Country Care Children's Homes Limited The Meadows Beech Lane Dove Holes BUXTON SK17 8DJ. T: F:

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1 Country Care Children's Homes Limited The Meadows Beech Lane Dove Holes BUXTON SK17 8DJ T: F: The Meadows is a therapeutic children s home providing education and accommodation for up to seven children and young people of either gender aged between ten and seventeen. It is registered by the Commission for Social Care Inspectorate and is an activity centre licensed by the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority. It is also a Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme training unit. The Meadows is situated in the village of Dove Holes, in the High Peak. It lies between Buxton and Chapel-en-le-Frith on the A6; we are ideally placed in the middle of the country. The Meadows is an 18 th Century farmhouse built of local stone with walls over two feet thick! It is set in two acres of grounds that include formal gardens, a meadow with free-range chicken run, a playing field, and a trout pond and stream.

2 The farmhouse has been converted to a pleasant, warm, inviting domestic environment with space and equipment carefully designed to our own specification to allow all our activities to take place. There are ten bedrooms, three bathrooms, two sitting rooms (one of which is a quiet room), a dining room, a fully equipped classroom, an Art Therapy room, a games room, a family kitchen, a laundry room and outbuildings with space for storage, indoor bouldering wall, workshop and Duke of Edinburgh Award activities. All children have their own rooms however some rooms are large enough for two to share, as in the case of younger siblings, if this is appropriate to their needs. The Meadows is set within an active local community with access to a wide range of activities. There are several shops in the village and the two nearby towns have a full range of facilities. Located in the High Peak we are close to the Peak District National Park. The A6 passes through the village giving easy access to the motorway network. Dove Holes is on main bus routes and is served by a railway station. To find The Meadows by road turn off the A6 beside The Wheatsheaf pub heading towards the railway station. Turn left immediately into Beech Lane by the shop. The Meadows is approximately 200m along this residential lane on the righthand side, just after two modern bungalows. The Staff Team All staff are rigorously recruited, vetted and trained and the staff team is highly professional. All staff attend Induction Training and receive training in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, child protection, The Children Act, equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice, fire procedures, first aid, health and safety and food hygiene. We are committed to ongoing staff development, which is achieved by team building and education, individual

3 training needs analysis (which includes identifying and meeting training needs) and by professional supervision. We encourage and help our staff to attain professional qualifications. Our staff development programme is regularly reviewed and is open to inspection. Country Care holds the Investors in People award. The home continues to maintain the standard and represents a first class model of good practice. Client Intervention Report January The full report is available to read. The staff team comprises Manager, Deputy, five Senior Residential Social Workers, eight Residential Social Workers, an Art Therapist, two teachers, a housekeeper, and our own team of relief workers who receive the same training and development support as our full time staff. (And we require them to do so.) We are able to draw upon extra psychological and psychiatric services as necessary. We are committed to the concept of residential care as the favoured option for certain young people as recognised by the Children Act 1989 and promulgated in People Like Us For some young people residential care is part of the continuum of care and The Meadows will never be a last resort or dumping ground. We aim to provide the best possible therapeutic environment where the other 23 hours are as of as much importance as the hour a child spends with his or her keyworker.

4 We have an organised approach to childcare with our staff using an approach that swiftly becomes familiar, comfortable and friendly and feels safe for the children. We actively encourage the children and young people to take as great a part as possible in the planning and decision making process both for themselves and for their home; the Meadows. Each young person has a detailed individual care plan with clearly defined aims and objectives and this creates genuine opportunities for that child or young person to change and grow. Our programmes are devised to give the children and young people the chance to achieve; for some this may be for the first time! We aim to develop self-confidence, competence, self-esteem and acceptance, recognition and the esteem of others and so develop the skills that will support them in future life. We are committed to a 24-hour programme offering consistent and continuous care and education in all its senses within the milieu. Through pursuing individual targets whilst living in a stable and safe group environment, the children and young people are afforded the best possible chance for growth. Care staff and teachers work together as part of the same team and are involved in activities together. This demonstrates to the children and young people interest and involvement with their learning and affords them the opportunity to develop through positive learning experiences and achievement.

