Children's home run by Dove Adolescent Services Limited in Wakefield

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 thrive because of the consistent care approach, having clear rules and boundaries.  Young people have established trusting relationships with the staff.  Young people’s individual interests and hobbies are promoted well, which builds self-confidence and new life experiences.  A diverse staff team provides young people with a range of positive role models with varied interests, life experiences and skills.  Young people benefit greatly from the excellent partnership working with other agencies and professionals to ensure that they receive the right support.  Staff receive continual support and work as a cohesive team to provide good care.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Under Regulation 6 (3) it is expected that in establishing whether the care meets the child's needs, the child will be appropriately supported throughout the care and given opportunities to discuss the impact of the care, or any changes they feel they might need to it. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 18, paragraph 3.31) In particular, that all areas of care where it is specified for key work sessions to take place, do so, at the required frequency to achieve the goals set out in the placement plan and other supporting documents.  Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home's care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child's cognitive ability in the development

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Recommendations

and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 22, paragraph 4.11) In particular, to build on and demonstrate more clearly consultation and listening to young people through their weekly meetings minutes.  For children's homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children's homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislation. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, consider the fitting of a self-closure device to the kitchen fire door to prevent the wedging open of this door, to meet fire safety standards, and achieve a balance with providing an open feel to the home.

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately owned children’s home. It provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The registered provider runs a school. Young people can attend this school.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/11/2015 Full Good 17/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/12/2014 Full Outstanding

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Good

Young people benefit greatly from the strong relationships that staff build, enabling trust to develop and allowing them to work positively with staff. A staff member said, ‘We are a committed team to our young people. This is so good for the kids. A lot of work goes into making sure they progress.’ Staff support and follow each young person’s individualised placement plan. They focus on regularly reviewing the young people’s plans and make adjustments where needed. This ensures that each young person’s aims and goals are achieved and care is personalised to meet their needs. For example, a young person has increased his engagement in education. Staff have accommodated his interest in bikes through a course involving maintenance of bicycles. The young person said, ‘I’ve done great at Bumpies. I’ve not missed one session even when I was ill. I’ve enjoyed the mechanics course in the holidays too.’ This has been a huge success

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Good

with the young person making sure that their education attendance and attainment have improved. The promotion of good health and well-being is a focus for staff. They support young people to attend routine health check-ups and medical appointments. The home can also access a mental health support service for young people if required. In addition, eating a balanced diet and regular exercise are part of daily life in the home. Discussions around matters that adversely affect health take place, to engage and inform young people of the risks and to bring about change. However, on a few occasions, not all identified key work areas have been undertaken at regular intervals. This limits opportunity to embed and test out young people’s progress in particular areas within their placement plan and risk assessments, including issues related to health. Young people have enjoyed trips and mini-breaks through the school holidays,

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Good

giving them new and enjoyable leisure experiences. A young person said, ‘I’ve been to Skegness for the day. It was good. I went go-carting yesterday and I had a great time.’ This gives young people positive life experiences and builds on their self-confidence and aspirations. Young people benefit from staff promoting and encouraging their independence. This includes undertaking domestic chores around their home, taking care of their own personal care and developing cooking skills. There has been a focus to develop self-travel skills using public transport. As a result, young people have gained life skills which will support them into adulthood. Staff are committed and have a proactive approach to facilitating contact with young people’s families, including those who live a considerable distance from the home. A young person said, ‘I see my mum every week.’ A parent said, ‘The staff are fantastic. The manager and staff are very good with my daughter and us. I get

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Good

updates every week. They phone all the time. They keep me better informed than the social worker. We visit the home and are made welcome and always offered a drink. We see her regularly and chat on the phone, this helps. Staff are brilliant. I am so pleased, and this is [the] best place for her. She has made progress.’ Young people have many opportunities to give their views and opinions. For example through daily discussions, key work sessions, the young people’s meetings and at their statutory reviews. A young person said, ‘We make suggestions for the weekly menu, activities and seeing our families.’ This demonstrates that young people’s views and opinions are listened to. However, the young people’s meeting minutes lack detail. They do not reflect fully on the discussions or the decisions made about young people’s suggestions and comments on all occasions.

