Children's Home run by Dove Adolescent Services Limited in Barnsley

Inspection report for children’s home: SC064454 1 SC064454 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 privately owned and run. It provides care for up to two children. The home cares for children of any age, irrespective of gender. However, the children are normally between 12 and 18 years old.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since 13 September 2021 and is in the process of completing his level 5 in leadership and management.

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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 good

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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: 15 February 2022

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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: SC064454 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/02/2022 Full Outstanding 24/09/2019 Full Good 09/10/2018 Full Good 01/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC064454 3

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outstanding

Children receive the very best of care that is individually tailored to their needs. The manager and his staff succeed in keeping the children at the heart of everything they do. Children living at this home experience high levels of nurture and are thriving. They are making and sustaining excellent progress because of the care they receive.

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outstanding

The home follows a therapeutic model of care. This approach is woven into all aspects of care and applied consistently by staff. Staff demonstrate an excellent understanding of the approach and why it works for children. As a result, children receive consistent care from staff who fully understand their needs and vulnerabilities.

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outstanding

Staff genuinely collaborate with children and support them to understand the impact of their decisions, such as when a child is choosing between remaining locally in independence or moving back nearer to family. Children’s wishes are then used to inform how they are cared for. This has helped to ensure that children feel empowered and have ownership over decisions that are made about their lives.

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outstanding

Children are helped to follow their hobbies and explore new interests. One child has a loan pony who they spend their weekends with. The manager is helping the child to find another pony so that they can progress with their riding and have the opportunity to compete in equestrian events. Every effort is made by staff to ensure that children are fulfilling their dreams and ambitions.

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outstanding

Children are well matched before they come to live at the home. They forge meaningful sibling-style relationships with each other. During the inspection, the children were observed to be nurturing towards each other, and they clearly enjoyed spending time with each other. Activities such as board games are regularly played at the dining table, which promotes fun and togetherness. Children learn to live in harmony.

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outstanding

Staff place great importance on maintaining their relationships with the children. These relationships are based on respect and mutual trust. Staff are able to positively influence children through conversations and focused work. Children feel able to approach staff for advice and do so regularly for matters including family, independence and personal relationships. Children are learning how to overcome challenges because they have grown in confidence and feel valued.

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outstanding

Staff understand the importance of learning. One child has been given the opportunity to attend a local mainstream school because the manager and staff strongly advocated for them. The child has made positive friendships in the local area and is planning for their future in the beauty industry. One professional Inspection report for children’s home: SC064454 4 described how staff and the manager were ‘thinking outside the box’ when it came to helping one child to have a more positive attitude to school and increase their attendance. There is clear evidence that children are being helped to succeed and are meeting their personal goals.

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outstanding

The manager and staff team strive to develop effective relationships with the children’s close and extended family members. The complexities of family history are explored, and children are helped to make sense of their past. One child has been helped to establish a relationship with a sibling they have not seen in many years. Children are helped to have a strong sense of identity.

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outstanding

Staff are highly creative when deciding how to capture the children’s memories. For one child, staff made a video with a soundtrack that followed their relationship with their pony and the experiences they shared together. Staff make sure that children are helped to have positive memories of their time at the home.

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

Children living at this home say they feel safe. The relationships they enjoy with staff are consistent and based on mutual trust. Children are supported by staff to take age-appropriate risks. As a result, children are learning how to keep themselves safe.

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

Boundaries are well established in this home, and children respond well to these. Staff remain curious about what children may be trying to communicate through their behaviour. Alliances are formed between children and staff that allow for exploration into the causes of the behaviour. Children are becoming self-aware and more confident in every aspect of their lives.

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

Children rarely go missing from home and when they do, they stay close by and return very quickly. Children’s plans for when they go missing are updated following consultation with relevant social workers. Following the first missing-from-home incident in over a year, the manager put on refresher training to ensure that all staff were up to date on what they need to do should the situation reoccur. This has helped to ensure that children who go missing receive a well-coordinated response.

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

The manager is reflective and takes a systemic approach. He considers the wider issues when trying to understand children’s behaviours. For example, he supports staff to contemplate their own behaviours and responses and how these impact on children. Staff are mindful, and children receive high levels of connection.

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

Children regularly approach staff for advice and support on issues such as personal relationships. Staff respond in a factual manner supporting the child to reflect and come up with their own conclusions. Children are learning what healthy personal relationships look like because of this.

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

When incidents occur, they are well managed. Staff use their knowledge and their relationships with the children to positively influence them. Staff are reading Inspection report for children’s home: SC064454 5 children’s behaviour and acting quickly. Staff will make use of appropriate humour to help children calm. This means that situations are de-escalated. Incidents are decreasing.

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

When serious incidents do occur, the manager has effective oversight and makes good decisions that keep children safe. However, one serious incident was not reported to Ofsted in line with the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015. This undermines the ability of the regulator to carry out its monitoring function effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is ambitious and consistently demonstrates his passion for improving the lives of children. He is confident in his own abilities and in that of his staff team. He knows his home inside out. The home is in continual development, and the care of children is continually improving.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager leads from the front. Staff are inspired by the manager and his leadership style. Staff are encouraged to share their views and develop their own areas of interest. One staff member said, ‘name of manager] is the best manager ever. He is supportive and pushes us to do better for the children.’ Staff morale is high.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home provides a warm and cosy environment that reflects that of a family home. The home is beautifully decorated, and photos of the children are on display. The children’s rooms are very much a reflection of them as individuals. Children experience a high standard of living.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Team meetings are regular and focus on the right things. They offer staff the opportunity to explore their professional curiosity, reflect and share ideas about the children. In one meeting, staff were creative and used brainstorming to consider what a good independence programme looks like. This was then shared with the child and a child-centred plan was formed. The staff work as an effective team to help children achieve their goals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are provided with quality learning opportunities on relevant issues. The manager has considered recent media interest is one particular social influencer and how they are negatively affecting how children view others. He researched, developed and delivered a bespoke training session to help staff understand the impact of social media on identity. The staff then completed work that helped the children to understand the issues. Children are being supported to be independent, critical thinkers. There is a supportive learning culture in this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision gives staff time to reflect about the children and their needs. Staff are supported with any personal issues they are facing. One staff member said, ‘supervision is excellent’ and ‘I have come on leaps and bounds.’ Practice issues are dealt with openly and reviewed. Practice is improving. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064454 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that safeguarding notifications are made within 24 hours of a significant event occurring. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: SC064454 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

Rachel Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC064454 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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

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Inspector

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 .

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Inspector

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Inspector

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