Over the years we have had the pleasure of meeting many young people, pupils and their parents or guardians, some of them have taken the time to reflect on their stay with us at SureCare Residential and at the WhiteTrees school, here are a few of the letters we have received.
The interactions between staff and children were lovely to watch. There was a real sense of love and warmth in the interactions that I observed, and children seemed to be very comfortable with the staff, were honest with their intentions, with staff giving good parental advice as well as being engaging and using language and advice which is appropriate for the age of the children in the Home.
Regulation 44 report
Andy Carr, May 2024
I have been working with Pathways for over 3 years, they provide great individual care that feels much like that of a family, in spite of being provided by a team. They are able to meet all of my young person’s needs including education, health and recreation to a good standard. I am totally satisfied that children placed are safe, they learn from incidents to better support children, incidents are well managed and shared.
There is a high ratio of staff to keep children safe. There is also good oversight by Leaders and Managers who are always on hand and available. Weekly reports are detailed and provide highlights on progress and the work being undertaken. The team are particularly skilled at supporting children with complex needs and support them to maintain contact with their family. I can think of nothing that they could do better. They learn from experience and continually improve, there really is a seamless approach. Staff work as a team and promote consistency for young people, they always seem to be on the same page. This has helped my young person make progress around education, hobbies and interests and learning to read. They provide consistency but also flexibility as needed. Children are listened to and not left disappointed.
Social Worker, January 2024
The house is lovely, and my young person’s room is fabulous, they have helped her personalise it to make her feel at home. The experience of the care provided has been positive, I have had no complaints or concerns. They have helped the young person to settle in far better than I had imagined, and I can think of nothing so far that they could do better.
Social Worker, January 2024
I am really happy with the quality of the care that Lymington provide, they are good at identifying my young person’s needs. Communication with the Home is excellent, and I am always kept up to date. They advocate strongly on behalf of young people, such as arranging for contact over the festive period. The Home itself is neat, clean and tidy, it has a homely feel and provides young peoples with lots to do. I have no concerns about my young person’s safety, and where there has been safeguarding matters the Home has acted appropriately to ensure that this is addressed.
This gives me confidence that the Home is a safe place for young people, and I would happily place again. I can think of nothing that they can improve. The support is tailored to the young person, and they should keep doing what they are doing. The real strength is the staff team. My young person has been able to build trusting relationships with the team and able to be open. She clearly trust them, and staff are caring and available. A is engaging in education, this has been a challenge in the past but with the support and encouragement of the team she is making progress. Staff make good use of incentives and consequences to help achieve this. I am really happy with all the work that they are doing with my young person.
Social Worker, January 2024
The strength of the Home is how much it feels like a family home. Other Children’s Homes I work with feel like a unit, Clifton feels like a family where unrelated young people live. This has supported the young person to build relationships and trust in the adults, allowing them to begin to explore her past experiences. I have no concerns over their safety and am totally confident about the Home. I would happily place another young person at Clifton and cannot express my gratitude for the beautiful way staff have supported my young person.”
Social Worker, January 2024
Clifton has been excellent; the Home is clean and tidy and has plenty of space. The team are well aware of my young person’s needs. In particular their challenges around education. They have a great understanding of her emotional background and needs and provide care in a calm relaxed way.
Social Worker, January 2024
“Our child is thriving at WhiteTrees Purley Farm. She is happy, making academic progress and growing in confidence each day. Staff are highly attuned to her needs and go above and beyond to support her. For the first time in her education, we have absolute peace of mind; she is in the right place, with the right people who will help her to be the best she can be.
January 2024
I have always found the staff team to be very capable. I have no safety concerns and feel that in terms of this they really are top end. The Manager is brilliant, we work really well together, and communication is excellent.
Social Worker, January 2024
“As a family, for the past few years. We have been on a very difficult and challenging journey with our son who has ASD.
He joined Whitetrees school at the start of last term and the change in him as been quite remarkable.
We have been overwhelmed by the positivity and constant communication we have received on a daily basis.
Their ethos is 100% true.
They nurture, encourage and guide.
Build strong relationships which grows trust.
The change in my son is evident and his future looks a more brighter one!
Thank you Whitetrees.
December 2023
I just wanted to say a big thank you for everything that you have done for me and I really do appreciate all the times you were there I’m not going to sit here and say that this is a goodbye because it isn’t I hope you know that I will miss you very much and I want you all to know that I’m only a phone call away and also thank you for letting me have a takeaway on my last night.
August 2023
We have been so impressed with every thing that we have seen, there is clearly very genuine care for your young people both Zoe and Liam have gone over and above to making the transition as smooth as possible for these children and I feel assured that they are finally in the best place they can be in order to recover from what they have been through.
