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Children and Young People
‘I believe our commitment to putting children at the centre and working in genuine partnership with our carers and customers are the keys to our success.’
Dev Dadral - Chairperson SWIIS
From the very start, SWIIS has built its service around its commitment to put children and young people at the centre. It’s where our young people – many of whom have only experienced life on the margins – deserve to be.
Consultation with young people is embedded within our service and we are constantly seeking out new ways of listening and responding pro-actively to what our young people tell us.
Our ‘Forward Together Group’ was established by colleagues in the North West and is made up of young people in SWIIS Foster Placements. The group meets regularly to share experiences and address issues which affect young people like themselves.
Also based in the North West, the ‘Caring Crew’ are a group of foster carers own children who meet regularly to talk about how being a ‘child that fosters’ influences their lives. Similar groups are being established across the country.
Wherever you find a SWIIS Team, you will find them listening and responding through a variety of creative means, to the needs of the young people in their care.
SWIIS is aspirational for its children and young people. The disadvantages that children and young people who are looked after have to overcome, are many and complex. By working ‘holistically’ as a team, our carers, social workers, teachers and health professionals are concerned to overcome disadvantage by improving every aspect of a young person's life and with it their life chances.
For example, the involvement our Teachers and Education Support Workers extends way beyond the boundaries of school and the school curriculum. Group-based out of school activities, which can range from surfing and trekking to painting and poetry, are amongst the many creative and challenging means through we try to develop young people's social and developmental needs and self esteem, as well as working in partnership with schools and other education specialists towards improving their educational attainment.
To find out how are young people are doing… read more or see our Outcomes link above, or simply follow the link to your local SWIIS Team.
You can also find out more from our young people themselves by reading their stories just - click on the links below.
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| Dean’s Story | Kate and Dan’s story | Millie’s story. | Nassim’s story |
The story told by these young people is a story already known to many. On average, there remains a shortage of 40,000 foster homes for people like Millie, Nassim, Dean, Kate and Dan. SWIIS is committed to doing everything it can to provide the stability and care that these young people and the many hundreds like them deserve.
If you think you might be able to make a difference to these lives, talk to us through your local SWIIS Office or register your interest through the links provided. There is a significant shortage of carers able to provide support to
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| Older Children | Teenage parent and child | Sibling groups | Children with disabilities | Respite care |
