Children's Homes

Eric** needed a placement where he would feel safe, encouraged, and supported to explore and express his views.

Vernon House is a home where children aged 9 – 17 are helped to build resilience and where social inclusion is promoted; children are supported to be active in the local community and to enjoy and engage with educational and vocational activities.

We caught up with the team to find out more about a young man who they are currently supporting:

“Eric significantly struggles with talking about how he is feeling due to the rejection he has faced from his previous long-term carers. His previous carers could not see beyond the behaviours presented by Eric and ultimately this led to them not being able to continue his care or maintain a relationship with him. To ensure Eric had the opportunity to build relationships we have worked closely with his social care team to build connections with siblings who are also in care and do this consistently. With time and support Eric is now at a point where he has requested to have contact with his birth mother.

Regular network meetings with his CAMHS support, education, and social care team ensure feedback, advice and guidance is obtained from key individuals to ensure that we are supporting Eric in a way that is supportive and effective. Eric has been reluctant to have additional therapy however by taking the time to build close bonds we are now at a point where Eric is more comfortable with this idea and has agreed to increase his therapy input.

Developing his identity and building self-confidence is difficult for Eric and we have consistently been on the cusp of Eric agreeing or requesting to join clubs or engage in activities with others but then been unable to go forward with this. We have felt that Eric has struggled with his confidence due to historical rejections and being uncomfortable with who he is. Through consistent key work sessions and encouraging support Eric has explored a variety of opportunities and has now joined Army Cadets.

The PACE approach when supporting Eric has been invaluable and allowed us to build a stronger relationship with him. By accepting Eric for who is he is and working on building a positive, strong, and trusting relationship with staff members Eric has become more comfortable and confident and by being curious with Eric he has been able to start to open up slowly. Ultimately over time we have seen a reduction in behaviours and while it is unknown why we believe this is because Eric function of behaviour may be due to internal discomfort and has perhaps been a coping strategy however, we are very early in the journey of understanding Eric fully.

Consistency has been key for Eric, and we believe that due to the initial changes in the team it has delayed some of the outcomes we have now achieved. Consistent staff ensure that strong relationships are made and maintained and ensure young people know staff will be there to support them.”

Our family of children’s homes help young people to thrive, flourish and reach their full potential. Get in contact with the team on [email protected] or 0800 024 6985 to find out more.

Find out more about our homes.