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

Inspection report children’s home: SC355755 1 SC355755 Registered provider: Dove Adolescent Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider operates and runs this home. This is a solo provision and therefore provides care for just one child of any age. The appropriately qualified registered manager has been managing this home since October 2011.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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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 children’s home: SC355755 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/06/2017 Full Good 06/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/04/2016 Full Good 16/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC355755 3

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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, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

This regulation applies to a child who is looked after by a local authority. The registered person must co-operate with the child’s placing authority in agreeing and signing the child’s placement plan. (Regulation 17 (1)(2)) 05/12/2018

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Recommendations

 Any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)  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 (alarms, food, hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) This is with particular reference to the standard of the flooring in the downstairs bathroom, and the safety implications of looped blind cords.

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Recommendations

 The relevant plan may include a strategy for a particular type of care, treatment or intervention (for example therapy relating to neglect or abuse). The care staff will need to understand the purpose of any such care and the way in which the past experiences of abuse or neglect may manifest itself in the day to day life of the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.15) This is with particular reference to the staff having discussions and providing the young person with guidance around pertinent issues, for example healthy relationships, linked to domestic abuse and exploitation. Inspection report children’s home: SC355755 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Irrespective of the length of time that the young people live in the home, they are making progress. Progress can appear to be slow, but these small steps have contributed towards the young person’s long-term goal. One young person now has improved relationships with his family. Another young person is now attending education and training. The young person’s grandparent reported, ‘[Name] has come on a lot. He is now happy at college, where previously he would not entertain this, and that is brilliant.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person identifies that since living at the home, things in his life are better. The staff regularly consult with him and gain his wishes and feelings about the home’s presentation. The inclusive practices of staff have helped him to take some ownership of the home. He now allows staff to put his pictures on display in the home. It was evident that the young person responds differently to each member of staff. He has banter with certain staff and goes to others for emotional comfort and hugs. The young person said, ‘It’s good, this home is one of the best.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff spend considerable time with the young person. This is helping him to build trusting relationships with them, and consequently he is presenting as more confident in his appearance, which is enhancing his self-esteem. The staff continually promote the young person’s attendance at appropriate social clubs and participation in activities to provide opportunities for him to form appropriate friendships. His parent said, ‘The staff are doing brilliantly with him.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff help the young person to build on the skills that he requires for his preparation for adulthood. His parent said, ‘It is really good that he has had to learn to do stuff for himself as he is not a young lad.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although the home environment is calm and welcoming, there are areas that present in a poor condition and with potential hazards. This includes the standard of the bathroom floor and the roller blind window fittings that have loose blind cords.

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

The staff ensure that the young person is safe. They know and understand the young person’s significant risks and work in partnership with the deprivation of liberty order that has been issued by the courts.

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

The staff team has a clear understanding of the young person’s care needs and risks. Their planning is effective, and the implementation of de-escalation techniques positively addresses the young person’s behaviours, in turn reducing their risks. As a direct result, there have been no notifiable incidents to the regulator. Inspection report children’s home: SC355755 5 The members of the staff team take immediate action when they identify the young person to be at risk. They search the local area to find the young person during episodes of going missing. The staff team continues to analyse incidents and share information and is open to new strategies to prevent further episodes of going missing. A police officer working closely with the staff at the home said, ‘The staff are always pretty proactive and [Name’s] CSE [child sexual exploitation] risk assessment has been reduced to low risk from high risk.’ The staff are all trained in safeguarding and are aware of the

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

signs of exploitation, which they consider when the young person is missing from home Additionally, the staff manage the young person’s access and use of social media; this is a further means of safeguarding.

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

The staff team has good multi-agency communication. This allows the staff to formulate a care plan that reflects the young person’s needs. Although the staff team undertakes a significant amount of focused work with the young person, there is no evidence of discussions around healthy relationships, linked to the young person’s experiences of domestic abuse and exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The confident and supportive manager helps the staff to reflect on their care practices, and this is seen within team meetings and supervisions. Through reflection, the members of the staff team have amended their approaches for young people leaving care. Now they ensure that the young person has all their chosen household items purchased by their local authority ready for the move, resulting in a smoother and happier transition for the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has built good working relationships with wider professionals. This understanding of the services available within the area enables the manager to source the specialist help and guidance that they need

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

for the young person. It is noted that when the young person refuses to engage with services, the staff team creatively encourages and promotes his attendance. The staff team also utilises these links to upskill their practices and gain guidance on how they can help the young person. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘The staff are proactive; whatever needs to be done, they do. It is the best placement, and we will get [Name] to adulthood.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The young person benefits from a consistent staff team, and the manager has a good understanding of the strengths of his diverse team and utilises these to develop the home and the care that is given to the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s internal monitoring procedures and the external visitor’s evaluative report provide him with a clear overview of the home, including the strengths and areas for development. Although the external visitor’s report describes how the young person is safe, it does not include an opinion about the young person’s safety and well-being. Some gaps in records were identified; for example, the young person’s file did not have any signed local authority placement plan paperwork. The manager is aware that this Inspection report children’s home: SC355755 6 was their oversight, and that this should have been in place, as identified in the home’s statement of purpose and regulation.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

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 children’s home: SC355755 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Dove Adolescent Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 170 Southgate, Pontefract, West Yorkshire WF8 1QJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Barbara Whittaker

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC355755 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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