Going above and beyond for young people
The team at Eversley House, one of our homes for children in Northamptonshire, are celebrating a well-deserved win at the first Stars of Children and Young People awards this May. The team won the ‘Above and Beyond’ award, which recognises teams who go the extra mile for children and young people, and also in supporting each other to deliver an outstanding service.
Shaw Trust run Children’s home featured on BBC News Online
One of our children’s home which has helped Somerset Council save £2m in its first year of opening has been featured in a BBC News Online piece. Read the full article here.BBC Political Correspondent Alex Forsyth visited the Somerset-based home on Tuesday 6 August, as part of a piece on Local Authority finances. The piece explored how partnerships like Homes and Horizons can help councils save money whilst delivering a better standard of care for children and young people.Alex chatted
Can an advert change anything?
Last year when John Lewis’s Christmas ad came out it won our hearts with a man learning to skateboard so he could connect with his new foster daughter. It made us cry, smile and want to care. But did John Lewis’s Christmas advert have an impact on the foster care system and the children waiting for a foster family in the run up to festive season? While hopes were raised by an immediate uptick in enquiries, Shaw Trust’s Fostering2Inspire Manager, Kathy Hamilton
Why aren’t we fixing it if it’s broken?
Yesterday the LGA published a report noting children’s social care costs are rocketing, with a 1,000% increase in the cost of care for society’s most vulnerable children requiring complex care. Shaw Trust knows that the children’s care system is broken. In England we have seen the number of complex cases and specialist requirements for children in care grow to 82,170, more than 4,000 additional children since the pandemic. But – in Somerset our partnership led by Somerset Council and the NHS
Somerset young people win national award
On Wednesday 25 October, young people involved in our Homes and Horizons project won the A National Voice Collaboration Award for their work. Homes and Horizons is our residential, fostering and education partnership with Somerset Council and the NHS. The young people involved were all members of Somerset’s two care experienced peer groups, one for children currently living in care and the other peer group for care leavers. Along with the Somerset project lead the young people travelled to London
Pioneering a new approach to children’s social care in Somerset
The children’s care system is broken.While there are staff across the country going the extra mile to provide children with the best possible support they need, it’s obvious to anyone connected to children’s social care or leading local authority services that the system isn’t working.Pre-pandemic, services nationally were creaking under pressure as we supported 78,150 children in 2019; post pandemic, the number of complex cases and specialist requirements for children in care has grown by 5% to 82,170, more than
Somerset Children in Care celebrated at annual awards
The outstanding achievements of Somerset’s children and young people were celebrated at an awards ceremony at Taunton Rugby Club on Tuesday 25 July. The event, which was attended by celebrated author, poet and care leaver Lemn Sissay OBE, was organised by care experienced young people from the Somerset In Care and Somerset Leaving Care Council (SiCC and SLCC). Young people were praised for their enthusiasm in learning, reading and in lessons, their performances in school plays, music and sports, and
Homes and Horizons partnership recognised in prestigious awards
Shaw Trust, Somerset Council and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust are celebrating after being shortlisted for the prestigious Municipal Journal Awards for 2023. The partnership is shortlisted in the ‘Innovation in Partnerships’ category for our trailblazing Homes and Horizons partnership. The Homes and Horizons project is delivering 10 family-sized homes for children as part of a new model of care for Somerset’s most vulnerable young people. It will also provide 20 specialist foster carers and a brand-new, therapeutic education service on two
Matrix success for Shaw Trust teams
We are delighted to announce that our Children and Young People\’s Services (CYPS) team and Ixion team have maintained their Matrix accreditation. External assessors carried out surveillance visits in November and December 2022, and confirmed that CYPS and Ixion continue to maintain the Matrix standard. CYPS successThere were clear areas for strength identified across the accreditation, including: Leadership and clear direction. Colleagues understand the vision, values and purpose of the organisation and they know how to apply them in their work.