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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC018241 1 SC018241 Registered provider: Dove Adolescent Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children’s home. The home can accommodate up to four children regardless of gender who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered in October 2018. She has a great deal of experience and holds level 4 and 5 diplomas in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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: 21 January 2020

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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: SC018241 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2020 Full Outstanding 07/08/2018 Full Outstanding 08/08/2017 Full Outstanding 06/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC018241 3

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outstanding

Children make remarkable progress from their starting points. They are happy and settled. The children’s progress is significant. They attend school full-time, have improved health, and have built positive self-esteem and independence skills. Children respond to the high standard of consistent care that they receive from the long-standing, committed and child-centred staff.

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outstanding

There is great importance given to building strong relationships between staff and children. Staff recognise that this is essential. This helps children to build trust with their caregivers and, in turn, take on board the advice and guidance that they share with them.

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outstanding

Excellent educational attendance assists the children with their individual attainment and progression. Staff support children to attend additional lessons in English and mathematics in order to further help their achievements and goals. This ensures that they accomplish the grades required at GCSE and Foundation Level.

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outstanding

Children’s health has improved. The children benefit from attending all health check- ups and assessments. The individual needs of children are given serious attention by staff. This helps to ensure that children’s health continues to improve and remains so as they transition into adulthood.

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outstanding

Children enjoy seeing their family on a regular basis. This reinforces the children’s sense of identity and belonging to those who they care about.

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outstanding

Children engage in everyday social and leisure activities that reflect their age, interests, and hobbies. Children like to spend time with their friends, along with going on structured activities such as youth clubs, girl guides, swimming and free running. These activities help to ensure that children have the same experiences as their peers.

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outstanding

Staff give priority to the collation of children’s life story journals and the making of individual photo albums. This provides children with positive memories of their childhood and experiences during their stay at the home.

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outstanding

Children are routinely consulted about things that matter to them in their lives. Staff talk to children daily and listen to them, taking on board their views and wishes. In addition, the children take part in young people’s meetings, and attend their own care reviews, where they give their opinions and suggestions about their care and future plans. Inspection report for children’s home: SC018241 4 The home is decorated and furnished to a high standard throughout. The kitchen has recently undergone a refurbishment. There is an array of photos, soft furnishings and pictures that help to make this house a home. However, there lounge settees are showing signs of wear and tear. This detracts from the otherwise positive homely environment that children benefit from.

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outstanding

Children are settled, and they are safe and secure. They respond to the trusting relationships that they have developed with staff. Significant incidents are rare, and when they do occur, immediate action is taken by the staff. The staff are proactive and put protective measures in place to keep children safe.

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outstanding

Staff demonstrate an in-depth understanding of safe working practice. The use of clear risk assessments, effective behaviour management strategies, and proactive safeguarding practice promotes the safety and well-being of children.

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outstanding

Detailed handovers and comprehensive staff meetings take place. This helps to make sure that there is effective planning and review of the children’s care. All staff are kept up to date on each child’s needs. This consistent approach helps to protect the children from harm.

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outstanding

Children are very settled in this home. They respond to the consistent rules and boundaries that the staff put in place. Children state that they like time and space to calm when upset, and the staff make sure this happens. The children respond positively to being consulted about how staff should support them. The strategies used by the staff work and help the children to remain settled.

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outstanding

There have been no incidents where children go missing from care, or where staff have needed to introduce the use of physical restraint in order to keep the child or others safe. Staff use the positive relationships they have with the children, to support, redirect and talk through any instances where children may go into crisis. The staff use behaviour management techniques to divert and prevent events escalating into serious incidents. This maintains a calm and relaxed atmosphere in the home, and children feel secure and happy here.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and senior team have a wealth of experience caring for children. The manager radiates positivity, and shows a continued ambition that only the very best will do for the children. These aspirations are the goals of the whole staff team. In turn, the children respond, make progress and are thriving.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The ethos of the home is to act as any parent would in the best interest of the children. Most staff have worked at the home for some considerable time and have recently welcomed two new staff to the team. Staffing levels are high. Currently, Inspection report for children’s home: SC018241 5 there is a minimum ratio of two staff to two children. This helps to ensure that children are well supported by people they know.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff benefit from mandatory and specialist training to build on their skills and knowledge in caring for the children’s safety. All staff undertake training in safeguarding, behaviour management, physical restraint and first aid. Specialist training is provided to ensure that staff have the necessary skills to provide care for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and children who self-harm. This helps to ensure that staff have the skills required to care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A thorough and well-organised communication system exists. This makes certain that all staff and relevant professionals receive information swiftly in order to be able to care and support the children in the best way they can. There is a detailed shift handover and calls and emails are sent to professionals frequently and without delay, along with weekly updates. There are regular staff meetings, where planning and review of the children’s care takes place. This means that staff give the very best support to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professionals, including social workers, education staff and independent reviewing officers all echo that the staff work collaboratively with them to assist in attaining the brilliant outcomes for the children. A professional said, ‘The staff provided excellent care. They were proactive in supporting independence skills. When X [child’s name] left, staff did a lot of work to help X’s transition. They still support X now. They offer phone support and visit X. They always kept me up to date with X’s progress. Communication was very good.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are excellent and robust auditing, checks and balances undertaken internally and externally. Great attention is given to monitoring the care and service by the manager and her team. These include the direct focus work and care delivered to children, staffing matters, health, and safety. The identified deficits and shortfalls are swiftly addressed in order to maintain the very high standard of care provided for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC018241 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. It will, in most cases, be a homely, domestic environment. In particular, the worn settees in the lounge should be repaired or replaced to maintain the high standard that exists throughout the rest of the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC018241 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: Malvern View, Saxon Business Park, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove B60 4AD

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Inspector

Debbie Foster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC018241 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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