Children's Home run by Dove Adolescent Services Limited in Barnsley

Good

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

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people enjoy living at the home and benefit from trusting relationships with the staff team.  Young people are encouraged to focus on and prioritise their education. They are making good progress in line with their potential.  Young people make positive changes to their behaviours and learn to manage conflict appropriately. This enables them to integrate socially and make new friendships.  The manager and staff team work in collaboration with placing authorities, health and education professionals and advocate strongly on behalf of young people.  The staff team is suitably qualified and highly experienced at working with children in a residential setting. They are committed to meeting the diverse needs of young people.  The homes internal auditing systems are not always identifying shortfalls.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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 with the given timescales.

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32: Fitness of workers

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety. The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2 (Regulation 32 (3) (d)) If a person has previously worked in a position involving work with children or vulnerable adults, verification so far as reasonably practicable of the reasons why the employment of position ended (Schedule 2 (4)) 10/07/2015

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43: Review of quality of care

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children (Regulation 45 (2) (c)) 10/07/2015

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needs are met

If the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority's or a relevant persons performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child's needs are met in accordance with the child's relevant plans (Regulation 5 (c)) 10/07/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 Staff should provide a nurturing home environment that is welcoming and meets children’s basic day-to-day needs. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately owned children's home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

04/02/2015 Interim Improved Effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

24/03/2014 Interim Satisfactory Progress

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Good

Young people can identify with a trusting adult who they quickly develop trusting relationships with enabling them to share their concerns and anxieties. The staff team demonstrate caring and nurturing behaviours, which gives young people a clear message that they genuinely care for them. This helps young people to settle quickly, feel welcome and enables them to make positive changes.

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Good

Young people rarely use the complaints procedure although are familiar with formally raising concerns. Young people feel listened to and engage in the many opportunities to share their views about their care. They participate with food shopping, preparing meals, choosing recreational and leisure activities, holidays and have a say in the décor within the home. They view l this as their home.

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Good

Attendance and focus on education is very good. Young people make significant progress in this area, something they have not achieved in the past. The staff team have a good awareness of young people’s attainment levels and promote improvements through encouragement and moral and practical support. They liaise effectively with school staff and attend young people’s education meetings ensuring their needs are fully considered. Young people prepare for exams making them more confident and enabling them to aspire for good grades. They are proud of their achievements with one young person saying, ‘I would never have done this well with my education if I had not been living here.’

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Good

Based on their starting points, health outcomes have improved with young people safely reducing their smoking habits and prescribed medication levels. Young people engage well with mental health and specialist services resulting in better life chances and improved emotional and psychological health. They show increasing levels of maturity and insight into their behaviour helping them to develop effective responses to conflict. The staff team reward young people’s achievements helping them to see the progress they make. There is a clear emphasis on improving young people’s emotional well-being leading to improved confidence and self- esteem.

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Good

Young people benefit from a balanced diet and good routines. The staff team balance this with high levels of exercise and recreational time including swimming, ice skating and long walks in the Peak District National Park. Young people recently enjoyed a week on the east coast and one young person is making plans and negotiating for a holiday abroad later this year to mark her independence. The promotion of independence skills enables young people to learn the necessary life skills required to successfully transition to adulthood. Young people complete this work at an individual pace suited to their needs and development. This involves learning to cook, clean, travel and budget independently. Young people take responsibility for making their own health appointments; learn how to change light bulbs and other tasks associated with living independently.

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Good

Young people learn to respect others and value diversity and difference. This teaches them to be more accepting and tolerant of others. They become better at socialising with peers making new age appropriate friendships locally and further afield enhancing their networks.

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Good

Where young people live away from their home areas, careful planning and thought is giving to identify ways of promoting contact with family members, friends and other key people. Young people’s family and friends are welcomed and are encouraged to visit young people in their home. This helps young people promote their familial relationships and maintain their identity through good levels of contact.

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Outstanding

Young people are safe and report feeling safe at this home.

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Outstanding

The committed and diverse staff team have an excellent awareness and knowledge of safeguarding procedures. Their application of this in practice is exceptional with them keeping professionals fully informed of young people’s changing circumstances. Such practices keep young people safe particularly from exploitative relationships.

