Achieve Economic Wellbeing

We show children how to respect themselves, others and their surroundings leading to a change in values to prepare them to live harmoniously in their communities.

It is our main aim to equip the children and young people with the skills that they need to have, to be successful in their lives and help them to discuss any issues or problems they have and try to work through them. The child or young person’s ability to learn and understand the consequences of their behaviour is fundamental and can impact, either positively or negatively, on the success of their integration into their community.

At Swanwick Lodge, we work in a multi systemic way, whereby we always acknowledge the difficulties a young person may experience when they return to their neighbourhood. We try to pre-empt such issues via the programmes we run, individually for that child or collectively for a group of young people, by delivering sessions on scenarios that a child may face. We also recognise that no matter what intervention we provide and what changes a young person makes, they often return to the same community and neighbourhood. We, therefore, try our best to ensure a smoother transition back into that same community by encouraging informal meetings to take place with the child or young offender such as with

a member of the police, local to that person
a member of the educational staff from the placement school

to demonstrate the change in both the attitude and behaviour of that child/ young person in our care. We have found that this enables them to take pride in demonstrating their achievements whilst at Swanwick Lodge, by showing the officer/ teacher samples of their educational work and extra curricular activity. This has proven to be successful in challenging the assumptions held and shows that a young person can change and that that change can be maintained if supported by adults in the neighbourhood.

Swanwick Lodge also has excellent links with the Connexions Service, offering the services of a personal advisor visiting for nearly a day per week. She leads general sessions and has one-to-one interviews with the young people, with regard to careers, liaison with other CNXs offices and generally obtaining any help/information which the young people may require (careers or personal). The group work sessions the Connexions Service offer includes a variety of stimulating topics such as:

Why work?
Jobs and post 16 options,
Families
First impressions
Interview skills
Stereotyping
Decision making
CV writing
Skills and qualities

All sessions are flexible enough to encompass a topic according to the needs of the audience.

In addition to the Connexions Service, a senior member of our education staff is an active member of the Hampshire Careers Curriculum Development Group which meets regularly and involves local teachers in the way forward with regard to the careers curriculum. The Connexions Service is also actively involved in the work-related curriculum during the Business and Enterprise module where the children and young people:-

Learn about forming simple businesses
Aim to raise money for a good causes
Learn how to use numeracy and literacy in the work place
Learn about team work and working with others.

At Swanwick Lodge we believe that by giving children the opportunity to achieve wellbeing they are offered alternative recreational choices, with the objective of diverting them from undesirable activities that may have led or contributed to them requiring a secure placement. We enable children to respect themselves, others and their surroundings leading to a change in values to prepare them to live in their communities.