Alex Wood

Head of Childrens Care/RI

North West Residential Care For Children And Young People

At our organisation, we redefine the concept of ‘home’ for children and young people in our care. We don’t just provide shelter, food, and necessities.

 

Our dedicated staff, with extensive training and experience, are passionate about meeting every individual’s social, emotional, and moral needs, making our homes a truly nurturing environment.

 

We provide a nurturing environment that feels like a true “home for children, not a children’s home” where children can feel safe and supported as they navigate the challenges of adolescence.

 

Cherish Children's Care

These dedicated professionals are passionate about ensuring that children receive the best possible start, yet they are often overlooked.

 

Please take the time to listen to these unsung heroes.

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What Makes Them So Special

Our staff, driven by a deep commitment to the young people in our care, work tirelessly to empower them.

 

They help young people recognise their potential and guide them towards positive change. We are here to ensure they achieve the best possible outcomes, firmly believing that everyone has the potential to thrive when provided with the proper support and resources.

 

This commitment to empowerment instils hope for a brighter future in our children and young people.

The Management Team

Alex Wood

Head of Children's Care and RI

Angelina Hawkins

Children's Operations Manager

Daren Greenall

Registered Manager - Highwood

Henry Clark

Registered Manager - Maple

Peter Haggan

Registered Manager - Ark Home

Marc Kenyon

Registered Manager - Aspire

Amy Smith

Registered Manager - • Brooks House

Secure Base Model

The Secure Base model is an excellent way to take care of children. It helps them learn valuable skills and feel safe and confident. The most crucial thing is for caregivers to interact positively with children every day, making sure they feel loved and trusted so they can build strong relationships. The Secure Base model shows how important it is to create a caring environment where children can thrive. It teaches caregivers how to be adaptable and caring, making it ideal for parents, teachers, and anyone who wants to help children grow up healthy and happy. The model also considers how these relationships can help children develop competence in the outside world of school, the peer group, and the community. Secure Base is based on key theories and research in child development, attachment, relationships, and resilience. Its goal is to support caregivers in providing sensitive care that develops secure, trusting relationships.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you work?

Cherish is a family-owned, values-led organisation that has been working therapeutically with children and young people for over 12 years. At the foundation of our work lie shared values, purpose, pride, and loyalty that keep us together in hard times. Our work involves providing therapeutically-informed care, delivered by all staff.

 

As a provider of childcare services, we take pride in providing nurturing, supportive, and safe homes where children of all ages and backgrounds can thrive. Our team comprises experienced and dedicated caregivers, committed to providing personalized attention and care that meet the unique needs of each child in our program. Our facilities are designed to offer a warm and welcoming environment that promotes growth, learning, and development. We provide a variety of educational and recreational activities to keep children engaged and stimulated.

 

We understand that every child is special and deserving of the best possible care. Therefore, we work tirelessly to create an inclusive and supportive atmosphere that helps children build confidence, self-esteem, and a lifelong appreciation for learning. At our homes, we embrace diversity, encourage creativity, and foster a sense of belonging that helps children feel valued and celebrated.

It means we believe that children recovering from trauma need more than direct work once a week with a therapist. By having all of our staff working therapeutically with young people, we can provide 24/7 therapeutically-informed care. To achieve this, our therapy team trains our staff to work within the Secure Base framework.

 

Therapists work alongside us to promote the benefits of therapeutic practice and ensure staff are confident using these approaches.

 

The Social Care Institute of Excellence believes that “clearly defined therapeutic approaches enable staff to have a better understanding of how young peoples’ experiences affect them, considering their emotional needs and fostering resilience.” At Family Care, we work to this principle. It is for this reason that all of our services are supported by qualified therapists, providing regular consultations to staff.”

The “Secure Base” model provides a positive framework for therapeutic caregiving, which helps infants, children, and young people to become more secure and build resilience. The model focuses on the interactions that occur between caregivers and children on a day-to-day and minute-by-minute basis within the caregiving environment.

For the purposes of the Secure Base Model, we have grouped these caregiver/child interactions into five dimensions of caregiving. The first four dimensions are drawn from attachment theory. We have added to the model an additional dimension, family membership, that is relevant for all children but can be particularly challenging for children who are separated from their families of origin.

 

Each of the five caregiving dimensions can be associated with a particular developmental benefit for the child, as shown in the table below, and positive caregiving guidance for each dimension is outlined in this guide to positive caregiving approaches:

 

Availability – Helping the child to trust
Sensitivity – Helping the child to manage feelings and behaviour
Acceptance – Building the child’s self-esteem
Co-operation – Helping the child to feel effective
Family membership – Helping the child to belong

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