A children’s home is a place where young people can live and be looked after by professional staff. They aim to ensure that children’s needs are met when they cannot live within their own family homes for a variety of different reasons.
The Role of Children’s Homes
Children’s homes should meet a wide range of needs, beginning with the likes of providing food and shelter and going on to delivering space for leisure and play, a caring environment and a space where young people can develop and grow.
Children’s homes must be operated within the realms of The Children’s Homes – England – Regulations 2015 and are regulated by Ofsted.
Properly run children’s homes will enable young people to thrive in an alternative setting to foster care Swansea or elsewhere while respecting their community values, personal identity, cultural needs and religious beliefs.
Children’s Care Plans
All youngsters in children’s homes or in foster care arranged through companies such as https://saferfostering.org.uk/foster-care-wales/swansea will have a care plan. This is a detailed document outlining why a child is being looked after, what should happen while they are looked after and how they will move on as they get older. Children in homes may be given assistance to return to family homes, helped to transition into other homes or aided in transitioning into independent living.
Children’s home staff must also assist with ensuring that children’s educational needs are met. Some looked-after children will attend mainstream schools, while some specialist children’s homes offer on-site education.