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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 1 SC064934 Registered provider: Dove Adolescent Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Two children living in the home at the time of the inspection were observed and spoken to by the inspector.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routines 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.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 18 February 2020

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/02/2020 Full Good 11/09/2018 Full Good 13/09/2017 Full Good 13/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in this home. They receive individualised care that helps them to settle and make progress in various aspects of their lives. As a result, children’s emotional well-being is enhanced, their relationships are improved, and they make progress in their education.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress in education from their starting points. They are supported by staff to attend school and overcome barriers that impact on their learning. Some children’s attendance has improved, and other children have achieved qualifications and awards in recognition of their hard work at school. The manager and staff attend parents’ evenings and regularly share relevant information about the children with school staff. This helps children to be supported in their learning environment and make educational progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to manage and improve their mental health. This includes help to establish a good daily routine, access therapeutic support and use prescribed medication. In one example, the manager and child completed a training course together to help the child understand more about their emotional well-being. A child said their mental health has improved, and a mental health practitioner complimented staff on the techniques used to help the child.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are valued. Children are regularly consulted about their opinions, and they know how to complain. When appropriate, independent advocates are appointed to help the children to express their views. In addition, some children join children-in-care groups to influence wider social care practice. This helps children to contribute to decisions that affect their lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy activities such as horse riding and attending community clubs. This helps them to develop individual interests and promotes their self-confidence. The staff also accompany children on outings to the cinema, ten-pin bowling and on local walks. This helps the children to develop hobbies and have fun.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to have good relationships with their family members and people who are important to them. Some children have progressed to overnight family time, while others have reconnected with their families who they have not seen for some time. When appropriate, family members visit the home; in one example, a child’s family visited for a surprise birthday party. Staff sensitively manage the children’s time with their families. They understand the children’s individual circumstances and when they need extra emotional support. This helps to ensure that the children’s individual needs are met.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves out of the home are well planned. Staff work closely with the children’s new carers, and they provide high levels of support to the children to help the transitions go smoothly. Children receive memory books when they leave, which Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 4 contain photos and sentiments from the staff. These help the children to remember the positive experiences they have had during their stay and the good relationships that they have developed. Some children remain in touch after they have left and share important news with the staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The atmosphere in the home is calm. Children were observed smiling and heard laughing with the staff. Children like their bedrooms, which are personalised, some with large murals painted on the walls. The refurbished bathroom is an improvement. However, other areas in the home look tired, for example the paintwork and the carpets. The manager has a plan to address this. On the day of the inspection, the fridge and kitchen cupboards were not clean. This was brought to the manager’s attention, and then addressed.

p.4

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

Risks to children have been reduced. The staff have a good understanding of the children’s individual vulnerabilities and the strategies they must use to reduce risks. During team meetings, staff share their knowledge and highlight when risks to children have changed. This information is transferred to the children’s risk assessments. However, in some examples, sections of the children’s risk assessments were not clear and did not correspond to other parts of the document.

p.4

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

The manager and staff provide the children with intervention sessions to help them understand the dangers and risks. The staff use online resources and focus on relevant topics such as internet safety, relationships and maintaining good emotional well-being. Children say they feel safe. One child described staff as, ‘always there for me when I need them’.

p.4

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

Serious incidents are rare. When they do occur, the manager and staff respond appropriately and take effective action. When appropriate, the manager consults with relevant agencies for their advice and support to help the child. One professional said: ‘We work well together and have done for years.’ They went on to say that the staff are good at responding to concerns about the children.

p.4

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

Staff generally encourage the children to develop good behaviour. However, sanctions are not well recorded. Behaviour plans, which are signed by the children, do not clearly show when a sanction will be given or how sanctions are adapted according to the severity of the behaviour. Children’s behaviour is regularly discussed in the staff team and hand-over meetings. However, when sanctions are not effective, behaviour plans and strategies barely change. This can affect the progress that the children make.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The change in company ownership has resulted in new senior leaders in the organisation. The manager and staff are adjusting to the changes and feel positive about the future. The manager says that she continues to feel well supported by the responsible individual. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 5 The manager is experienced and hard-working, and she is committed and keen to develop the home. She has completed further education in leadership and management and used the learning from her studies to develop the staff’s induction process.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors the staff’s performance, and she is confident in addressing practice issues. New staff go through a probationary period and regular competency reviews, which are overseen by the manager. Staff supervision and management advice are well documented. Supervision sessions are reflective and include discussion about the children’s needs, staff welfare and an action plan. When practice issues are identified, staff receive additional supervision and advice. This ensures that the staff are supported in their role and shortfalls in practice are addressed.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing pressures have affected the consistency of care that children receive. Unsuccessful recruitment campaigns, in addition to issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, mean that half of the staff posts are unfilled. The manager described the staffing challenges as unprecedented. To ensure that shifts are covered, the manager and staff carry out additional shifts and rely on colleagues from the sister homes to provide cover. Children are unsettled by the frequent changes in staff and said that the ‘staff come and go’.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have good relationships with the professionals and significant people in each child’s network. The manager advocates on behalf of the children and escalates concerns when children do not receive the service that they need. However, in one example, when an agency failed to respond, the manager did not challenge them further. This may cause children to experience delays or prevent them from accessing the services that they need.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most of the children’s records are up to date and reflect their day-to-day experiences. The staff complete written records to show the interventions carried out with the children and where appropriate, take photos of activities that the children enjoyed. However, some documents relating to the children’s health care, education and the placing local authority care plans are not stored in the children’s files. This affects the quality of children’s records and the information available to the staff to meet the children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 6

p.5

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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

p.6

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)).

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to documents in the children’s records, for example a copy of an education and health care plan, a local authority care plan and the subsequent reviews of this. 16 June 2022

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that when the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home, the home must challenge them to meet the child’s needs (see regulation 5(c)). Staff should act as champions for their children, expecting nothing less than a good parent would. ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)  The registered provider should ensure that the children have a clean home environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered provider should ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help the children to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the

p.6

Recommendations

wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that the children’s attachments are not overly disrupted, including ensuring that the employment of any temporary staff will not prevent the children from receiving the continuity of care that they need (regulation 31(1)). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1) Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 7

p.6

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: SC064934 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Dove Adolescent Services Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malvern View, Saxon Business Park, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove B60 4AD

p.8

Inspector

Catherine Heron, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9