Make a Positive Contribution

A programme of structured activities is offered to each child to ensure that they gain in confidence and are empowered to make informed choices in their lives in the future, and can go on to lead a crime free life.

At Swanwick, we believe that the strength of our interventions is the inclusive, holistic, joined up approach we take, namely that the child or young person is fully assessed by a range of professionals from the G.P and nurse to the behavioural team and education department. Due to the emphasis on care and the care/control continuum, the young people learn to:-

trust staff
trust others
trust themselves

Swanwick Lodge manages a child’s behaviour by offering clear and consistent boundaries and routines, engaging the child in the process of understanding how their behaviour impacts on others and through the use of pro-social role modelling. Sanctions are utilised in line with those approved for use within the Children’s Homes Regulations 2001.

Staff act as positive role models and the constructive relationships they have with the children and young people enable them to reflect not only on their lives, but learn to trust adults who are positive role models, resulting in enhanced self esteem through an awareness of self image. The restorative approach used at Swanwick Lodge, uses lifestyle packages which allows the young people to see situations from their own and others perspective, focusing on victim awareness. The packages are delivered against a fundamental belief that young people are capable of change and have the resources to make different choices to the ones they have made in the past. This service is delivered in a diverse range of interventions as it is recognised that positive life choices and education are the fundamental protective factors to prevent re-offending

In the education curriculum, through personal development activity, young people reflect on their existing relationships and friendships as well as many other parts of daily living. Independent living skills includes vocational training such as plastering, decorating and plumbing and ‘our innovative world of work week’ which affords young people the opportunity to experience potential training and employment such as animal care and hospitality, floristry and car mechanics.

At Swanwick Lodge we also recognise the power of shared learning and group activity; using groups as a teaching aid and these address current themes such as substance misuse and domestic violence. Much focus is placed on lifestyle choices, the role of the family and the infrastructure system surrounding the young person.

At another level, children are actively encouraged to partake not only in the activities provided for them but to constructively feed back information to us, both positive and negative, in order that we may continually improve our services to them. Swanwick Lodge staff, recruited to work with the children, are also subject to a children and young people’s panel of interviewers. This group, led by a senior social worker, comprises 4 children (2 male and 2 female) who ask their own questions and who feedback their opinions to the management team as an integral part of the decision making process. In fact our current Head of Swanwick Lodge had to go through this process too before he was appointed in 2007.