Joanna North Adoption Ltd

Inspection report for adoption support agency: Joanna North Adoption Ltd 1 Joanna North Adoption Ltd Joanna North Adoption Limited 2 Stable Farm, Collipriest, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 4PT Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this adoption support agency

The adoption support agency provides specialised psychological interventions and therapeutic support services for adopted children, their parents and adults who have experienced adoption.

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Information about this adoption support agency

The registered manager is the sole practitioner and has been in post since January 2021. She is highly qualified and experienced in the field of adoption.

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Information about this adoption support agency

The agency is currently providing a therapeutic service to 17 children and their families.

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outstanding

How well children, young people and adults are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The adoption support agency provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the adoption support agency contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for service users.

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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 adoption support agency: Joanna North Adoption Ltd 2

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The quality of the individualised support provided is excellent. The significant influence and impact of this work is very evident in the positive outcomes experienced by children and families. Children and adults are supported effectively through very difficult challenges and helped to achieve positive outcomes. Children with complex needs show marked improvements in their behaviour and stability. Families report that they feel valued, very well supported, and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

A particular strength of the agency is how the registered manager, who is the sole practitioner, builds trusting relationships with ‘harder-to-reach’ children and their families. She is a very experienced and skilled practitioner and uses a direct but very sensitive child-focused approach based on research and evidence-based practice. This approach is very effective in helping children to understand the impact of previous trauma, to find ways of overcoming this, and to go on to achieve positive outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Initial therapeutic assessments are comprehensive and provide the basis for the intended objectives and timescales for the individual plans of therapeutic work. Plans are clear and are always agreed with children and their families prior to the start of any sessions. The registered manager seeks and records the voices of children and families. The outcomes of each piece of work are evaluated, recorded, and understood by all involved.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

Feedback from children, families and professionals is overwhelmingly positive. Many report how therapeutic interventions from the registered manager have prevented family breakdown and supported them effectively through very complex and challenging situations.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The registered manager regularly supports children and their families at education meetings, providing insight and expertise about the support adopted children may need to make educational progress. One professional reported: ‘I have seen lots of evidence of the prevention of disruptions because of the agency’s work.’

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The registered manager is passionate and committed to improving outcomes for adopted children and their families. She places great importance on being involved in current research with universities and the Department for Education. The agency is recognised as a centre of excellence in the adoption sector. She provides training for professionals involved in adoption and has written and published books. These publications provide practical and helpful strategies for parents to help them understand the impact of previous trauma on their child and how best to support and parent them.

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Overall experiences and progress of service users: outstanding

The registered manager understands the importance of supporting adopted people into adulthood. She has created a national support group for adults affected by Inspection report for adoption support agency: Joanna North Adoption Ltd 3 adoption that regularly meets online. The group gives adoptees the chance to meet and share their experiences with other adoptees. One member of the group reported: ‘The support I have received is second to none, the registered manager is an incredible woman.’

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outstanding

Clear and effective safeguarding procedures help to keep children safe. The registered manager is very vigilant and demonstrates an excellent level of professional curiosity. She will promptly refer any safeguarding concerns to the appropriate safeguarding professionals should concerns arise in a therapeutic session. She is open and honest with children and their families if she intends to take safeguarding action. The agency maintains very effective links with safeguarding professionals.

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outstanding

The registered manager is very experienced and has a comprehensive understanding of safeguarding concerns, such as the potentially negative effects of social media, self-harming and online grooming. Children benefit from safe and effective strategies and therapeutic interventions, and this help them to learn how to keep themselves safe.

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outstanding

Children and their families benefit from the registered manager’s excellent understanding of how children’s previous experiences of trauma can affect their behaviour. She successfully supports parents to understand the need for consistent boundaries for children and how this will help them to feel safe and secure. Parents are supported to understand behaviour management strategies that are underpinned by research evidence and practical examples. This means that parents gain the confidence and skills that they need to safely manage their child’s behaviour and can better support their child to make progress.

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outstanding

The registered manager understands the importance of ensuring that she has obtained current criminal records checks. All people employed in the agency are checked to ensure that they are suitable people to be working with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is inspirational, confident and aspirational for adopted children and their families. She maintains an exceptionally high standard of practice built around a culture of continuous learning and improvement. The responsible individual oversees the finances and the administration of the agency to a very high standard. The agency is managed effectively and efficiently and is financially viable. This means that clients benefit from extremely well planned and organised support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager benefits from regular high quality supervision sessions with an appropriately qualified person. She fully understands the emotional impact of the work she is undertaking and promptly seeks additional supervision and support if necessary. She also keeps up to date with the latest research, training and practice Inspection report for adoption support agency: Joanna North Adoption Ltd 4 developments. This means that she can, in turn, offer effective and high-quality support to the children and families that she works with.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A key strength of the agency is the effective and strong links it has with other professionals, including medical and educational professionals. These professionals value the work of the agency highly and comment on the positive outcomes that the agency achieves with children and families. Professionals report that communication is very good, contracting processes are clear and reports are sent to them promptly. The registered manager ensures that financial support from the Adoption Support Fund is promptly obtained for children and families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Therapeutic outcomes are monitored to ensure that the work being undertaken is effective. The agency has systems in place to undertake this monitoring and to identify any areas for improvement. Comprehensive six-monthly reports evaluate the quality of the service being provided to children and families and help to ensure that it continues to be highly effective.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, young people and adults, using the 'Social care common inspection framework'.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the adoption support agency, how it meets the core functions as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Adoption Support Agencies (England) and Adoption Agencies (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2005 and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for adoption support agency: Joanna North Adoption Ltd 5

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Adoption support agency details

Registered provider: Joanna North Adoption Limited

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Adoption support agency details

Registered provider address: 4 Cedar Court, Tiverton Business Park, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 6GT

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Inspector

Tina Maddison, social care inspector Inspection report for adoption support agency: Joanna North Adoption Ltd 6 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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