OUR STORY
The name Ascent transpired as we explored our hopes for children and young people; like many parents and carers we aim to watch our children grow and develop in order to rise like a balloon and slowly drift away in the knowledge that they are still connected and have the skills they need to deal with the challenges life presents.
However, the reality for the children we work with is often less idealistic and fraught with real difficulty in a network that has a lack of resource. To achieve the outcomes we desire requires hard work and a commitment from a whole host of people who manage risk and challenging behaviours.
we are committed to a therapeutic approach, to building strong relationships, community and giving young people the skills and strategies to cope in the wider world
We liken the care of our children to a hard mountainous walk with its peaks and troughs and the occasional setbacks. But our hope for them remains as we set our sights on helping young people slowly ascend from the difficulties they have faced.
We believe that with the right help and support many children will heal, develop resilience and thrive. To achieve this, we are committed to a therapeutic approach, to building strong relationships, community and giving young people the skills and strategies to cope in the wider world.
THE JOURNEY
Ascent started as a therapeutic fostering agency. However, over the last nine years we have seen more and more complexity emerge in the looked after population and an increasing need for specialist fostering services and residential provision.
When we talk about therapeutic services we mean the whole organisation is therapeutic. We do not just pay ‘lip service’. We have a real commitment to ensuring that the Ascent Team has a clear understanding of what is meant by therapeutically supporting young people.
At Ascent, we are committed to learning and genuinely thinking outside of the box to meet the needs of young people
At Ascent, we are committed to our learning and genuinely thinking outside of the box to meet the needs of young people. For example; we will work to support the relationship between foster carer and child but also where appropriate, we will facilitate therapeutic support with parents which ultimately will encourage placement stability. We are dedicated to positive outcomes and progressing children from their starting point.
To meet the changing needs we are observing in young people we decided to develop our first residential service for boys called which opened in January 2022
Aspen House is a residential step up-step down service for young boys. Aspen House accepts referrals where the direction of travel for young people is foster care or back to their families with support. We will also have the capacity to offer an emergency bed for a young person if appropriate.
The opening of Aspen House has given us the opportunity to relaunch as Ascent Children Services which incorporates both our fostering arm Ascent Fostering Agency and the residential service now called Ascent Family Homes.
Ascent Children Services incorporates both our fostering arm Ascent Fostering Agency and the residential service now called Ascent Family Homes
INNOVATION & VALUE
Ascent Children’s Services vision is to continue to innovate in the children sector and provide placement resources for young people that really meets their needs. We achieve this by creating supportive environments that offer both high quality care and value to our commissioning partners.
We provide young people with the type of relational care and support that lead to our services often being called a home from home or a family by most young people who encounter us.
We offer therapeutic care and therapies by suitably qualified professionals with a range of expertise.
We provide value to commissioners by providing young people with wrap-around care and support. We achieve high levels of placement stability with few placement breakdowns. This means less moves for young people, ensuring that their previous trauma is not being compounded. What research tells us, is by responding appropriately to children’s trauma and unmet need. We avoid escalting costs for commissioners.
We achieve high levels of placement stability with few placement breakdowns. This means less moves for young people, ensuring that their previous trauma is not being compounded
Our services provides the structure and support young people need to emotionally contain and hold them, whilst we work with them in a holistic way.
ASCENT FOSTERING
Ascent Fostering provides therapeutic fostering placements for children and young people. We have a track record of offering outstanding support to carers and care solutions for children with difficult life experiences. We are South London based but work across London and the South East.
For more information contact: placements@ascentfostering.com
ASCENT FAMILY HOMES
Ascent Family Homes is the residential arm of Ascent Children’s Services. It will specialise in providing bespoke residential services for young people utilising the expertise gathered in Ascent Fostering Agency to offer a therapeutic space for young people.
Aspen House is the first of our residential homes that will offer boys a place to heal from past traumas.
ASPEN HOUSE WILL PROVIDE A STEP UP-STEP DOWN SERVICE FOR BOYS BETWEEN 11-15 YEARS OLD
The service will provide a step up-step down service for boys between 11-15 years old, who are looked after and who the network believe that in the future can return to live within a foster family or their birth family. We work with boys to help resolve their attachment issues and early life trauma.
Aspen House has a warm and friendly family environment located in a residential suburb of South London that has excellent links to the entire city. Our team is skilled at supporting young people with complex needs and understands the unique risk adolescents face; be it county lines, gangs or managing trauma.
We work therapeutically with young people helping them to make sense of their early life experience, and support them to make the best choices and become the leaders of their own lives.
For more information
michellepryce-morally@ascentfamilyhomes.co.uk
www.ascentfamilyhomes.co.uk
