On Wednesday 26 July 2017 Directors Ross and Steve had the experience of attending Global Radio in Leicester Square, London to meet with Brian Blessed for our new fostering radio campaign!
They were greeted warmly and met with the big man himself who shared stories and tales of his life which unfortunately we are unable to share!
Brian has completed 4 adverts for us to be heard on Heart FM so be sure to tune in to hear these. Head over to our Facebook page to let us know what you think!
Huge congratulations to Paulette Holliday on winning the Kent Safeguarding Children Board Trainer of the Year Award.
Paulette is our in house trainer (as well as our HR and Safeguarding Manager!) who delivers courses on Safeguarding, E-Safety (for adults and young people), CSE including Lottie and Zak Training plus many more.
She has also recently been trained by the Home Office to deliver ‘Prevent Radicalisation’ Training to the young people and the teams.
This leaves no doubt that you are the best we have here at Channels and Choices. No one is more deserving!
The Sallygate School, part of the Channels and Choices Therapeutic Community are fundraising throughout the year in aid of Smile Malawi.
Smile Malawi is a charitable trust founded in the UK to help orphaned and vulnerable children in Malawi.
The Sallygate School will also be dedicating some learning activities throughout the year.
The first event is a Clothes Collection in which the young people will be involved in sorting the clothes and sending them off to the orphanage.
In the Autumn, Elspeth (the founder) will be visiting the school so that the Channels and Choices Community can meet her and listen to her updates.
Please check out our Facebook page for our fundraising updates and to see how much the young people raise!
For Smile Malawi latest newsletter please click the link below or for more information please visit www.smilemalawi.com
Smile Malawi May Newsletter 2017
On a bright and sunny day in April, the Foster team, foster carers and children went for a day out at Leeds Castle.
We started the day walking through the gardens, and the children, young people (and some adults) had great fun taking part in the Leeds Castle Easter trail, where they managed to win Easter eggs.
We then had lots of fun getting lost in the maze before we had a lovely picnic. All the children had lots of fun and played games in the play park, before we headed home. Overall, a good day had by all!
Everyone is looking forward to the Summer BBQ in July!
Young Person KEH had this to say about the day:
On Leeds castle day I had a fantastic day. I enjoyed all the activities that were planned. I enjoyed hanging out with my mates. My favourite bit was playing hide and seek with my mates.
I got lost in the maze, but that was alright. I made it to the middle and liked the bit after the maze.
I would recommend other people to go to the castle. You can get a ticket for a whole year.
K.E.H. Year 2017. Age 12 years old.
The aim of a therapy group is to provide a safe space where young people can develop relationships with each other and with their therapists. They have the opportunity to engage in therapeutic play and through this they are able socialise and explore their own thoughts and feelings, as well as the thoughts and feelings of the others in the group.
As therapists, we have boundaries that encourage the young people to respect the space, one another and also to respect differences within the group.
The young people are encouraged to be open and honest in the group and they know that what is said in the therapy group room stays there. This allows them to feel safe and to explore things in a therapeutic way that is different to how they might be at home or in school.
A Channels and Choices Home
A house that you may come to,
At first you may not feel at home,
We promote contact with family,
Face to face or on the phone
The adults here are very friendly,
They will help you settle in,
You can personalise your bedroom,
Even down to the colour of bin.
We help to build relationships,
With adults you can trust,
Rewards you are able to earn,
But positive behaviour is a must.
We know at times you may struggle,
And we will support you at this time,
Life has many ups and downs,
But work with us and you’ll be fine.
You will be included in your plans,
We will help to find clubs and hobbies too,
With activities like dance, football and swimming,
There is always something you can do.
So here at Channels and Choices,
We are part of a big community,
And with lots of help and support,
We will help you to be the best that you can be.
Our latest community event took place last week with Bridge End hosting a Spooktacular Halloween Party!
We had The Addams Family, a scary corpse cheerleader bride, 2 frightening Vampires, a Ninjago, 2 Jokers, The Jigsaw Puppet (Billy), a Evil Butcher and a Scaredy Cat.
There was plenty of fun to be had with games including Zombie Statues, Wrapping the Mummy, Apple Bobbing and many more.
There were also winners on the night which included Best Fancy Dress and Best Pumpkin.
Even HR got involved with the horror fest!
The young people enjoyed the party that much that they have asked for it to be a yearly event!
Recently at Channels and Choices, we have had several Ofsted Inspections and we are proud to say that our 4th children’s home in a row has received Outstanding in all areas.
Although the inspections can be tiring for our Managers and Teams (and the young people!) we pride ourselves on ensuring that everything that we do is to a high standard to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the young people and also that we are providing them with a happy and secure environment.
Our young people are involved just as much as the Manager and the Team when Ofsted are visiting. The young people like to show the inspectors what adventures they have been on since their last visit, this ranges from them learning to ride a bike or taking part in a new hobby. The young people go above and beyond as they also take pride in their home and want to show this to the inspector.
The Managers, Staff Team and the Young People are very pleased with their latest grading and so they should be!
