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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC355755 1 SC355755 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 is registered to care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. There is currently one child living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted on the 14 June 2007. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 29 July 2020.

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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 good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be 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 September 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: SC355755 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/09/2022 Full Good 19/05/2021 Full Good 24/04/2019 Full Good 23/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC355755 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress here. They experience stability from staff, which allows positive relationships to flourish. Staff know the children well and have a good understanding of their needs and most of the time deliver the care that children need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is prioritised, children are encouraged to have high aspirations. One child achieved 93% attendance in school, despite moving schools mid-term and facing other challenges. Both children were supported to complete their exams and are looking forward to college in September. These achievements are celebrated, which helps children to feel proud and improve their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to be healthy. One child’s dental health has significantly improved since they moved into the home. Positive self-care routines are implemented and maintained, which supports children to increase their independence. However, some actions arising from children’s health assessments have not been actioned.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff identify and advocate for specialist support in line with children’s arising needs. Children are supported to develop healthy ways to manage feelings of distress and seek staff support when in crisis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain meaningful relationships with their families. Staff work closely with social workers to make sure that children can see and be in contact with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is modern, welcoming and homely. The communal areas are personalised with photos. This supports a homely atmosphere.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move out, they are supported by staff in a way that promotes a positive ending. Staff take children to visit where they are moving to. This ensures that children feel valued, and it models the importance of maintaining positive relationships.

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

Staff use therapeutic support from external agencies effectively. When children have behaviours that worry staff, these are reflected on and actions ensure that children are supported and not negatively labelled.

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

Staff utilise their relationships with the children to help de-escalate situations and support them with their feelings. This promotes positive behaviours and means that physical intervention is not used. Inspection report for children’s home: SC355755 4 Information in risk assessments is repetitive. This means it is not always clear what actions staff should take to keep children safe. Risk assessments are not reviewed regularly in order to consider if risks have reduced. This has led to risk-averse practice.

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

Children feel safe in the home and can identify trusted adults they can talk to if they are worried. Children do not go missing from care often. When they do go missing, staff follow plans to ensure that action is taken to keep them safe. Children are offered independent return home interviews to follow up on any actions that may arise.

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

Staff are employed following a safe recruitment process. Only one staff member has left and one started. Agency staff are not used. This ensures consistency in the support provided to children and helps with positive relationships.

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

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities in recognising and responding to safeguarding concerns. Staff feel confident in raising concerns and understand whistle-blowing procedures.

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good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She has good relationships with the children and staff.

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good

Staff feel supported by the manager. They receive regular supervision. However, it is not consistently reflective and does not offer challenge when needed. This does not promote growth and development of staff.

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good

The manager does not yet have good oversight of children’s records. This prevents her noticing issues with staff practice and means she misses opportunities to embed therapeutic parenting within the team. This results in inconsistent parenting by staff.

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good

Some staff have still not completed their requisite level 3 qualification within the time frame specified in the children’s home regulations, despite this being a requirement from the last inspection.

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good

Team meetings are regular and well attended. However, the minutes do not accurately reflect the meeting. Actions arising from the meetings are not allocated to specific staff, and the manager does not review them to ensure that agreed actions take place. Inspection report for children’s home: SC355755 5

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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, The 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have relevant oversight of the day-to-day workings of the children’s home and form an evaluation of staff practice which informs staff development and they must ensure that actions arising from team meetings are followed through. In addition, they must ensure that staff are appropriately supported through supervision in order to reflect on their practice, and that they are appropriately challenged when needed. 2 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— 1 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC355755 6 the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4) (a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure appropriate progress of staff who are yet to achieve the qualification. This is to be achieved by the date set out in the registered person’s action plan.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should make sure risk assessments for children are reviewed regularly and amended when risks change so as not to become risk averse. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.7)  The registered person should ensure that where children have specific health needs identified within their health assessment, this is addressed within their care plan. This includes taking relevant vitamins. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10)

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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: SC355755 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, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B60 4AD

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Inspectors

Joanna Beal, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC355755 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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