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Outstanding

Young people are aware of the dangers associated with being missing from home. Instances of missing are very few. On the rare occasions where this does happen, the highly caring staff team proactively take immediate action in alerting safeguarding agencies to adopt a coordinated response. This ensures young people are swiftly located and returned home safely.

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Outstanding

The exceptional staff team use every opportunity to raise young people’s awareness about social media. Work in this area has been ongoing for many months. The consistent messages from the staff team influence young people who are now showing insight into the risks through Facebook and other social media sites. The staff team allow young people to take reasonable risks in line with their age and stage of development. As a result, child sexual exploitation risks to young people are lower than their starting points. The staff team are proud that their long-term efforts have been successful. One member of staff said,’ I am so pleased that the penny has finally dropped. It’s not something that happened overnight, it’s come from months of repeating the same message.’

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Outstanding

Highly detailed risk assessments identify young people’s past and current behaviours. This ensures the staff team are fully aware of the potential for young people to re-engage with past vulnerabilities such as sexual exploitation, self-harm, aggression and substance misuse. The comprehensive records keep staff informed while providing them with strategies to respond should the need arise. However, the vigilant staff team recognise and identify behavioural triggers leading to challenging incidents. They use their calming responses and humour to talk young people out of escalating situations.

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Outstanding

Young people are fully involved with their care and staff practices. They understand the rules and expectations upon them. Despite some challenging behaviours, young people accept the need for routines and comply with these well. Sanctions are rare but are used on occasions where young people’s behaviours and actions warrant restorative consequences. These help young people to adapt their responses to behaviours that are more socially accepted. As a result, physical interventions are rarely required.

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Outstanding

The Registered Manager attends quarterly private providers meetings chaired by the local safeguarding board. This helps to keep staff up to date with events, new guidance and procedures while alerting them of relevant issues within the locality that could negatively affect young people’s safety and wellbeing. Judgement grade

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Good

A suitably experienced and qualified Registered Manager is effective in the day-to- day running of the home. The team of highly experienced and confident adults ensure the smooth running of the home in the absence of the Registered Manager. The well-staffed home is able to meet young people’s individual needs.

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Good

The management have addressed a previous recommendation raised at the last inspection. This related to the documentation of restraints and led to recording systems being adapted to ensure the home maintains full and accurate records.

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Good

The Registered Manager and relevant staff along with young people attend all looked after reviews ensuring young people fully participate and influence decisions affecting them. This helps keep young people informed about future planning and allows them to work towards achieving their goals.

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Good

The manager and staff team have effective links and work proactively with partner agencies and professionals in the best interests of young people. This includes local and placing authority social workers, reviewing officers, youth justice workers, and health and education professionals. As such, young people receive timely support from services, helping promote progress in all aspects of their development.

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Good

The staff team are particularly good at helping young people sustain relationships with parents. They involve parents in decision-making helping them feel involved with their child’s care. One parent said, ‘I am very happy with the care my child receives. I know she is in good hands. I can settle at night knowing she is safe.’

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Good

The staff team receive timely and consistent supervision and training opportunities. They benefit from good peer and management relationships. One member of staff said, ‘we speak so much to the manager outside of supervision that there is often nothing left to discuss in formal supervision.’ Support and developmental opportunities from various sources including peers and the senior management team are also available to the Registered Manager.

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Good

Care plans are comprehensive and detail young people’s individual experiences and requirements. Written records reflect young people’s changing circumstances. However not all young people have a pathway plan. The manager has not adequately challenged the local authority on this matter leaving a gap in records relating to young people’s planning.

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Good

Staff recruitment checks are not always detailed and thorough. This can adversely affect young people exposing them to potentially unsafe adults. Current auditing systems have not identified the deficits raised at this inspection. This demonstrates that internal monitoring systems are not always effective or robust.

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Good

Young people benefit from a warm and homely environment that is in keeping with a domestic setting. Young people personalise their bedrooms and are happy with the warm and cosy décor of the home. However, the bathroom is not in keeping with the rest of the home.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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