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

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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 experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2019.

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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 good

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2022 Full Good 18/02/2020 Full Good 11/09/2018 Full Good 13/09/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 3

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outstanding

As a result of living in this nurturing home, the children have made remarkable progress from their starting points. They are thriving and each child is working towards their individual goals. Both children attend full-time education and are making excellent progress. They have improved physical and emotional health outcomes. The progress that children make has a positive impact on their future life chances.

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outstanding

The children receive a high standard of individualised care from a committed, nurturing and supportive staff team. Staff know the children well and respond to each child with an understanding of how trauma and their individual childhood experiences have impacted on their lives.

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outstanding

The relationships between staff and children are at the heart of the care the children experience. Staff understand the importance of building strong relationships to help children to feel safe. Children talk openly to staff about their feelings. This helps them to process difficult emotions and develop better coping strategies, which improves their resilience.

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outstanding

Children are making progress in their education. Both children have high attendance levels and are achieving all their educational goals. One teacher said that the child has improved attendance and has made excellent progress since they moved into the home. The strong partnership working with schools has meant that children receive the right support, which is provided consistently. For one child with additional learning needs, this has helped them to flourish and achieve academic qualifications.

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outstanding

Children’s physical and emotional health have improved. When children have additional health needs, staff ensure that they access support from specialist services. One child has made exceptional progress in their physical health because of the support that they have received from staff to help them to enjoy a healthy diet and improved personal care routines. Staff work collaboratively with therapeutic services to ensure that they are equipped to provide children with care that benefits their emotional and mental health.

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outstanding

Staff support children to spend time with the people who are important to them in their lives. They are committed to building relationships with the child’s family and friends and supporting these relationships to ensure that they are a positive experience for children. Staff support children to participate in activities with their friends, and their friends often come to the home for tea. This positive approach helps children to have the same experiences as their peers. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 4 Children are supported to take part in a range of activities. These include children’s hobbies and interests, such as horse riding, snowboarding and football. Children like to go to youth groups, where they can socialise with their peers. Staff ensure that children have access to activities that they say help them when they are experiencing difficult emotions and feeling anxious.

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outstanding

Children have improved independence because of the individualised support that they receive from staff, who understand the children’s abilities and starting points. Where children have additional needs, staff understand the barriers to them developing independence and ensure that the approach they use helps the child. This has meant that one child has been helped to gain the skills to travel independently using public transport.

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outstanding

Children’s day-to-day experiences are captured in a daily journal. Records capture their aspirations and achievements. There are many photos that are meaningful to the child and show their journey. This is an outstanding piece of work that provides the child with an abundance of memories to take with them when they move on.

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outstanding

Great importance is given to consulting with children. The manager and staff place children’s wishes and feelings at the centre of decision-making about the child. This ensures that children feel listened to and helps them to have a say on what happens in their lives.

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outstanding

The children’s personalities are reflected throughout this home. The staff take pride in providing a homely and welcoming environment for the children. Where children have moved into the home recently, their photos are framed and on display in the home. This gives children a sense of being cared for and a sense of belonging.

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outstanding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and keeping the children protected from harm is integral to daily practice. Staff are highly motivated and work hard with children to help them to understand their vulnerabilities and risk-taking behaviours. Children say that they feel safe. This is because they have a strong sense of stability and have excellent relationships with staff.

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outstanding

The risks to children have reduced. For one child, this happened soon after they moved into the home. This is because of the structure and boundaries staff put in place for the child, which provides the child with security and stability.

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outstanding

Staff understand the risks and vulnerabilities for individual children. Staff are proactive in taking a balanced approach to risk, which allows children to develop the skills to make the right choices and means that they are better protected. Staff regularly revisit the work they do with children to reduce the likelihood of risks increasing. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 5 Risk assessments provide clear guidance to staff, are up to date and reviewed regularly. Staff are clear on the steps to follow to ensure that children are better protected.

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outstanding

Children do not go missing from the home. For one child, this risk reduced when they moved into the home. Each child has an individualised plan which provides staff with clear guidance to follow should they go missing. This means that staff are clear on their responsibilities when a child goes missing.

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outstanding

Serious incidents are rare. When an incident occurs, the manager and staff respond by taking effective action to manage the risk of harm to the children. They immediately put in place strategies to reduce the likelihood of the risks to the child increasing. Staff use strategies to educate children, such as having open and honest discussions with them about the incident. They use research and resources that are specific to the vulnerabilities of individual children to help them to understand risk.

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outstanding

When a risk to a child is identified, the manager ensures that additional training and resources are available to staff. Children take part in the training session with staff. This positive approach equips staff to respond to the risks to children because it provides them with an insight of how the child understands the risk. There is a child- centred approach to the discussions that staff have with children about risks.

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outstanding

Consequences and restraints are not used at this home. The approach to behaviour management at this home is to provide children with unconditional and nurturing care. Staff celebrate the children’s achievements and praise positive behaviour. Staff talk to the children about their feelings to help them to understand their behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She is ambitious and has a clear vision for the development of the home and staff team. The manager is aspirational in her approach, which means that staff have a willingness to embrace the ethos of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children exceptionally well and understands their vulnerabilities and individual needs. She is committed to supporting staff to deliver a high standard of nurturing care that considers how the children’s individual experiences affect their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that is reflective and focused on developing practice and discussing the children’s plans. Staff are supported by the organisation’s therapeutic services to reflect on practice. Team meetings provide the opportunity for staff to reflect on research-based practice that is relevant to helping them to meet the children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has built positive relationships with others who are involved in the child’s care. The manager and staff are committed to a multi-agency approach to Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 6 ensure that the children are receiving the right support. This strong partnership working means that children have access to local services to meet their individual needs. Where children have additional learning needs, the manager has ensured that the assessment of the child’s needs informs the care that they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the home. There are effective audit and monitoring systems in place to track the risks to children, the progress that children are making and to review staff practice. This means that shortfalls are identified promptly, and the manager takes action to address them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has ensured that staff have received the relevant training to meet the needs of the children living at the home. When there is a change to a risk to a child, the manager takes prompt action to ensure that staff have access to the right training. The induction of new staff to the home is strong. This means that staff are equipped to deliver a high standard of consistent care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has made a child-centred decision about a child moving into the home. They have considered the needs of the child already living at the home and ensured that the child moved into the home in a planned way. This has meant that the child has settled in well and has established a positive relationship with the other child. The children say that they like living together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not maintained up-to-date records for each child. This includes a plan for the care of a child prepared by the placing authority. They have not ensured that one child’s education, health and care plan is kept up to date. This has the potential to hinder the planning of the child’s care. The manager has not provided challenge to the placing authority to ensure that the child’s needs are met in accordance with their plan in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 7

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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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 (a)(d)) 17 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they have access to an up-to-date care plan for the children, including subsequent reviews of the plan. They must ensure that children’s education, health and care plans are kept up to date. 17 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 8

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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: SC064934 9

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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

Rachel Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC064934 10 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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