Feedback from a Social Worker
August 2023
Lymington Lodge continues to exemplify creative and new strategies to be able to safeguard my young person who is complex. This is through trauma-informed practice and ensuring they communicate collaboratively to ensure there is a team/collective approach. Lymington Lodge’s quality of care and support is high and consistent. The Home offers a suitable space for all those living/working there, the spaces feel safe and home-like. Communication and partnership work excellently. Lymington Lodge has made a significant positive impact on the young person living there, transforming her trauma and adverse experiences through genuine, care, love, guidance and recovery.
February 2023
I have for some time been heavily involved with Pathways. I’ve always found the Home to be really good they are open and communicate well. I’m always impressed with how well the staff have got to know the young people. The Home welcomes my input and advice, this has included suggesting some resources that will help guide young people through issues such as puberty and ADHD. I have always had confidence in the Home’s approach to safeguarding children and young people and feel that the safeguarding culture is second to none. Pathways provide a space where young people feel secure, they are able to grow and express their own identities. In spite of being ‘looked after’, the team work well to create a family environment. They enjoy a wide range of activities and speak positively about these experiences at our sessions. The Home actively enriches the lives of the children. I have seen the positive impact that this has had in promoting young people’s sense of identity, security and safety. One of the real strengths is the quality of the leadership, they treat children individually and are strong at meeting children’s complex needs. I really feel that no detail is too small for them. I have a great deal of respect for the team to provide great care for children who are really well looked after. Former SureCare resident.
External Therapist 2023
We love the care and support provided at Clevedon, staff have been so welcoming and nothing has been too much trouble, the team have been amazing. Communication has been really good, excellent in fact. They have already given our young person stability and routine, and the staff want to work with him and there is a totally different vibe from where he was placed previously. Staff put in 110% and we cannot recommend them highly enough. We are 100% reassured that the team will keep him safe, we were very concerned about this, but the way that they handled the transition has been really reassuring. There is nothing that they could have done better, it feels so positive. The real strengths has been the level of communication. They do this so well and take it step by step at our pace. Although it has been a short time, what we have seen so far, we know he is going to be happy here. Our young person has even told us that we have picked the right place.
Family Feedback for Reg 44
August 2023
I have had nothing but a positive experience with WhiteTree’s. I have been the young person’s Social Worker for 10 months and she has been placed there since November. The communication and reports are very comprehensive, and well written and staff are trauma-informed in their work. The home is welcoming, as are the staff. The therapeutic package is the best that I have seen with a provider and the manager has been a real advocate for the young person they are working with the therapist to explore trauma, intervention and additional assessments that are needed. They respond to requests, and action parts of the plan and communicate any incidents, weekly reports and contact reports in a timely manner. They have been really child-centred in rewards, i.e. supported my young person with a make-up course when she did really well at school. They are really clear about boundaries but tailor their work to the young person and their needs, adapting where they need to. There have been no safeguarding concerns with my young person or any that I am aware of. I would absolutely recommend this provider and feel that the costs are reasonable in line with what they offer.
September 2022
Clevedon have been absolutely amazing from the start, ** is a very challenging young person and was having daily incidents, they have already shown that they can manage him. He has stated how happy he is living at Clevedon. There is great communication and we have had lots of meetings through which they have ensured that they know and understand his needs. I have been very impressed, every possible detail is covered, and they really understand his needs. The support before he even moved in was excellent and helped overcome his fears and anxieties of moving so far. Communication is very good, and they are fully engaging and insightful in all discussions. I have been very satisfied with the way that they have kept him safe. The family have also fed back how reassured they have been as a result of their meeting with the team. I can think of nothing that they could improve upon, the real strength seen so far has been the communication and the speed at which they were able to build a relationship with **, which actively contributed to his smooth transition to Clevedon.
Social Worker Feedback for Reg 44
August 2023
To Surecare
Thank you so much for getting me to where I am now, without all of your help I would never have got as far as I am.
I understand that when I first turned up at SureCare I was mischievous, and I would take two steps backwards not forwards and would go back down my old path. Having been here for almost 12 months everyone has seen all my different moods and craziness and all my laugh and jokes especially my clumsiness, like walking into a door frame, falling out of a tree, falling up and down the stairs and just falling over nothing.
Thank you to all the staff who have helped and supported me when I needed it most and thank you for fighting to get me into college so I can achieve my goal to become a Police Officer, I appreciate everything.
If people asked me over a year ago ‘where do you think you’ll be in 12 months’ I would have probably just laughed and not given an answer. I would never have expected to be where I am now, and I appreciate everything you have done for me. I will never forget all the laughable, fantastic, childish memories we have made over the time I have been at SureCare.
Thank you for teaching me a lot of different things that I didn’t know achieving things I never thought I could achieve. Thank you so much.
I will miss not being with you all but not being woken up early each morning!
Please don’t cry too much and don’t miss me too much.
Goodbye and thank you so much!
Former SureCare resident
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