Family Care has been re-accredited by the Investors in People framework after a series of staff interviews over two days.
The Investors in People (IIP) Accreditation sets out the criteria for high performance through people.
It is a simple framework to benchmark the effectiveness of leadership and management practices in any organisation.
Accreditation’s last for three years and are revisited every 12-months.
In writing his report, IIP inspector Andrew Mackay commented:
“There is a really clear mission and vision for the organisation which staff could describe easily. The organisation’s approach is based on the Secure Base model and everyone is provided with training to help them provide therapeutically informed care”.
Having all staff and foster carers providing therapeutically informed care is the foundation of our philosophy.
An experienced in-house therapy team provide therapeutic training and support. This helps us ensure a consistent approach to children’s care and education, underpinned by Secure Base.
“People told me that they are provided with all they need to do the job effectively. The organisation really takes its responsibilities seriously and genuinely strives to get the very best sustainable outcomes for children”.
To use our fostering service as an example, the average length of a foster placement at Family Care is 3.5 years. We don’t have many placement breakdowns and over a third of our children are living with foster families ‘long term’.
These successes are due to a combination of factors. Of course, investing in therapeutic support models is important, but care is only as good as the people providing it.
Staff must be sincerely valued for their work and properly supported to effectively do their jobs.
We do this through clinical supervisions, regular consultations with our children and young people, employee reward & recognition schemes, and staff perks, just to name a few.
“Staff turnover is low for the sector. People confirmed that they feel they have been developed in ways that will enhance their future career development, both within Family Care and externally in the future.”
In summarising his report, Andrew recognises the progress we have made over the past few years. Since 2017 we have had 17 internal promotions and created 5 new job roles.
The Investors in People Accreditation joins a growing list of Family Care affiliations and memberships, including The Consortium for Therapeutic Communities (TCTC) and the Institute of Recovery from Childhood Trauma (IRCT).
HR and Learning Development Manager Laura Phillips commented:
“We are delighted by the Investors in People Accreditation. Our work involves looking after children, but staff need to be looked after too. This is further evidence of our commitment to employee wellbeing and development”.
The full IIP report can be downloaded here.
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Family Care provide therapeutically informed care and education for children in the North West and the Midlands. Our residential children’s homes are located in Oldham, Formby, Shropshire and Telford, and we have two SEN schools; one in Macclesfield and one in Shrewsbury.
For information about jobs at Family Care, visit our careers page to browse vacancies by service.
Healing Pasts | Building Futures
Since 1988