5 The children and young people referred to The Meadows are aged between ten and seventeen and may be of either gender and of varying ethnic backgrounds. Every opportunity is afforded to make them feel safe and accepted. The Meadows has a positive anti-discriminatory policy, reflected and reinforced both in our recruitment and training of staff and our treatment of the children and young people, and in the way that we expect them to treat others Children and young people referred to us may have experienced: Disruption within their birth families and possible breakdown of relationships. A history of abuse, e.g. sexual, physical, emotional, institutional, etc. Various placement breakdowns, often numerous, which may include adoption, fostering, children s homes and residential schools. Difficulties in attending and or achieving at school Possible involvement in delinquent behaviour. All referrals are considered on an individual basis. An assessment is made of the individual s needs, and our abilities to meet these needs, given the needs of the group in placement. Whilst we are non-judgmental about circumstances/histories that have led to behaviours, it is unlikely that we would accept referrals where there is a history of perpetrating sexual abuse, arson, extremes of aggression and violence or psychiatric illnesses. The length of placement should be discussed at referral and will be jointly reviewed throughout the stay. Although we will accept short-term placements (particularly where a former resident is concerned to facilitate moving on or in the case of a subsequent placement breakdown) our preference is for a placement of at least six months to enable us to effect planned change.

6 The child or young person should be involved in the decision to place them at The Meadows, as should their family where this is appropriate. We are committed to partnership working. Usually a programme of introduction to The Meadows will be set in place and although we are able to take a child or young person at short notice this will not be the norm. It is desirable that the child or young person s family should be involved with this process. The importance of contact with parents, relatives, friends, those with parental responsibility and significant others is acknowledged and maintained, working in partnership with the relevant parties. The Meadows supports the principles within The Children Act 1989 that such contact should be promoted. These principles are further promulgated in Patterns & Outcomes in Child Placement which says: policies and practice need to take seriously the now well established research finding that visiting is the key to discharge. Contact enhances the welfare of placed children and does not increase the risk of breakdown. Accordingly opportunities and arrangements for such contact are positively reinforced. Children are encouraged and helped to participate fully in reviews and planning meetings and to make appropriate life decisions, taking responsibility for their actions and ownership of decisions affecting them. We hold a weekly children s meeting. When it is time for a young person to move on from The Meadows we will afford them every aid in moving on in order to make it a truly positive experience. We are prepared to carry out backup work once the young person has moved on and are happy for them to remain in touch with us after leaving.

7 We produce a regular newsletter with the children and young people for parents, social workers, former residents etc. The children and young people produce the majority of the contents and help to edit it. This gives them a further chance for success to be recognised and rewarded. You are most welcome to come and visit us and see for yourself the work that we are doing. If you wish to visit please call us to arrange a date. If you are coming from a distance it is possible for us to arrange overnight accommodation for you to break your journey. Please ask! If you wish to check us out please feel free to speak to our inspector, Nancy Bradley at the Commission for Social Care Inspectorate, Derby telephone Copies of our inspection report are, of course, available. EDUCATION AT COUNTRY CARE We provide a very high quality educational experience for the children and young people placed at The Meadows. We are a registered examination centre through AQA (Assessment and Qualification Alliance) and are subject to scrutiny and inspection through them.

8 We have produced very impressive results in the classroom and in examinations including GCSEs. We have had great success at returning children to mainstream education in schools and college. Many young people who come to Country Care have encountered barriers to their educational growth. They may have been deprived of essential psychological experiences during their early life, which make it difficult to engage in the educational task. Family breakdowns often result in disruption and lack of continuity to school life. The experience of failure within the school environment can perpetuate a cycle of inadequacy, anxiety and an inability to cope. At Country Care our Education Programme is designed to take into account the very unique needs of each individual. Our staff are experienced in working with a variety of teaching and learning styles within the educational and therapeutic environment and our flexible approach is designed to help each individual to learn to their fullest potential. The programme is intended to be broad and balanced and able to respond to a wide range of educational and emotional needs. We employ a holistic, seamless approach with teachers and care staff working together to provide a 24 hour educational and therapeutic experience. AIMS To diffuse anxieties and address inadequacies regarding education To build self-esteem and self-confidence To help the individual focus on a task which is separate to their own emotional lives To offer a broad and balanced curriculum based on the requirements of the National Curriculum, allowing for the individuals educational needs To reintegrate individuals into full-time education, ultimately into mainstream school THE STRUCTURE OF EDUCATION On referral to Country Care each young person undergoes a comprehensive assessment of his or her educational needs. A programme designed to meet these specific needs is then formulated taking into account their age, educational background and development, and their ability to function within the group.

