The Cardinal Hume Centre has received a highly positive report from Ofsted following the first full inspection of our supported accommodation service for young people.
Inspectors found that ‘consistently strong service delivery leads to typically positive experiences and progress for children’, highlighting the safe and supportive environment at the Centre and the relationships young people build with staff.
The inspection, which took place from 27 to 30 July, looked at the experiences and progress of young people living in our supported accommodation, as well as how they are helped and protected and the effectiveness of leadership and management.
The report found that young people ‘feel safe, heard and supported in their journey towards independence’, with positive relationships with staff helping them to feel ‘valued, understood and empowered to develop’.
One young person told inspectors: ‘I can talk to staff. I trust my worker and another worker, but I can talk to any one of them.’
Inspectors highlighted the individual support young people receive to develop the skills they need for greater independence, from managing money and budgeting to accessing education, training and employment and looking after their health and wellbeing.
The report also recognised the benefits of being able to access the Centre’s ‘plethora of specialist services’ under one roof, including employment and learning, immigration, welfare and housing support. Ofsted described this as a ‘crucial network of agency support’ for young people preparing to leave care.
The Centre’s in-house psychotherapy support was also highlighted, alongside the continuity available to young people as they move into adulthood. Some can move on to the Centre’s 18+ services while continuing to receive support from people they already know and trust.
What matters most is that young people who come to us feel safe, listened to and supported to take their next steps. We’re very pleased that this comes through so strongly in Ofsted’s report. It also reflects something fundamental to how we work at the Centre: a safe place to live matters enormously, but young people often need much more than a roof over their head. Our teams work together to provide the wider, lasting support each young person needs to build towards a more secure future.
George O’Neill, CEO of the Cardinal Hume CentreOfsted also praised the service’s leadership and partnership working, while identifying a few improvements to be made which the Centre is already taking action on.
I’m incredibly proud of our team and, above all, of the young people we support. Building trust takes time. It is particularly encouraging to see Ofsted recognise the relationships our staff develop with young people and the difference that consistent, individual support can make as they move towards independence.
Registered service manager Glynn TrebbleNews from the Centre
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Ofsted praises our support for young people
Ofsted praises support for young people at the Cardinal Hume Centre