Children's Services
New Start Childcare
New Start Childcare is a newly formed venture of the organisation, developed to provide high quality, not-for-profit residential and preventative services for children and young people.
Brook Cottage
We currently have a newly refurbished, four bedroom residential home, that is OFSTED registered, providing a safe, calm, stable and homely environment in which the children and young people who access our services can progress. At Brook Cottage we provide medium to long-term residential care, therapy and education for up to four children and young people, of either gender, between the ages of 10 to 18 years.
Situated in Prescot, Knowsley, the detached cottage has been refurbished to the highest of standards, providing a pleasant, inviting and relaxed setting. As the cottage sits in its own grounds, there is ample space for a variety of leisure activities including; games, gardening and play, as well as an outdoor eating area / patio. Both the cottage and its grounds / garden are situated within a secluded position and cannot be seen from the main road promoting privacy and safety for the children and young people we support.
Designed with children and young people in mind, there are comfy communal rooms with multiple uses that can be used for spending time interacting with other children and young people, developing and maintaining relationships with others, or as private spaces. Each child or young person has their own bedroom with on-suite facilities, suitably designed and furnished to a quality standard. Those accessing our service are encouraged to personalise their bedroom; and to promote this, are given the option of choosing their own colour schemes, decor and soft furnishings. Staff will also work with the children and young people to determine both the design and function of the communal living areas in the cottage.
Our Mission Statement
"New Start Childcare seeks to provide high quality, therapeutic residential homes for children and young people who are looked-after, and develop a new model for the delivery of residential and preventative services".
Our Aims
The primary purpose of Brook Cottage is to provide a safe and stable environment for children and young people who may have experienced trauma in their lives. The children and young people will have been assessed as being in need of care in a residential setting, within a therapeutic environment to enable them to reach their own potential. During their time at Brook Cottage , we will assess each child and young persons needs through education, planned social and leisure activities, and individual and direct group work.
Brook Cottage provides a structured approach to childcare, with our staff team using a working model that is consistent, familiar, comfortable and friendly, but most importantly is professional and feels 'safe' for the children and young people being supported by the team.
Each child and young person will have a detailled individual care plan with clearly defined aims and objectives, creating opportunities for them to change, develop and grow at a pace that feels comfortable for them.
Our programmes are devised to give the children and young people who access the service the chance to achieve, whilst developing self-confidence, self-esteem, and the ability to socially live and work with others. These skills will gradually progress to ensure each child and young person has the capabilities to develop and sustain a successful future during and after the transition to adulthood.
"Through pursuing individual targets whilst living in a stable and safe environment, the children and young people in our care are afforded the best possible chance for growth".
Who we support
The children and young people referred to Brook Cottage will be aged between 10 and 18 years, and may be of either gender and varying ethnic backgrounds. The staff at the service will focus upon making each child and young person feel safe and accepted to the fullest. We have positive Equal Opportunties Policies in place throughout our organisation, this is reflected and reinforced both in our employment practices and working practices with the children and young people, and transpires in how we expect them to treat others.
All referrals to Brook Cottage will be considered on an individual basis.
Our Approach
New Start Childcare has a multi-disciplinary approach to residential childcare which involves the development of trusting relationships between the children and young people and every person involved with their care plan. Individual care plans will be produced in partnership with each child and young person, and their parents, carers, social workers and other appropriate professionlas, ensuring that we provide a child-centred, all encompassing service.
At Brook Cottage, the importance of contact with parents, relatives, friends and significant others is acknowledged and maintained; and we will work in partnership with the relevant parties to ensure that contact is positively re-inforced.
Each child and young person will be encouraged and helped to participate fully in reviews and planning meetings, and to make appropriate life decisions, thus taking responsibility for their actions and taking ownership of decisions affecting them.
Staff Team
To facilitate the management and delivery of the service we offer at Brook Cottage we have a dedicated staff team of professionals with wide ranging and varying backgrounds in the Childcare Sector. This, coupled with the model of childcare we have designed at Brook Cottage is what makes the service we offer to children and young people unique and engaging.
Julie Collins has over fifteen years experience in a variety of childcare settings, including the Youth Justice System. For the past eight years, Julie has held management positions within residential children’s homes and has overseen the in-house training programmes for many local authorities, including equality and diversity, risk assessments for children and young people who sexually harm and effective practice. Julie has NVQ Level 4 in Chartered Management, NVQ Level 4 Health and Social Care and a Certificate in Counselling.
Read More ...Mike has an extensive expertise in relation to children in care. A local authority foster carer for 13 years, Mike has focussed his career on championing looked-after children. Local authority positions as Specialist Psychologist and Corporate Parenting Manager have allowed Mike to develop practice and provisions across the agencies. As Education Services Manager for a large independent care provider, Mike has established quality education provision across the country and has developed partnerships with a number of local authorities. Psychologist, educationalist and foster carer, Mike gives a unique insight into delivering holistic support for the children and young people living within Brook Cottage.
Read More ...Chris has over 35 years experience in social work. Chris has worked both as a practitioner and a senior manager and specialises in safeguarding. Chris has owned and managed private children’s residential care homes and currently works as a Social Work Consultant for local authorities, legal firms and the private and voluntary sector. Chris is the Independent Chairperson for Telford and Wrekin Safeguarding Board and is a Director of Bridge4Learning. Chris is also a trustee on New Start’s management board.
Read More ...Allen has over 35 years experience of working as a teacher, adviser, local authority officer, OfSTED inspector and an education consultant. Allen was a manager of the Inclusion Support Services in the highly successful Telford and Wrekin authority and undertook a lead role in developing the provision for looked-after children. After working as an external consultant to the Every Child Matters and the subsequent Change for Children programmes, Allen has taken on the role as a Core Team Member of the Narrowing the Gap Project. Allen is now an accredited sector specialist for C4EO and sits on the National Themed Advisory Group for vulnerable children and young people. In January 2009, Allen in conjunction with Chris Brannan and Mike Searle developed Bridge4Learning, an independent school for children and young people with significant social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Allen is also a trustee on New Start’s management board.
Read More ...For further information on the service offered at Brook Cottage please call Julie Collins on 0151 426 4376.
.....Additional information to be posted shortly.....
