Enjoyment, achievement & wellbeing
We provide our young people with a range of diverse learning experiences such as activities and holidays which provide opportunities for positive and trusting relationship building.
Supporting young people to enjoy life and have fun
There is an expectation that all staff will organise and participate in a range of activities and holidays. They should:
- Be planned, taking into consideration the specific learning and development opportunities of each individual young person and reflect their creative, intellectual, physical and social interest.
- Support the development of hobbies and interests and be based around their personal preferences and abilities as far as practicable, thus promoting the development of their self-esteem and confidence.
- Provide opportunities to experience new activities in order to widen their learning and knowledge and staff should ensure that they are aware of what local leisure, cultural and religious opportunities are open to them.
- Provide opportunities to integrate into the community and with others – including exploring organised youth activities, youth centres and sports centres within the local area. Where appropriate there should be opportunities for young people to integrate with appropriate peers, including staff taking friends with them on activities where risk assessed prior as suitable.
- Take into consideration the stage/ intended outcome of the placement for example using appropriate budgeting skills surrounding planning activities to ensure these are obtainable in the future for the young person to continue after leaving us.
- Make use of resources of the home and the skills of the staff team, utilising both. All homes will have art materials, books, access to computers/ board games, pamper equipment etc. It is the staff teams responsibility to ensure these resources are available and of good varied quality for a range of levels of understanding/ ability.
- Ensure that young people with learning needs/ disabilities are not excluded from opportunities to participate in both leisure and cultural activities
Celebrating Achievements
Dove Adolescent Services staff are proactive in recognising any achievements made by the young people and celebrate these appropriately with them. This is not limited to educational achievements, but will encompass learning and development holistically for a child.
Staff are responsible for ensuring such occasions are documented and form part of a child’s journey file, enabling young people to clearly see what they have achieved and improve their self-esteem. Each month the young people receive an individualised newsletter which details their achievements over the month and what they have planned for the following month.
Young people’s views
Consultation with young people is at the heart of all the work we do and the decisions we make about the child’s life are made with their involvement. We do this through holding regular house meetings, one to one sessions with the child, key worker sessions and carrying out focus work.
Positive Relationships
We work hard to build constructive and warm relationships with young people. We aim to have a consistent team of care staff around the child and try to reduce the impact of people leaving/moving homes as much as possible as we recognise the detrimental effect this can have on children with attachment difficulties.
Protection of Young People
We have a strong culture surrounding safeguarding issues where staff feel empowered and confident in risk management and safeguarding. Staff are clear about their roles to protect young people and the need to communicate effectively to create excellent multi-agency relationships.