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BEST's Bedtime Story

Children with special needs at Charles House Children’s Home are looking forward to broadening their horizons after their carers’ BEST workshop.

Charles House is a children’s home that specialises in providing respite care for children between 7 to 18 years with varying disabilities that include ADHD, Autism and Downs Syndrome.

Charles House BEST Leaders, Pauline Woodward and Doreen Barnett, and their team felt they wanted to create and set up life skills for the children, such as cooking, so that they could achieve greater independence in the future. The team are working hard to make this happen and have linked up with the Adults and Communities directorate to retrieve surplus kitchen stock for Charles House from adult care homes that are closing down within the area.

Inspired by this action, the team also turned their attention to how they could improve the home’s seven bedrooms, which currently look sparse. The team plan to decorate each bedroom with a different theme that represents a different country from around the world, reflecting cultural needs and helping to educate the children. The team are currently in the process of applying for funding to the BEST Dragon’s Den so that they can make their vision a reality.

The team at Charles House are now celebrating having achieved excellent results from a recent Ofsted Report. Within the next six months the team aim to achieve an ‘outstanding’ rating in all categories of Every Child Matters.