Guy Fawkes at Micklemoss
Everyone had a blast at Micklemoss House’s exclusive fireworks show, with sparklers being a clear favourite among them!
News From Our Homes
Halloween at Restorative
Two of our Residential homes, Norland view and Amar house, teamed up to decorate for Halloween.
The young people had so much fun and fully immersed themselves in the process.
Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a buffet and did some pumpkin carving and baking.
It was such a memorable experience for them and we wanted to share some pictures of the fun they had.
Amar House Support Dunelm Deliver Joy Christmas Campaign
Amar House is taking part in Dunelm Store’s Deliver Joy campaign, with young people and staff getting a head start on their Christmas shopping.
For the fourth consecutive year, Dunelm is Delivering Joy to members of the local community who may otherwise go without. Dunelm stores have teamed up with nearby schools, care homes, and shelters, and with your assistance, aim to spread the Christmas spirit to a greater number of people than ever before.
It’s easy to get involved in Dunelm’s Christmas gift giving program. Simply visit one of their stores, pick up a tag from the Christmas tree, purchase the relevant present, and return it to the store before the nig day.
Dunelm is currently accepting donations for Christmas decorations as well, including baubles and tinsel.
Everyone at Amar House hope that other young people, staff at Restorative and friends and family will get involved to make a difference for those in our local community who might otherwise go without this Christmas.
For further information see the Dunelm Website.
Young people enjoy fun, music and dancing at Yorkshire Integration Festival
Young people from Birk and Grove Houses had a happy, vibrant and musical day celebrating diversity and inclusion at the Yorkshire Integration Festival at Sheffield Peace Gardens.
There were lots of smiles, tunes and fun as the young people from Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Afghanistan had a great time singing along to songs from their own countries by the World Choir and dancing to a Bradford Punjabi band.
Part of Migration Yorkshire, the festival brought together people of many different cultures and young people got the opportunity to chat to lots of people from their own homelands, creating a sense of inclusion for all.
The group decided to welcome a new young person, who had only been with Restorative for two weeks and is from Turkey, by eating a meal at the Istanbul Restaurant in Sheffield, which everyone greatly enjoyed.
“It was a day full of smiles and happiness,” said Lisa Mullally, Supported Accommodation Zonal Manager at Grove House. “And we finished it off with cake and hot chocolate as the rain came down, which was lovely.”
Young people said, “Today I feel very happy, this is the best day”. And, “My life is amazing, thank you for looking after me and keeping me safe”.
“Everyone had a great time and especially loved the DJ,” said Lisa.
Restorative young person is Democracy Friendly ESOL Ambassador at Kirklees College
Ramadan Behra, from Restorative’s Somerset House, has recently been selected to be an Ambassador for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students at Kirklees College, having just completed the Democracy Friendly Train the Trainer programme.
The Democracy Friendly programme began in Kirklees and was developed as part of the council’s work with 1,700 children, young people and schools and the recommendations of their Young Commissioners. Being ‘Democracy Friendly’ is based on the principle that “democracy, within families, within schools, should be normal” to help young people grow, gain skills and the confidence and connections they want.
Ramadan was selected, along with three other students and two members of staff at Kirklees College, to attend the two-day training programme, which covered how local government works, how young people can have their voices heard and how to build a project.
Having now completed the programme, Ramadan is also an Ambassador for other young people at the college and can deliver Democracy Friendly sessions to students and staff, lead on projects to bring about and promote positive change in communities and develop awareness-raising activities of democracy in the UK. He’s also able to help other students access support for their mental health and studies, and their rights as a UASC (Unaccompanied Asylum Seeker) young person.
“We’re extremely proud of Ramadan and his dedication to this role in helping other young people. He is a caring and supportive individual, and his role is very well deserved,” said Aysha Perveen, UASC Support Worker at Somerset House.
We all look forward to seeing Ramadan enjoy and progress in his new role. Well done, Ramadan!
Princeton House ‘good’ in all areas
Well done to everyone at Princeton House, recently receiving an inspection rating from Ofsted of ‘good’ in all areas of provision this August.
Inspectors noted how the registered manager’s “positive and solution-focused attitude is reflected by staff” and how “warm and welcoming” the home is. It was recognised how children are involved in helping to choose furniture and artwork within the home and have the freedom to decorate their rooms in a way that “reflects their personalities, interests and tastes”.
It was also commented upon how children “influence the way their home is run and are listened to by staff”. Particularly too, inspectors noted how children are supported and encouraged to talk about any worries or concerns they may have during transition times, when they “move into the home or leave as part of move-on plans”.
