Family Options can deliver specialist support services through education, therapeutic support and through our network of regional resource centres.

Education

Because of the key objective that children and young people should, wherever possible, receive education in mainstream schools and colleges, Family Options assesses programmes for foster care and educational support separately. Provision can thus combine foster care and support for mainstream education or foster care and fully-integrated support from Young Options College – or a combination of the two.

It is every child/young person’s right to receive an appropriate education that will help them to achieve their full potential. Family Options believes the educational support offered to looked after children and young people is crucial, bearing in mind the trauma and disruption they will have already experienced.

Children receiving a service from Family Options will have access to a range of education services provided by qualified staff based at Young Options College in Higford.

Young Options College

Young Options College is an independent day school, fully registered with DfES and offering a full-time education service to young people of primary and secondary age (9-16 yrs) with complex emotional problems and attachment disorders and who are currently placed at one of the Young Options children’s homes. Children directly referred to Family Options will also have access to the school subject to assessment.

Out of School Support

Not all school placements run smoothly and sometimes children/young people have to wait for appropriate provision to be allocated to them. Young Options College has an established outreach service and any child/young person placed with Family Options, who is out of school for any length of time, will be able to access this. As with education , the programme is based on a menu of choices to include academic, vocational and recreational studies.

Additional Educational Guidance and Support

Young Options College has compiled a register of additional tutors who can provide extra tuition and support where necessary to children placed with Family Options. For those children assessed as being ready to move on from Young Options College into mainstream school, tutors will provide the support that is necessary to enable this transition to be a safe experience for the child. Family Options will be able to access at all times the base of educational knowledge and expertise. Young Options College has also developed strong links with the local Educational Psychology Service and with local special schools

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Therapeutic Support

The Family Options’ therapeutic process can be seen as having three stages, all of which will be overseen by, or involve, an experienced psychotherapist:

The first stage is educational, designed to help foster carers understand the behaviour, thinking and feelings of children with attachment disorders.
The second stage involves the application of this knowledge in terms of the skills and strategies needed to nurture and re-parent. This will include addressing dysfunctional or inappropriate actions or beliefs and replacing them with something healthier through role modelling and/or explanations. The success of this stage will be dependent upon foster carers understanding and believing in the value of nurture and the crucial place it plays in attachment.
Dependent upon the progress of the first two stages, the third would involve direct formal work between child and psychotherapist.

Affirming and Empowering

Recognising that ‘behavioural difficulties’ often represent powerful defence mechanisms developed by children and young people as a response to their earlier experiences of insecurity, fear and trauma.

Dynamic and Creative

The therapeutic approach underpins our entire care and education strategy. It is supported by extensive continuous professional development for all staff through supervision, consultancy, training and team development. Accredited specialists also provide individual or group psychotherapy for young people, where indicated.

Consistency and Continuity

In our team approach to meeting the needs of young people.
In our professional response to understanding the complexity of the young people we support.
In our clear expectations of adults and young people.
In our absolute commitment to individualisation and the potential for change this brings.

Valued and Resourced

Two full-time accredited and experienced psychotherapists on the Young Options senior management group work with staff and young people. They are complemented by a range of independent consultants, specialist therapists and trainers on the Professional Register.

Supported by the Options Institute

Family Options is supported by the Options Institute, a research, training and support centre offering insight and understanding into the problems of young people with special needs