Recruitment Information
Young People
The young people who come to us will often have suffered some type of abuse in their childhood and may have experienced rejection.
They may have experienced multiple placements, exclusion from or under achieving in mainstream education, involved themselves in absconding, offending or self-harm behaviours. Many may experience difficulties in establishing and maintaining positive relationships with peers and adults and may be unwilling or unable to express their own feelings.
We believe that all young people have the power to grow and develop, intellectually and emotionally and to acknowledge and understand the factors in their lives that cause unhappiness. With a sensitive, caring approach, these young people have the ability to develop insight and become able and willing to overcome these difficulties.
Criteria for Admission
- Young people aged 11 – 18 years - male or female
- Maximum of one to three young people depending upon home
- Long/short term care/Emergency placement/Observation/Assessment
- Young people displaying challenging behaviours.
Referrals are not accepted if it is felt that Headway are unable to meet the needs of the young people placed in our care or indeed of the placing authority.
About Our Accommodation
Headway homes are furnished to the highest standards. Staff are provided with sleeping-in facilities and office accommodation. The young people are provided with their own bedrooms, comprising beds, study tables, TV, clothing storage facilities etc. Young people are encouraged to make the bedrooms their own.
All Headway homes are located within a short distance of all local amenities. Our accommodation comprises a One-Bedded Home in Newport, Wales; a Three-Bedded Home in Bristol and a Four Bedded home in the Forest of Dean.
Organisation Structure
The Operations Manager has responsibility for all the homes. She has worked in the field of residential childcare for 23 years both in the UK and South Africa and has held senior positions for the last 17 years, including being a registered home manager,
Responsible for the overall management of the Company, Chief Executive, Andrew Plummer BA (Econ) ACA is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years of business experience including 5 years as Finance Director of a large acute and community based NHS Trust.
All managers of our children’s homes are either DipSW or NVQ4 qualified as well as undertaking Registered Manager Awards. Deputy Managers are NVQ3 qualified and working towards NVQ4. Shift Leaders are NVQ3 qualified.
Staff Supervision, Training & Development
Young people at Headway are looked after by staff who are themselves supported and guided to ensure a high standard of professional practice. This is done through supervision which staff receive, as a minimum, every four weeks. All new staff receive supervision fortnightly for the first six months.
Headway has a strong commitment to training. All staff work towards developing their practice skills and knowledge through a range of training including 12-week formal Induction course, Food Hygiene course, First Aid course, Physical Intervention course, Medication Course, Child Protection Course, as well as internal and statutory courses
All unqualified staff at Headway are required to study NVQ level 3 in Caring for Children and Young People once they have passed their 6 months probationary period. Deputy Managers are required to study NVQ4. All NVQ training is conducted in-house with qualified trainers and our own assessors.
As part of the development process, staff are appraised annually. In addition, each staff member has their own individual personal development plan. Staff who wish to progress within the company are encouraged to do so and can become Shift Leaders and then go onto Deputy Managerial level, providing he or she meets the selection criteria and demonstrates the required competencies.
