‘Outstanding’ Ofsted rating for Doncaster children’s home

Ofsted has rated the overall experiences and progress of children and young people living at  Doncaster’s Morrison Drive children’s home as ‘outstanding’ in a report published this week.

The home is run by Doncaster Children’s Services Trust which is the first children’s social care organisation in the country to be run independently from a local authority.

Morrison Drive is the third of the Trust’s children’s homes to be praised by Ofsted in the last six months, with previous inspections rating two other Trust’s children’s homes as ‘Good Overall’.

The Ofsted report praised the way the staff team plans and tailors support for each child, helping them build confidence, self-worth, prepare well for their future

“One young person has successfully embarked on an apprenticeship; another is a high achiever at school and has ambitions to go to university. These are accomplishments which may not have been envisaged given their ‘starting points’ at the home,” it reads.

The building has been designed to feel as much like a family home as possible, and the young people who live there are encouraged to do household chores and cultivate vegetables in their own sections of the garden. Their views are respected on the day-to-day running of the home, and in shaping their own care plans.

The Trust was set up last year following an agreement with the government and Doncaster Council with a remit to pioneer new, dynamic ways to provide outstanding care to local children and families.

Chief Executive of Doncaster Children’s Services Trust, Paul Moffat, said: “Our ethos is to give the same level of commitment to young people in care as we would to our own children. I am really pleased that Ofsted has recognised this and very proud of our staff who are doing such an excellent job.”

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Doncaster Children's Services Trust is a new and independent organisation - the first of its kind in the country - set up following an agreement with national government and the local authority. We are developing and pioneering innovative and improved ways to provide social care and support services to children, young people and families in Doncaster.

We believe that every child and young person in the borough deserves the best start in life, and support when they need it, to reach their full potential. We will support children and young people of all backgrounds, races, disabilities and cultures at times of need or crisis in their lives. www.doncasterchildrenstrust.co.uk