2025

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC408584 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/11/2025 Full Outstanding 04/12/2024 Full Good 16/01/2024 Full Outstanding 21/03/2023 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC408584 3

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Summary of findings

Children make excellent and considerable progress in all areas of their lives. Staff form meaningful and stable relationships with children. Children benefit from an exceptionally high level of care and support delivered by a highly skilled and dedicated staff team.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding is at the heart of all the work that is completed. Children participate in the planning of the support and care that they receive. Staff gather children’s wishes and views continuously and directly influence their outcomes.

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Summary of findings

The registered manager is a passionate and inspirational leader for the staff team. They ensure that there is ongoing learning and practice development which builds on the quality of care and support already present in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children living in the home continue to make exceptional levels of progress in all areas of their lives. One professional has noticed remarkable changes in one child’s education, family relationships and overall wellbeing since they have lived in the home. Staff ensure that children are at the centre of all decision-making and that they are included in the planning for their lives as much as possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All the children are fully engaged and benefiting from education. When needed, children receive additional support with their learning. Staff have high aspirations for all the children and recognise their individual strengths. Staff ensure that children’s talents are nurtured and celebrated. Outside of formal education, staff consistently provide children with enriching and stimulating experiences that promote their learning, personal growth and understanding.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The care and support that children receive is excellent. One parent said, ‘All children that have to come into care should be able to live in a home like [name of home].’ Children are supported by highly skilled, stable and experienced staff. Staff show genuine love and affection for the children and create an environment that closely resembles a family home. This is also reflected in the children’s relationships with each other.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are regularly provided with a wide range of positive and fun experiences from which they can form happy and meaningful memories. Staff celebrate important events and milestones with children and create photo books to capture these special occasions. The home environment is stimulating, homely and reflective of all the children who live there. This gives the children a clear sense that they will be held in mind and thought of even when they move on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff go above and beyond to maintain, promote and develop children’s family relationships. Meticulous planning and co-production with children’s loved ones helps Inspection report for children’s home: SC408584 4 staff to achieve ongoing stability and extraordinarily positive outcomes for children. For example, the support provided to one child and their family was instrumental in successfully reunifying them. Managers proactively review plans to ensure they are responsive to changes or challenges and are always reflective of children’s wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s heritage and identity are well understood and creatively promoted by staff. Staff recently took children on a holiday abroad, which gave one child a chance to explore aspects of their family heritage. Staff learn alongside the children about and communities to better understand these aspects of children’s lives. For example, staff invited local faith and religious leaders to the home so they could learn together about the meaning of certain practices. With sensitive support from staff and family members, one child is exploring their relationship with their faith and determining how they wish to express this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff place unwavering emphasis on creating stability for children, the impact of which extends beyond children’s time living in the home. Plans for children leaving the home are comprehensive, innovative and realistic. When planning for one child to return to their birth family, staff created an ‘all about me’ book for the child’s parent to help them understand what help their child may need and what life will be like when they are reunified.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children benefit from specialist support, such as therapy, which is available within the wider organisation. The members of the therapy team also collaborate with staff to develop and optimise staff’s therapeutic practice. As a result, children receive care from reflective and skilled staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are encouraged and empowered by staff to develop a level of autonomy over their lives. Staff seek children’s views and feedback on an ongoing basis. The registered manager has developed a range of creative resources and spaces that children can use to share their thoughts and feelings. This work is meaningful, ensures that children are heard and has a clear impact on the care and support children receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children have developed meaningful and secure relationships with all members of the staff team and with each other. This highlights the strong emphasis and culture of the home, which promotes an emotionally nourishing and loving family environment.

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

Safeguarding practice is of an exceptionally high standard and at the core of all the work that staff do. The staff are continually building on exceptional practice, with daily reflections and safeguarding refreshers. Staff demonstrate a thorough and detailed understanding of the children’s needs, their behaviours and the support they require. Children participate in their care and safety planning, providing staff with helpful insight into how best to protect children’s safety and wellbeing. Inspection report for children’s home: SC408584 5 Staff use a consistent parenting approach and implement clear boundaries, so that children understand what positive behaviour looks like and how to live harmoniously together. Children are responsive to this approach, which has led to significant and meaningful change in how they are able to manage and understand their feelings. Children say they are confident that staff will support them and that staff always provide

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

When risks are identified, staff respond in ways that have meaningful impact for children and their safety. Staff have targeted discussions with children, which are opportunities for children to learn and develop their understanding of their own safety. Staff know children’s existing strengths and vulnerabilities and encourage children with praise and acknowledgement when they overcome challenges.

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

Physical intervention is rarely used. Any intervention is proportionate and used safely. Records are detailed and there is clear oversight from managers following the use of any measure. After incidents, staff reflect together and talk to children about what happened to help children understand the reasons they were held and to identify any learning. Managers help staff to focus on understanding children’s behaviour and how they can reduce the likelihood of escalation in future.

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

Children do not go missing from home. There are clear and individualised protocols in place for staff to follow if this were to happen. Staff educate children about the risks of going missing from home.

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

There have been a small number of medication incidents relating to recording or administration. When such errors occur, managers ensure that they are addressed immediately and that there is extensive learning for all staff. Processes and procedures are developed to reduce the likelihood that errors are repeated, and new practice is quickly embedded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has a clear vision for the home and continues to strive for excellence. The registered manager is supported by a highly skilled deputy and a long- standing team of experienced, dedicated and motivated staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers use every opportunity to build on existing strengths in staff practice and achieve excellent outcomes for children as a result. The registered manager has clear oversight and leaves no stone unturned to ensure that children receive the best care. They have a deep understanding of the children and are a present and consistent figure in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff practice is dynamic, constantly reviewed and has a clear emphasis on learning and development. Staff work closely with the members of organisation’s therapy team and use their input to provide therapeutically informed care to children. Leaders use research to develop training materials and identify learning that helps to upskill staff. All staff are Inspection report for children’s home: SC408584 6 supported to develop their practice and are encouraged to source external resources that they share with colleagues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders have developed a culture which ensures the home is an enriching, caring, fun and nurturing place in which children can live. The registered manager leads by example and is an inspirational leader. They are a passionate advocate for the children and use their influence to secure good decisions for children’s lives and futures. A social worker said that leaders have been instrumental in achieving positive outcomes for one of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff speak with immense pride about the care that they provide for the children. Staff morale is exceptionally positive and staff speak highly of the support they receive. Staff have effective supervision, reflective group supervision and their learning is a continual process. Inspection report for children’s home: SC408584 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: SC408584 8

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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

Lee Muchmore, Social Care Inspector Tash Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC408584 9 regulates 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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