'There is music and laughter' in local children’s home rated Outstanding by Ofsted
A residential home which supports vulnerable children of varying needs and backgrounds has received its second consecutive Outstanding rating from Ofsted.
Based in Barnsley, Dove House was rated 'Outstanding' in all areas following its inspection in June of this year. Ofsted commended the home’s warm and nurturing environment, staff support, and exceptionally strong management team.
The report said: “Children experience warm, trusting relationships with staff. There is music and laughter in the home. Staff show positive regard for the children’s needs and wishes, and the interactions between children and staff are fun-filled.
“Children continue to make exceptional progress in all aspects of their lives and have made remarkable progress in their ability to manage their own emotions and mental health. Children also make sustained progress in their education, and their success is celebrated and incentivised.”
Ofsted described registered manager Ryan Lauder as someone who ‘leads by example and plays an active part in the children’s daily lives’, he said: “The Dove House team is so pleased with the most recent outstanding judgment from Ofsted.
“The team continues to strive towards the best possible outcomes for the young people with a focus on the environment, we want our young people to feel happy, comfortable, and safe in their home.
“Music and creativity are at the heart of the home, allowing us and our young people great ways to communicate and express ourselves. Team Dove has a wide variety of skills and experience that all help with the building of confidence and self-worth for each young person which shows in our incredible report.”
The residential home can accommodate five young people between the ages of eight and 18 and is designed to feel like a family home, with a large rear garden for outdoor activities and an open-plan living space to share.
Staff, praised in the report for their ‘exceptional knowledge of each child’, encourage young people to personalise their bedrooms and decorate the home with photographs to make it feel like their own.
The report concluded: “At this home, one size does not fit all. Staff apply their learning from research and use their model of care to provide outstanding experiences for children. One child talked about not wanting to live in a children’s home, but they were able to describe their experience of receiving kind, individualised care, choices, and freedoms.”
Ryan said: “We still face stigma around children living in a residential setting like this, but we’re doing our best to change that.
“Working with children and young people to change their lives by providing a safe haven like we have here is an incredibly rewarding career and I’d encourage anyone interested in working with children and making a real difference to get in touch about a role with Dove, it’s an amazing place to be.”
Dove House is a Dove Adolescent Services home, which provides flexible residential care packages to children in and around South and West Yorkshire.