WARRINGTON Borough Council’s children’s care homes have all been rated as Outstanding by Ofsted with ‘children making excellent progress in a very high quality of care’.
The reports on the six homes included comments such as: ‘the young people benefit from excellent relationships with each other and the support from a committed, knowledgeable and caring staff team’; ‘young people’s views are central to the care provided….they are empowered to take a greater role in any decisions made about their lives. They have made excellent progress in their education and in gaining employment.’
One young person said: “I love it here you wouldn’t believe what I was like before, I was rock bottom, look at me now. I’ve got a job and I’m moving into my own flat next week.”
Another said: “I love it here, the staff are brilliant. I feel very safe here.” And “I love the staff and after I have left I know they will still look out for me because they care.”
Cllr Jean Carter, executive board member for children’s services said: “The council’s children’s homes have been on a journey of improvement for some years and the inspection results are a culmination of hard work and commitment alongside high quality care to some of our most vulnerable children.
“The children in our homes are receiving outstanding levels of care and this has improved the outcomes for these young people and prepared them for successful adulthood.
“I am delighted that the homes have all achieved the rating of Outstanding from Ofsted and I would like to recognise the high calibre of staff and managers working in our homes.
“The council is supporting the campaign for residential care to be extended to the age of 21, fully funded by the government. The campaign is gathering momentum and the more councils that follow Warrington’s lead, the closer we get to our goal of ensuring that the best services and measures are in place for youngsters.”
There are currently 11 children living in the six homes including one respite home for children with disabilities. The age range is 9-17 years.
