How do they work?

All Children’s Residential Centres aim to provide a safe, caring environment in which the relationships Centre Staff and Management develop with the children and young people in their care are of the utmost importance.

Through these relationships, Centre Staff, Managers and Social Workers develop Care and Placement Plans that support their efforts to address the issues that are preventing children and young people from living at home or in Foster Care with a view to facilitating their earliest possible return.

Where this is not possible, Centre Staff and Management work to prepare each child and young person for a successful transition to another agreed placement of choice and continue to do so up to a point to be determined by their age, need or development whereby circumstances are such that it becomes more feasible to help prepare them to live independently, initially with the support of Aftercare Services.

All professionals who work in or with Children’s Residential Services aim to ensure:

• that the welfare and best interests of all children and young people in Residential Care are of paramount consideration in all aspects of the care provided.
• that all children and young people in Residential Care are provided with an opportunity to feel safe, secure and protected from harm in an environment where they can be sure their primary needs will be met.
• that all children and young people in Residential Care feel encouraged and supported when partaking in new and positive experiences.
• that all children and young people in Residential Care are provided opportunities to develop new competencies and to enjoy their achievements while also experiencing approval, recognition and praise for the efforts they have made.
• that care practice reflects the importance of understanding both the past and present life experience of  all children and young people in Residential Care and takes due consideration of their age and corresponding stage of development.
• that all children and young people in Residential Care feel valued even when their thoughts, feelings and behaviour are  difficult for them to manage or for Centre Staff and Management to accept.
• that the relationships developed between Centre Staff and Management and the children and young people in Residential Care convey attentiveness, compassion and respect for them, their families, communities and cultures.
• that the programmes developed for children and young people in Residential Care are always delivered with the same attentiveness, compassion and respect that embodies the professional relationships formed with them.