Working at Dove Adolescent Services Ltd

Dove Adolescent Services provides flexible, individual care packages for children and young people.

Our network of small multi-occupancy homes and single occupancy Specialist Resource homes give us the flexibility to support vulnerable children of very different backgrounds and needs. Our people, experience and approach to care are what make us stand out from other providers.

Our mission is to give the young people in our care a realistic chance: first, to recover from often severely damaging histories; but most of all to believe in their own potential and build towards a positive, confident start to adult life.

Whether or not we can finally provide the best, permanent solution in an individual case, we will always do our utmost to secure a young person's present and future well-being - physical, emotional, social and intellectual.

We aim to promote an atmosphere in which the young people can achieve their full potential emotionally, socially, educationally and physically, where the staff team actively work with the young people to identify and foster areas of strength and strengthen areas of weakness.

This will be achieved through individual plans for both care and education which can encompass a variety of approaches from life history bookwork through to identification of social/leisure activities which provide the stimulation and excitement that they seek.

We aim to promote a living environment that encourages young people to achieve their full potential emotionally, socially, educationally and physically - within this we take account of individuality, diversity and cultural needs.

The prominent features underpinning Dove Adolescent Services' approach to care are illustrated in our Principles of Care Triangle. Dove's staff team are our most valuable attribute, so they are represented as the pinnacle of the triangle. The left of the triangle represents the physical and well established elements within the organisation. The ideological approach to care is represented on the opposite face.

Dove's methods are relationship based, which is informed through the social pedagogy ideology. The ethos within every home is based upon inclusive group living and shared experiences. The underpinning ethos is one of positive re-enforcement achieved through working in partnership with the young people in order to identify realistic goals. Staff endeavour to maintain a nurturing environment by presenting as genuine adult role models allowing young people to develop positive attachments with the adults who are caring for them.

Our achievements in people management and development were rewarded with IIP Gold Status in the Summer of 2011. We are the first organisation in our sector to reach the standard, having previously been the first care organisation to achieve the accreditation for the IIP Leadership & Management model. Learn more about our IIP Gold Status.