A GOVERNMENT minister visited a children's home in St Helens after it became the first "outstanding" secure childrens care institution across the country.
Marydale Children's Home on Blackbrook Road provides secure accomodation and education for young people between the ages of 10 and 17.
The facility, which can accomodate up to 12 children, aims to help "vulnerable, traumatised and disadvantaged" young people, stabilise high-risk behaviours and provide wrap-around support.
After Ofsted previously rated the home "good" in 2020, inspectors said that improvements have been "remarkable" and scored the institution "outstanding" after a visit in September 2021.
The report states that the overall experiences and progress of the young people, their health, protection and effectiveness of leaders and managers is all outstanding.
The assessment of the children's education and learning was rated as "good".
Children at Marydale are said to "benefit from a range of stimulating and purposeful activities that enable them to spend their time constructively".
Praising teachers and care staff, the report also states that the young people "make excellent progress because of the consistently high standards of care that are delivered by a well-led, highly skilled and dedicated multidisciplinary team."
After the report, Marydale - which is ran by independent charity Nugent - is now the only secure children's home in the country with an outstanding Ofsted report.
Due to their impressive review, the Government’s children and families minister Will Quince and the chair of The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Josh MacAlister paid Marydale a recent visit.
Explaining that all children's care providers will be regulated by Ofsted from 2023, Will Quince said: "It was great to be able to visit St Helens with Josh MacAlister to see what an outstanding children’s home looks like.
"All young people deserve to be supported and protected and I want every looked-after child across the country to have access to the same high-quality care.
Kate Herod, head of secure children's care at Nugent, added: "We are over the moon to have been rated as an outstanding home, primarily because the most vulnerable children in our country deserve nothing less than outstanding care.
“Marydale prioritises relationships in our work; we understand the importance of forming meaningful and authentic relationships, in order to support children to overcome their challenges and transition into adulthood, in order to achieve their full potential.”
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