Services

As a specialist provider of services for children and young people, we offer a range of child centered support helping young people to -

Stay Safe

Residential care

The charity manages a range of high quality care in residential settings for young people aged 11 to 17. We have an excellent track record of providing stability for young people with a history of placement breakdown. Providing an integrated package of care to meet individual needs, our range includes

• achieving settled placements for older teenagers
• crisis and assessment placements
• helping children prepare for, and move on to, family or foster care

Our staff are experienced in giving specialist help to some of the most vulnerable and challenging young people in social care. With high unmet need, they are likely also to have experienced frequent placement moves, with subsequent loss of stable relationships and disruption of education.

We manage homes and placements for a number of local authorities.

Integrated Foster care

We work in partnership with one leading fostering specialists to provide an innovative solution for young people with complex needs who would like to live with a family but require additional support. With a blend of residential and foster care and with educational, health and other relevant support built in, the service gives the young person time to stabilise within a residential setting before being carefully matched to a foster family. It allows the foster family to draw on extensive residential experience, specialist staff and targeted training maintaining continuity of relationships over a three year period.

Enjoy and Achieve

Improving outcomes in mainstream education

Our award winning Education Support Team has enabled young people in residential settings to return to school and take positive steps on the way to achieving their full potential for several years. All trained teachers, the peripatetic team provide robust advocacy to help children access mainstream school maintain the place, complete coursework and sit public examinations. An individual support partnership is worked out with the school to enable the child to achieve. A DCSF funded project to create a nationally replicable model and extend the service more widely is underway.

The achievement of school attendance and GCSE attainment in the charity's homes is among the best for children in residential care in the UK.

Education Outreach for children waiting for a school place and homework clubs are provided at home, even if the child has moved on.

Outdoor education

At our Venture Centre in Kent, we promote personal development and learning through adventure activities and experience of the natural environment to over 9,000 children and young people a year. We focus particularly on the years of transition from primary to secondary school, when research has demonstrated the positive links between our outdoor education and improved attitudes and results at Key Stage 2.

The learning experiences from adventure activities are also beneficial for young people with more challenging behaviours and special needs and we work with all groups on a residential or day visit basis.

Make a Positive Contribution

We are advocates for children's rights and needs in society. On a day to day basis this means children participating in decisions affecting the day to day running of the homes they live in, providing advocacy and helping them to put their case for education. We seek the input and feedback of all young people in wider discussions on the services we offer them.

Be Healthy

Our team focuses on both physical and mental health, working with staff to improve their healthcare knowledge and the level of support offered to young people. The team also work directly with young people to encourage self care and positive activities, providing a range of coping solutions for those with low level mental health needs.

Achieve Economic Wellbeing

Young people in transition

The Charity supports young people leaving care under the Children (Leaving Care) Act and provides flexible, targeted services both in outreach in medium and high support accommodation and through integrated approach delivered in "one stop shops". Currently we work in Suffolk, Wolverhampton and Islington and provide supported housing in London and Medway.

We aim to ensure that the outcomes for care leavers and young people aged 16 plus are transformed - in education, employment, health, and accommodation -so that they benefit from the same positive experiences, opportunities and life chances as their contemporaries.

Contact us to talk about any of our services.