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

Outstanding

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

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people have built strong, trusting relationships with the staff team.  Young people greatly benefit from the high aspirations that staff instil in them. As a result, they have developed strong self-esteem and self- confidence.  Staff provide young people with extremely consistent care to support their continued progress.  Young people profit immensely from the care and support that staff and other professionals provide to increase their emotional and mental well- being and good health.  Young people’s safety improves significantly as a result of the direct work undertaken with them, the strategies implemented and the frequent review to ensure that these measures are working successfully.  Staff continue to develop their skills and knowledge, with regular training and mentoring and positive role modelling from the manager.  Robust monitoring of the service and care provided means that young

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The children’s home provision is outstanding because:

people’s goals and aims are frequently reviewed to ensure that they continue to progress.  Professionals report that staff are proactive and that there is excellent communication and collaborative working in the best interest of young people.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Staff should encourage children to share their concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. Children must be able to take up issues or make a complaint with support and without any fear that this will result in any adverse consequences. (The ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.13) In particular, a record should be kept of young people’s views on the outcome of their investigated complaint.

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Information about this children’s home

This home is a privately owned children’s home. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/12/2015 Full Outstanding 05/08/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/12/2014 Full Outstanding

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Outstanding

Young people make significant progress in health, education, behaviour, social and independence skills. They have very positive relationships with the staff who care for them. A young person said: ‘I get on with them all. I like living here.’ This is because staff listen to young people and build trusting relationships with them. As a result, young people accept the guidance and support offered to them.

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Outstanding

Young people’s health has greatly improved. They now attend routine health appointments and check-ups, when they previously declined to use these services. Their dependency on tobacco has reduced and they now follow a healthy and balanced diet. Young people have also benefited extensively from accessing therapy to build their emotional resilience and good mental health and well-being. This has considerably enhanced their current and long-term health outcomes.

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Outstanding

Young people gain enormously from their increased attendance and learning in college and alternative placements. For example, one young person has successfully completed a course relating to construction and gained a qualification. This important progress for young people has been sustained through the support of the staff and the partnership working with education providers. This meaningfully enhances young people’s life chances and opportunities for employment as young adults.

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Outstanding

Young people enjoy and participate in an ever-increasing choice of social and leisure activities. They develop new hobbies and interests such as go-karting, playing in a football team, day trips and holidays. This extends young people’s social skills, self-confidence and opportunities to make friends and gain new life experiences.

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Outstanding

Young people have made significant progress in re-establishing and maintaining positive contact with family members. This has enabled them to extend and build upon their support networks.

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Outstanding

Young people have developed extensive independence skills from their starting points. This has greatly improved their ability to manage daily life changes, carry out their own personal care routines, undertake household chores, plan and cook meals and travel independently. In addition, one young person is living in a ‘taster’ flat while still receiving support from staff. This prepares young people well for independence.

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Outstanding

Young people are frequently consulted about the care they receive. Their views are gathered in a number of ways, such as daily discussion, young people’s meetings and weekly key-working sessions. In addition, young people use a mood board to help express their feelings. Young people also attend their statutory reviews at which they give their views and opinions about their care and contribute to planning for their future.

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Outstanding

Young people know how to use the formal complaints procedure. Prompt action is taken to address complaints and the outcomes are clearly recorded. However, the complaint records do not always record young people’s views on the outcome of their complaint.

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Outstanding

Young people live within a very secure and safe environment, where fire and health and safety audits are undertaken regularly. Staff are routinely trained in areas such as first aid, the administration of medication, fire, mental health, child protection and behaviour management. This ensures that young people are kept safe.

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Outstanding

The risk of child sexual exploitation and frequent ‘missing from home’ incidents have significantly reduced. Young people respond positively to the advice given about the dangers that they may be subject to when going missing. Staff implement carefully planned support strategies and safeguarding measures. This protects young people and keeps them safe from harm.

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Outstanding

Young people profit from the emphasis on positive behaviour, with rewards, incentives and praise. As a result, negative behaviour subsides and reduces over time. A young person said: ‘The staff are fair. I get lots of rewards, especially when I’m doing well in education’; and ‘There is no bullying. Staff would stop it if it happened.’

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Outstanding

Sanctions are a rare occurrence. The home has a ‘restorative justice’ approach to addressing negative behaviour, which young people respond to well. There have not been any physical interventions since the last inspection in December 2015. The consistent care, routines and boundaries established and maintained by staff encourage positive and socially acceptable behaviour. This provides young people with a secure and safe environment to live in.

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Outstanding

Young people receive training and guidance on how to use the internet. Staff maintain this with support and supervision to reduce risks and keep them safe Judgement grade

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Outstanding

The registered manager has been in post since February 2016. She has experience of working with young people for over eight years. She is undertaking the level 5 qualification in management. Her highly aspirational approach influences staff practice and ensures that young people receive excellent care and support. The manager focuses on the progress of young people, wanting the very best for them.

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Outstanding

Professionals report that the staff communicate and work exceptionally well with them. A social worker said:

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Outstanding

The staff team is highly engaging and supportive with X. I receive regular updates and I am informed of any problems. The care given is keeping X safe. The communication is excellent. I find the staff team proactive and flexible. This is a very good service.

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Outstanding

Excellent collaborative working with health, education and social care provides young people with outstanding care that is evidenced in their achievements and in the significant progress that they make.

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Outstanding

A highly trained, dedicated, stable and child-focused staff team works cohesively together to meet the needs of young people. Staff access a wide range of training. The majority of staff members hold the level 3 diploma in caring for children and young people, with all mandatory training areas kept up to date. They access a range of specialist training, which includes mental health level 2, child sexual exploitation and child trauma. This equips staff exceptionally well to meet the needs of young people.

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Outstanding

Staff receive excellent support, which includes monthly formal supervision and weekly staff meetings. In addition, there are detailed daily shift handovers and reviews of incidents through comprehensive debriefs that look at lessons learned. This informs the changes to be made to the care and support for young people to prevent future events. A staff member said: ‘We have a great manager; she is always there, to give support and guidance.’ This provides the staff with robust communication systems and keeps them up to date on care to be provided for each young person. These everyday communication routines provide young people with the best support and care from very well supported staff.

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Outstanding

The home operates within its statement of purpose in meeting the needs of young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The manager knows the home’s strengths and continually audits the service to make improvements to areas that have deficits. She has a continued focus on improvement and implements the home’s development plan. The manager upholds and disseminates high expectations of staff and young people, constantly listening to them. This generates ideas that are used to make improvements and maintain the highest standards of care.

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Outstanding

Extensive and detailed monitoring systems exist internally and externally. The service is proactive and regularly consults with professionals to gain their views on the quality of care provided. This gives them feedback on what they do well and what they could improve upon. The review of young people’s progress is undertaken each month. These systems actively support the service continually reviewing the quality of care. Robust action is taken on identified shortfalls to bring improvement to the care provided to young people. This supports young people’s ongoing progress and maintains the high standards of 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 children looked after 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 that 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

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

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