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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC006294 1 SC006294 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

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. The home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. There are currently three children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted on 14 May 1998. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 15 June 2009.

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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 requires improvement to be 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

Date of last inspection: 21 February 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC006294 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2022 Full Good 03/03/2020 Full Good 19/02/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 07/08/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC006294 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience stability at the home. Staff build trust with children, which helps children to feel safe. Staff are committed to children and maintain relationships even through challenging situations. For two children, this has resulted in maintaining stability for two years.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to move into the home with planned and well-thought-out transitions. Children already living at the home are involved in these plans and their views are listened to. Social workers of those children living at the home are also consulted. This helps children to feel welcomed into the home and supports placement stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are involved in making decisions about their care. The manager and staff encourage children to share their views and care is individualised to their needs. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms and help plan their daily routines. This helps children to feel listened to and build their independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage with specialist services when this is required. However, when children have voiced concerns about the relationship with specialist workers, the manager has listened and has advocated for a change of worker.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with family and friends. One child has rebuilt positive relationships with their family since living at the home. Staff communicate well with families and transport children to engage in family time, even when this is a considerable distance. This has enabled one child to have extended stays and holidays with their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress in education. One child was praised for completing their exams. Staff recognised the progress made by the child and this was celebrated in the home. The proactive staff work closely with schools when children experience difficulties. However, one social worker was not always made aware when a child had refused to attend school. This can reduce partnership working with the placing authority.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving on from the home are well prepared in advance of any move. Staff understand the plans for children and advocate for child-focused transitions. Children are provided with a record of the memories and achievements from their time living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and well maintained. It provides ample space for children to relax and engage in activities. Staff and children decorate the home in line with special occasions such as Halloween and Christmas. The manager ensures that any repairs or redecoration are completed promptly, which maintains a positive feel at the home and helps children to feel valued. Inspection report for children’s home: SC006294 4

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments are not always followed. One child’s risk assessment provided clear direction to staff on how to minimise risk. However, this was not observed in practice. Items found in a child’s bedroom could have caused harm to the child. The manager and staff do not have a consistent approach to this risk. This can lead to inconsistent practice and place children at increased risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Children are rarely missing from the home. However, when this has occurred, staff respond promptly and have a clear plan that they work within. Staff make efforts to locate children prior to reporting them missing and support children to return home. However, on one occasion, the child was not offered an independent return home interview and the manager did not escalate this.

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improvement to be good

Staff have positive relationships with children and use de-escalation to manage behaviour. The need to hold children has only been required on one occasion. The intervention was necessary and proportionate, with management oversight to evaluate practice. However, the child did not receive a debrief. This is a missed opportunity for children to share their feedback on their experience and capture learning.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to develop independence skills in line with their age and ability. For one child, this has included preparation for moving onto semi- independent living. Direct work to improve independence skills is specific to each child. This is helping to prepare children for adulthood.

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improvement to be good

Staff are employed following a safer recruitment process. The new staff work alongside existing staff to mitigate any impact on children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced and suitably qualified registered manager. Children are supported by a committed staff team that is nurturing and aspires for children to reach their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and new staff are supported through an induction programme. Supervision is reflective and children’s needs are discussed, as well as staff performance. This ensures that all staff understand the needs of the children, and children are provided with a consistent level of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have regular team meetings that provide an opportunity for reflection and the sharing of ideas. Children’s views are captured by staff and these views are considered in the team meetings. There is a clear record of actions and progress which supports accountability. Inspection report for children’s home: SC006294 5 The manager seeks feedback from children, families and a range of professionals. The manager does monitor the service and has up-to-date reports which give an overview of the home. However, feedback and consultation from children and relevant others are not evaluated by the manager as part of the monitoring. The monitoring does not identify actions that provide clarity to staff. This reduces the manager’s ability to accurately evaluate the care provided. Inspection report for children’s home: SC006294 6

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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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff practice is consistent and reflective of what is in children’s risk assessments. 9 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(c)) 9 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c)) 9 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC006294 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In particular, staff should ensure that the placing authority is notified at the earliest opportunity when a child is refusing to attend education. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person is responsible for completing a quality-of-care review at least once every 6 months. The registered person should ensure that the feedback and opinions of children that are routinely captured, are considered and evidenced within the quality-of-care review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: SC006294 8

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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

Sadie Mulkeen, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC006294 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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