Company Website: www.cloverchildcareservices.co.uk
Contact: Dan Knight
Position: Director & Responsible Individual
Telephone: 01692 580050 / mobile: 07876 038599
Email: Dan.knight@cloverchildcareservices.co.uk

Type of Provision: Therapeutic Children’s Homes with education
Total number of children’s homes & other services: 3
Total number of registered beds: 13
Size range of homes: 1 x 6 placements, 1 x 5 placements, 1 x 2 placements
Age range on admission: 7-17 years
Specialist services: Dr Ben Gurney-Smith (Chartered Consultant Clinical Psychologist) Ben has worked with looked after and adopted children and their families since 1997. He has worked in a number of settings including residential, secure facilities, local authority, CAMHS and third sector. He established the ATTACH team in Oxford. This is a recognised service of good practice by the British Psychological Society which works with looked after and adopted children. Currently he is the Clinical Lead at Adoptionplus Adoption Agency, Milton Keynes (see http://www.adoptionplus.co.uk/) which is an Outstanding Provider and is a partner of Proximity Partnership, an Independent Clinical Psychology Practice. Dr Lesley Ashby: Consultant Child Psychiatrist. Qualifications GMC Registration number: 2711142: Royal College of Psychiatrist membership: 6001. CPD record for Royal College Psychiatrists valid until May 2016
Registered school: The Stables Independent School
Other education provision: We have our own school - The Stables Independent School. Please visit www.thestablesschool.co.uk for more information.
Therapeutic provision: Our therapeutic model: Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy About DDP Developed in the context of the recognised effects of maltreatment on children, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (Hughes, 2011)[1] is a relational therapy developed to facilitate attachment security between the child and their parents or caregivers. This model applies the frameworks of attachment theory, intersubjectivity and the neurobiology of maltreatment. This is achieved by using `here and now’ intersubjective experiences (the process by which one person communicates their understanding of the other) in the therapy room to discover positive qualities in the child, provide emotional regulation, and facilitate a new understanding of why the child has needed to use distrustful, defensive and controlling behaviours in order to keep safe (Hughes, 2011, Hughes, Golding & Hudson, 2015)[2] . The model actively involves the participation of the caregiver as an attachment figure to increase safety and security on which the young person can revisit their unresolved yet formative experiences in relationships. For more information on DDP see DDPnetwork.org.
Other services: We also provide consultancy and formal therapy sessions in Lifestory work and Theraplay. Dan Holdsworth, Senior Practitioner at Clover Lodge provides Theraplay for children who we feel would benefit from this and which they attend with a secure attachment figure from the staff team within the home. Dan is trained in Theraplay levels 1 and 2 and is currently working through the intermediate level qualification. He is regularly supervised by a member of the Theraplay institute. Dan is also trained in DDP Levels 1 and 2. If you have any further queries, please contact Dan direct on dan.holdsworth@cloverchildcareservices.co.uk. Anna Allen, Registered Manager at Clover Lodge, has been trained in Therapeutic Life Story Work and is our Practice Lead for Lifestory Work. Anna has been trained in DDP Levels 1 and 2 and if you have any further queries' regarding Therapeutic Life Story Work at Clover Childcare Services please contact her direct on anna.allen@cloverchildcareservices.co.uk

Clover Childcare Services run three children’s homes and an independent school. Our ethos is based upon the importance of secure, safe and meaningful attachments for children and the significance of trusting relationships with adults. Our care practice is informed by the use of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), which all staff are trained in. This model applies the frameworks of attachment theory, inter-subjectivity and neurobiology.

How is DDP practice applied at Clover?

In the moment, where interactions between staff and children are concerned, this model is implemented in a process model called `Parenting in the Moment’ This model was developed (co-created) by Clover Childcare Services with Dr Kim Golding, the DDPI and Consultant and Trainer in DDP and is included in the Foundations for attachment training course (Golding, 2017)[3].  This model is embedded throughout DDP Level one and two trainings and the Navigate training course ensuring the approach is consistent for all staff.

The DDP approach is also informed through the facilitation of team supervisions on a monthly basis led by a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, who in addition to extensive experience of working and with and leading a service for children looked after, has Level two training in DDP.  

Our homes are registered to care for children between the ages of 7-18 years, although we specialise in the care of younger children between 7-11, with the goal of enabling them to move on to a family placement as their next and last move. Our school is registered for up to 22 pupils, the vast majority of whom live or have lived in our homes, We also accept referrals for day pupils who live locally, are in the care of the local authority and have an EHCP.