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Good

Staff demonstrate that they know the potential risks pertinent to each young person. Staff keep young people safe by consistently applying risk assessment strategies, clear rules and boundaries. The home has a strong culture of praise and reward to support young people’s positive behaviour and achievements. Young people thrive as a result. Very few sanctions are used and there has been no use of physical interventions. In addition, the strong trusting relationships fostered by staff make certain that young people respond more positively to direction and advice given. A young person said, ‘I get on with all the staff.’ Another young person said, ‘They are fair with us. I was bought a remote control car for my good attendance in education.’ Young people are safer because of the work, care and support that the staff have undertaken with them. Either young people have stopped going missing or such events have significantly

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Good

reduced since their admission to the home. Currently, there are no concerns relating to child sexual exploitation. Staff have been proactive with young people in discussing the dangers of going missing, give clear direction about returning home times and keeping in touch while they are out. This approach ensures that young people are safer when out in the community and that they return home at age- appropriate times. On the rare occasion when young people do not return home on time, staff follow protocols, which include searching for them and notifying the police and relevant others. A social worker said, ‘The staff are patient and have a good approach with young people. They relate well to them. ‘X’ is so much safer. She has free time and does not go missing now.’ The home is well decorated and furnished. There is a homely feel, which staff have achieved with the addition of soft furnishings, pictures and ornaments. Young

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Good

people have had a say in how they want their bedrooms decorated. They have chosen the colour scheme, bedding, curtains and posters. A young person said, ‘I’ve got a nice room.’ The home undertakes health, safety and fire checks routinely to ensure that the building is safe. However, the kitchen door is routinely wedged open and this presents a fire risk. This practice occurs as all the rooms run off from the entrance hall and when they are all closed it feels ‘enclosed’. Staff say that having the doors open assists in a more inviting feel and aids being able to hear more clearly what is going on around the home.

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Good

The registered manager has worked in the home since 2015. She has suitable experience and qualifications to undertake her role and duties. Currently, she is undertaking her level 5 diploma in leadership and management. The manager demonstrates a good overview of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. She continues to build on its strengths, such as recruiting to vacant staff posts. The young people benefit greatly from a diverse team, with staff from different backgrounds, life experiences and ages. Staff receive good support. This is achieved through formal supervision, daily shift handovers and regular staff meetings. All staff report that the manager is approachable and that their strength as a team is that they all support one another and work consistently with the young people. Staff have good training opportunities, with regular refresher training on all mandatory areas. For example, training in child protection, behaviour management,

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Good

first aid and food hygiene. Experienced staff within the team hold the level 3 qualification in caring for children and young people. Several new staff are currently working towards the completion of this qualification. In addition, a number of staff have undertaken more specialist training in areas such as autism, mental health and foetal alcohol syndrome. This ensures that a well-trained staff team can meet the needs of young people. All professionals who spoke to the inspector gave glowing praise about the staff’s collaborative and partnership working. One professional said, ‘The staff and manager keep me well informed and up to date with positive progress and of any incidents. They email me weekly and phone me. They are good also at keeping X’s parents well informed. I’m always made welcome when visiting. They have made a massive difference, and X is making progress.’ The registered manager and staff

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Good

team recognise the importance of multi-agency working, and are committed to this. This way of working supports them greatly in attaining the best outcomes for young people and is a real strength. The home has thorough monitoring systems. These include a number of internal audits within the home undertaken by the manager and designated staff members. The independent visitor undertakes the Regulation 44 visit monthly and reports on her findings. This ensures that the home is operating within the children’s home regulations and its own policies and procedures. The manager acts upon any deficits and shortfalls identified to ensure that young people continue to receive good-quality care.

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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 that 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

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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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