Chasewater House, a Marlowe Home
Chasewater is a four-bedded home, primarily for boys aged 11 – 17 on admission. This is a new home, which opened in June 2009. It offers care and therapy to a wide variety of children and young people, with a focus on achieving positive outcomes, particularly for young people with complex care histories and a range of psychological, emotional and mental health issues. In particular Chasewater provides care, assessment, clinical and therapeutic interventions for boys who may have histories of Sexually Harmful Behaviours.
Further, some children and young people may present with attachment disorders and ADHD. Others may have experienced difficulties such as, absconding, offending and multiple placement breakdown; some may have experienced abuse and neglect. Some children and young people have had histories of mental health problems, learning disabilities and pervasive developmental disorders, such as autism.
Most boys who come to Chasewater require a medium to long period of intervention. However, Chasewater has also help children and young people to return to a family based placement and move on to a more independent life. The Registered Manager, Sarah Penfold and her team, have a great deal of experience in directly addressing children and young people's difficulties. The day-to-day routine of Chasewater provides a structure and clear safe boundaries in which children and young people can develop and grow positively. Further, it is central to the ethos of Chasewater that children and young people are actively involved in decision-making, and made to feel empowered and central to the running of the home.
Sarah Penfold and her team work closely psychologist Fiona Tait to provide a well-constructed programme of intervention for each individual child or young person. These Therapeutic and Behaviour Management Programmes are developed to provide structure and to maximise positive decision-making in the lives of each individual young person. Where required these include therapeutic programmes (based up Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) that directly address Sexually Harmful Behaviours, attitudes and thinking. To achieve these objectives he staffing ratios are high (usually 3 staff to 4 young people minimum). This allows both high levels of supervision and individual interventions.
This philosophy of Chasewater is rooted in a Humanistic approach, as well as drawing upon eclectic elements of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and psychotherapeutic ideas. A similar philosophical approach informs Behaviour Management Programmes and Reactive Plans, along with a comprehensive assessment and regularly evaluated formal psychological testing. This work is undertaken by psychologist Fiona Tait and includes psychometric assessments covering Self-Esteem/Self-Concept, Locus of Control, Personality/Conduct (SKID), Mental Health (KONORS & CH PAS-ADD), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Interview, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (measure of functional ability and cognitive profile) Autism (Sensory Profile, Empathy Checklist, CARS) Aspergers (OASIS) and a Psycho-sexual Assessment (Child Sexual Behaviour Inventory) and an assessment re: sexual offending (QASCO).
Comprehensive written reports detailing the assessments, Behaviour Management Programmes and Reactive Plans and written updates on individual therapy are provided to the placing authority on a regular basis; as well as general monthly updates, incident reports etc.
Marlowe Child & Family Services has been particularly successful in the past in helping many educationally disadvantaged and disenchanted young people successfully return to full-time education. Many children and young people admitted to Chasewater have missed out on the benefits of stability in their school lives. Providing stability and support at home is the first stage of re-engaging young people in school or college. Children and young people at Chasewater can benefit from attending the Marlowe Special School. Alternatively some may also go to mainstream school or one of the local colleges. The objective is to help them achieve genuine and measurable success, including (for older young people) success in examinations such as GCSEs, as well as in vocational subjects. Chasewater nestles under the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire. The ethnically diverse cities of both Gloucester and Worcester are close by. Both offer numerous positive, as well as negative opportunities for children and young people.
Part of Chasewater’s role is to provide the necessary structure and support to children and young people to benefit from the positive and avoid or manage the negative. Chasewater is a substantial two-storey property set in a large and well-provided garden. There are ample recreational facilities for children and young people, along with a warm and homely environment in which to live.
Staff Training focuses on the essential elements of working with young people, as well as specialist training on attachment disorders, mental health problems, ASD and sexually harmful behaviours. 100% of Chasewater staff in the post for more than six months are undertaking or have completed NVQ Level III as a minimum. All staff also receive supervision from a consultant psychologist, as well as managerial supervision.
Chasewater’s team are committed to a strong central ethos; to providing each young person with individualised and genuinely therapeutic care to meet their often complex needs and to ensuring positive outcomes, especially in the areas of ‘Staying Safe’, ‘Being Healthy’, ‘Enjoying and Achieving’, ‘Making a Positive Contribution’, and ‘Achieving Economic Well-Being’. Positive outcomes include helping some young people successfully return to family life, or moving on to independence.
In its first Ofsted report (2010) Chasewater House achieved OUTSTANDING in one category and a GOOD overall report.
Chasewater House - Image gallery
