Children's home run by Dove Adolescent Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2738396 1 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. It offers care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2023.

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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 outstanding

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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: 2738396 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/07/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2738396 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector spoke to the child during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive personalised care and settle quickly when they move into the home because of well-thought-out planning. Outcomes for children vary. Some children have moved on from the home appropriately, as staff could no longer meet their needs. On these occasions, the manager provided detailed end-of-placement reports to support future care planning. One child successfully moved back to their family home, supported by staff who provided continuity of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively encourage children to engage in positive activities that promote their emotional and mental well-being. Staff work with social workers to celebrate children’s success, such as attending an art exhibition, showcasing the child’s creativity and confidence. One child’s music tracks are featured on a national radio station, and this is celebrated with pride and enthusiasm. This recognition is especially meaningful for the child, as they have previously struggled to accept positive praise.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote family time and enable children to spend meaningful time with those who are most important to them. One parent spoke highly of staff’s communication and weekly update reports, which help them feel involved in the care of their child. Staff provided emotional support to one child during a time of loss, helping and comforting them. They listened to the child and respected their wishes, guiding them through the challenging period.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to attend school and supported in making progress with their learning. Staff are attuned to the children’s needs and how they can affect their ability to engage and learn. They work with school professionals to keep education plans under review so that they are responsive to the children’s changing needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that children’s care plans are accessible for staff soon after each review. This helps to keep staff informed about each child’s needs and the specific actions required to support their progress. Professionals praise the manager and staff’s advocacy for children during children’s meetings. For example, in one instance, the manager challenged a local authority when return home interviews were not promptly taking place.

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

Children’s risk assessments are thorough, addressing individual risks in detail. This enables staff to remain vigilant and respond proactively, particularly in situations where a child may be at risk of going missing from home. When risks increase, the manager and staff take an active role in multi-agency discussions. Staff implement timely and effective interventions to manage the risk and safeguard children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2738396 4 Staff understand the children well. They build trusted relationships with children that help keep them safe. Staff rigorously talk to children about peer relationships and the risks of child criminal and sexual exploitation. They also provide safe spaces for children to discuss their experiences when they have been missing from home. These discussions are purposeful and help children to be open about their experiences and make safer choices.

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

The manager provides robust management oversight of incidents. Reflective conversations for children and staff, along with one-to-one conversations with the manager, promote trust and support well-being. Staff take children’s concerns seriously, and the manager ensures that children receive timely feedback after they share any concerns. Additionally, the manager thoroughly investigates complaints made by people outside the home and acts accordingly so that children and neighbours can live safely around each other in the community.

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

Staff take a proactive response to manage behaviours and children’s feelings. They consistently use verbal praise, rewards and incentives. As a result, some incidents have reduced in frequency. For example, one child has not self-injured for over a year, attributing this to being able to talk openly with staff.

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

Children are appropriately guided or held when they experience difficult emotions to prevent them from causing harm to others and themselves. On several occasions, staff have involved the police when behaviours have escalated dangerously. This has helped keep children safe during high-risk incidents.

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

Staff understand how each child communicates and adapt their discussions to encourage reflection. The manager provides oversight of incidents and staff conversations with children to ensure that staff responses are effective and proportionate. However, one case record of staff’s conversation with a child was not well recorded. The language used was blaming rather than sensitive to the child’s experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager provides exceptional leadership to the team. She sets high standards, where openness and trust are prioritised. The manager is very insightful and can easily talk about the progress children make and the effectiveness of staff’s practice. Her comprehensive oversight of the team’s strengths and areas for development ensures that a stable and nurturing environment is consistently maintained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is inspirational and influential in changing the children’s lives. They lead staff to work therapeutically with the children to achieve positive change. Staff’s commitment to the therapeutic model is enhanced through regular consultations with the provider’s psychotherapist, who provides valuable guidance and reflection to the team. In one instance, when a child’s well-being was at risk, the manager acted quickly in the best interests of the child, making strong recommendations after staff identified complex safeguarding and protection needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2738396 5 The manager leads by example, promoting an excellent culture of learning. They use effective monitoring systems to review the quality of care provided, as well as innovative resources to support the ambitious vision. For example, the manager created a staff development plan that is also used to progressively update the home’s statement of

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

purpose as the team develops. In addition, the manager has redesigned the children’s monthly reports to be more pictorial and engaging, encouraging participation from the children themselves.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The scrutiny of the independent visitor is highly valued as they contribute to the development of staff’s practice. From this, the manager identifies strengths and areas for improvement and implements clear development plans that continually improve the experiences of the child. Staff consistently attend team meetings, actively participating and contributing ideas for change. Meetings primarily focus on the children and their progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Practice-related supervision sessions are child focused, ensuring that children’s needs and progress are central to discussions. When staff experience challenges, the manager clearly documents this in supervision records, and targets are set to support improvement. Staff well-being is actively addressed as part of the supervision process. The manager’s excellent leadership results in robust reviews of staff performance. This approach directly contributes to high-quality care and positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

One professional said that the home is the best they have worked with, highlighting the team’s consistent nurturing approach to parenting. Education and social care professionals value the weekly reports they receive about the children’s care. This level of partnership drives a shared understanding of keeping the needs of the children at the forefront of practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2738396 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff use language that is kind and caring when recording information about children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector 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: 2738396 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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Charlotte Marley-McGowan

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Inspector

Tenji Wesa, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2738396 8 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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