9 Pupil programmes are unique and vary according to individual needs. Some pupils will then be integrated into mainstream education at a local school. Others need to work in-house on a programme designed on the core National Curriculum before they can be re-integrated into mainstream education. Younger pupils may need a more activity based programme which could include a degree of one to one tuition with outdoor education, which encourage the young person to learn actively through their experiences. Our teaching staff are qualified teachers as well as being experienced in many aspects of Outdoor Education, which allows a large degree of flexibility. Outdoor Education is an element that is available to all young people in our care and is an effective medium for the Personal and Social Development aspect of our Curriculum. The other main elements within our Curriculum are illustrated below. ENGLISH SCIENCE Basic literacy Reading & writing Speaking & listening GCSE level MATHEMATICS Investigative Skills Integrated science Fieldwork G.C.S.E level LIFE SKILLS Basic Numeracy Applied Skills Economics G.C.S.E LEVEL Education Personal Hygiene Home Career

10 PERSONAL AND SOCIAL EDUCATION Health Education Sex Education Team-work Skills Certificates of Achievement courses are also available where appropriate, and I.T. skills are integral throughout the curriculum. Art Therapy Art therapy is the use of art materials for self-expression and reflection in the presence of a trained art therapist. Clients who are referred to an art therapist need not have previous experience or skill in art; the art therapist is not primarily concerned with making an aesthetic or diagnostic assessment of the client s image. The overall aim of its practitioners is to enable a client to effect change and growth on a personal level through the use of art materials in a safe and facilitating environment. Art therapy is based on the belief that the creative process involved in the making of art is healing and life-enhancing. Through creating art and talking about art and the process of art making with an art therapist, one can increase awareness of self, cope with symptoms, stress, and traumatic experiences, enhance cognitive abilities, and work towards change.

11 The relationship between the therapist and the client is of central importance, but art therapy differs from other psychological therapies in that it is a three way process between the client, the therapist and the image. Thus it offers the opportunity for expression and communication and can be particularly helpful to people who find it hard to express their thoughts and feelings verbally. As relationships reflect patterns of attachment behaviors, the art therapist has the role, which can enable the client to build and form new positive safe attachment figures (which is essential for any child and children in care with poor attachment figures). An account is given of attachment theory as a way of conceptualizing the propensity of human beings to make strong affectional bonds to particular others and of explaining the many forms of emotional distress and personality which unwilling separation and loss give rise. Through it incorporates much psychoanalytic thinking; many of its principles derive from ethology, cognitive psychology and control theory. It conforms to the ordinary criteria of a scientific discipline. Certain common patterns of personality development, both healthy and pathological, are described in these terms, and also some of the common patterns of parenting that contribute to them. John Bowlby My approach is an eclectic child-centered approach so the young person feels valued, seen and heard in a non-judgmental way. I draw upon my counseling skills and training in the child-centered approach, to enable trust and the relationship to form. As many children who are in the care system have experienced some level of trauma in their past, many arrive with symptoms of P.T.S.D. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). I find it helpful for the client to use a cognitive behavioral approach to help them to manage and break old cycles of thinking and work towards re-creating new ones (cognitive distortions.)

12 This approach is very useful for young people who self harm, self harm is a big issue for many adolescents who suffer with P.T.S.D., this is something that often shows itself when a young person attempts to manage unmanageable feelings without the help of others. An Adolescent or child with the symptoms of P.T.S.D. will need to have their emotional needs met to enable them to manage the feelings of trauma and associated feelings connected to the trauma to enable change. I use a psychodynamic framework to understand the unconscious material that a child might bring; the psychodynamic model can sometimes be seen as challenging but is timed and done sensitively at the pace of an individual child. This approach is particularly useful as I use play therapy and narratives for the young people who are often blocked. I use computer 2D and 3D (state of the art) work to help the young people build skill and cognition; this enables further ego strength to be developed. 'In order for a child to understand something, he must construct it himself, he must re-invent it' (Piaget.1972). The art therapist s work is sometimes challenging and calls for skill and sensitivity; it follows that those who wish to pursue a career in art therapy should be mature, flexible people. The training course, which combines theoretical and experiential work, is a Postgraduate Diploma to be completed over two years full time or three years part time. Applicants must have a first degree in art, although other graduates are sometimes considered, and some proper experience of working in an area of health, education or social care. I have completed a BA (Hons) in ART Therapy, PG (Diploma) in art Therapy; I am in the final year of my MA. I have completed a 1year course in Counselling: CSCT, I have over 5 years practice. I have five years experience of working with children in care and working with groups from

13 different areas. I have a considerable understanding of art processes underpinned by a sound knowledge of therapeutic practice, and work with both individuals and groups in a variety of residential and community based settings, for example; mental health, learning difficulties, challenging behaviours, (children and adults.) Quality protects! We provide a high quality service and constantly strive to monitor, maintain and improve our high standards. We are corporate members of the Social Care Association and encourage our staff to join. We are bound by the rules and ethos of that organisation. If you would like to know more about Country Care Children s Homes Ltd and The Meadows please contact: Robin Barker; Manager Dawn Clemson; Deputy Manager Telephone: / Fax: info@countrycare.org.uk Country Care Children's Homes Ltd. The Meadows Beech Lane Dove Holes Buxton SK17 8DJ