Ther importance of family connections was also positively noted and that “staff recognise and respect each child’s heritage”.
At Restorative, all children are supported to be active and take part in their local communities. Not only does this benefit children’s physical and emotional health, but it leads to further opportunities for the children. Ofsted recognised this and how such encouragement led to one child recently singing on the main stage at a community event.
Safety, and how children say they feel not only safe but how they can seek help if they need to, was another positive area of inspection. Again, the staff support was recognised, and how staff “take on board” children’s viewpoints, helping them to “find strategies to help them manage their own emotions and … keep themselves safe”.
Well done on a great inspection result, Princeton House team. Due recognition for all your hard work and dedication to the children we care for and support. Congratulations from everyone at Restorative!
Young people breath in the spectacular sights of the Lake District
Birk & Grove House, two of our group-supported accommodation settings, joined together for a day trip to Keswick, a picturesque market town. This town is located in the Lake District and is surrounded by mountains, making it a popular walking and hiking destination.
They chose the very popular Cat Bells walk, which has some of the best views of the surrounding fells and Derwent Water. It stands at a modest height of 451 meters (1,480 feet). During the walk they came across some friendly Alpaca’s! By all accounts, they are used for Alpaca trekking in the Lake District. A wonderful experience by all accounts.
It takes about 2 hours to complete the 3.8 mile (6.2KM) walk that takes you through Derwent Forrest and down to Derwent Lake, where the young people decided to have a pebble skimming competition. A lakeside picnic was enjoyed and a boat trip back to Hawke’s End was enjoyed for dinner and ice cream in the evening.
It was great to see the young people from different settings socialising and exploring together, there were lots of laughs that’s for sure!
Restorative young people all set to be involved in recruitment and selection
If you apply for a role at Restorative SCS, the likelihood is that some of the young people themselves will now be on your interview panel.
We think it’s important that the young people we care for, and support, are directly involved in the decisions made about their care, including, who we recruit and select. So, back in May this year, we offered Restorative young people the chance to attend our recruitment and selection training, so they could learn, and feel confident, about being involved in the selection of the new people we recruit for the very support teams who will work with them.
We are now delighted to report the young people who chose to take up this training have been working extremely hard over the last few months to discuss and agree the process for exploring candidate attributes during interviews.
Our Young Person Recruitment Bank is now all set up, with young people ready to take part in various recruitment tasks, including writing interview questions, being on the interview and shortlisting applicants.
A big well done to everyone involved. We know this will have a positive impact on our recruitment and selection processes to make them even more young people-centred, and very much look forward to seeing the outcome.
Good job Church View! Ofsted ‘good’ rating for the team
Recently inspected by Ofsted, our Church View residential children’s home has just been rated ‘good’, with many positive aspects of Restorative’s model of care noted by inspectors.
“We’re really pleased with the rating,” said Chris Kershaw, director and Responsible Individual at Restorative. “It was mentioned by the inspectors how children feel a sense of belonging at Restorative and that they benefit from consistency and stability of care from a small, permanent team, which has always been one of the main aims of care provision.”
Inspectors also noted how homes are furnished to a high standard, with “home from home comforts” and how children are “listened to and consulted on all aspects of their care”.
The therapeutic aspect of care that us accessible for children at Church View was commented on during the inspection. It was said how “children benefit from this” and make “noticeable progress in many areas of their lives”.
It’s important to us at Restorative that we provide only the highest quality of care that puts children and young people at the heart of decisions about them and their daily life. To receive this Ofsted rating, confirming how our care, particularly our “restorative approach” helps children feel “emotionally safe”, is extremely positive.
Well done to all the team at Church View!
Ogden Moor Ofsted ‘good’ in all areas
We’re delighted to be celebrating another Ofsted ‘good’ rating, in all areas of our provision, this time for Ogden Moor children’s home.
Positive comments from inspectors include how staff at Ogden Moor have taken time to “build those bonds” with children and, consequently, how children have developed “trusting relationships with the adults who care for them”.
Help with education, and achieving academic goals are always a priority within Restorative’s model of care, and inspectors noticed particular success in this area, as well as children having opportunities to learn and grow, with extra-curricular social activities.
It was also remarked upon how well the team and families work together and the positive effect this has for the children, and the work being done to help children to build positive self-image, identity and confidence.
Ogden Moor, you did well and we’re proud of you! Congratulations from the rest of the Restorative team.