Living here

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button – trips outside ‘mobilities’

button – after Atkinson

You’ll have a bedroom of your own with an en-suite bathroom. It is light and airy room and you are encouraged to personalise it with your own pictures and posters.

Atkinson bedrooms and living spaces are in two zones – one called Brentor and one called Haytor – providing a homely environment for no more than six young people on each. In Brentor and Haytor there is the ability to make secure telephone or Skype calls (subject to your care plan), and they are approved and regulated by Ofsted.

You’ll meet lots of staff on the unit who support and help to care for you.

 

Location

Atkinson is located in a thriving city and surrounded by idyllic countryside and local beaches. These facilities offers young people numerous opportunities to undertake recreational, educational, leisure and sporting activities on agreed ‘mobilities’.

Our geographical position in the south west of England is ideal for young people once they are approved to go on trips outside the the home, can access the coastal resorts and beaches, Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks which are all great therapeutic settings. We also have access to a wealth of resources in this area that young people regularly take advantage of, with adventure parks, outdoor centres, two zoos, and a number of other children’s activities centre’s that allow children to be children.

All these trips are planned and take into account the individual needs of the young people in our care and their individual care plans. Every trip outside the home are escorted by staff and undertaken on a risk assessed basis.

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Facilities and activities

We recognise that each young person we care for is a unique individual with complex needs. Our dedicated staff team work in partnership with local authorities to meet these needs through individualised placement plans, created at child-friendly planning meetings.

An educational assessment on admission allows for a bespoke education package to be developed for each young person. High teacher pupil ratios allow for increased support for individuals who struggle in a classroom setting.

Our health care team consists of a nurse, psychologist, CPN and substance misuse workers.  A visiting dentist and optician supplement the health care services offered. Encouraging young people to develop healthy lifestyles is paramount to improving a young person’s general health and wellbeing. The Home develops these lifestyles by encouraging young people to eat healthily, exercise regularly and to increase their knowledge on sexual health and substance misuse.

The Home seeks to develop young people’s emotional, intellectual, social, creative and physical skills by creating a stimulating environment. Young people are encouraged to pursue individual interests and hobbies.

Our Atkinson home offers a wide range of facilities including:

• Full School, with updated classrooms and Professional Kitchen.
• Sports field and extensive gardens with chickens!
• New playground and multi-purpose activities track
• Fully equipped workshop
• Music room and range of instruments (instructors available)
• Full-sized gymnasium and cardio gym.
• Dedicated Life Skills Classrooms for day-to-day cooking and Laundry workshops.

•  Indoor sports hall
• Outdoor multi-purpose astro pitch
• Fitness room (cross trainer, running machine, rowing machine etc)
• Large garden with poly tunnel and area for chickens
• Music room
• Life skills rooms
• Outdoor workshop

Young people can participate in a wide variety of sports and leisure activities within the Home, including climbing, gardening, football, cooking, arts and crafts, husbandry courses, equine and poultry care, football, basketball and table tennis.

For those young people who have ‘mobility’ (which requires social worker approval and risk assessment) they can explore and pursue activities outside Atkinson. These include surfing, kayaking, climbing, fishing, cinema, shopping and educational trips to art galleries, the zoo and museums.

 

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