A specialised two-bedroom children’s home, the first of its kind in England, has received an outstanding rating in all areas from Ofsted.
Named The Croft, it is a Therapeutic Residential Children’s Home that commenced operations in the Pontefract region in March of this year. The facility offers two placements for children aged between 11 and 17, available for up to 12 months, delivering intensive support for some of the district’s most vulnerable young individuals.
The report stated that “children residing in this home exhibit exceptional progress.” It commended the significant and positive influence of the combined health and care support, which is facilitated by the inclusion of clinical staff in the team.
This unique service is a collaboration between us and the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SWYPT).
The Wakefield Child and Adolescent Mental Health Support (CAMHS) Enhanced Outreach Team is stationed at the home – a pioneering feature in specialist intervention care homes.
Cllr Margaret Isherwood, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People said: “We are extremely proud to be providing the best possible support for children who need help, protection and care.
“We worked closely with our partners to develop this very specialist new home after recognising the need for more placements for children with complex needs, close to home.
“We want the very best experiences for children in our district and are pleased that only several months after opening, The Croft is already achieving such positive outcomes for those that need it most.”
Following a recent inspection, Ofsted deemed the home to be ‘outstanding’ in the following areas:
The overall experiences and progress of children and young people.
The effectiveness of the assistance and protection provided to the children and young people.
The performance of leaders and managers.
The report emphasised the formulation of child-centric education plans and the strong consideration of their emotional needs, which “empowers them to succeed” and feel “secure and content in the home.”
Dr Catherine Reid, Senior Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Lead for the Wakefield CAMHS enhanced outreach team, at South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, commented: ‘‘We are really proud to have received the ‘outstanding’ rating by Ofsted. This is a reflection of the incredible collaborative approach between the Trust and Wakefield Local Authority.
“The Trust’s clinical team at The Croft has closely worked together with The Croft care team over the past year within a unique collaborative care model and in that time there has been significant progress made in the mental and emotional wellbeing of the young people in our care. All the staff at The Croft are highly passionate about providing the best possible care for young people and will continue to work together in the best way possible to achieve positive outcomes for young people’’.
Melanie Brown, Director of System Reform and Integration at Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for The Croft, and demonstrates how the service is going from strength to strength since it was launched earlier this year.
“This is a really essential service for children and young people in our district, and forms part of the range of support we provide our children and young people locally through our partnership working.”
