Children’s home celebrates 5 years of succes

30 July 2007

One of our children’s homes in north London celebrated five years in service last weekend with a lavish party that was enjoyed by St Christopher’s staff, current and former service users.

The festivities included a magnificent spread of food, music and games, with prizes to suit all ages.

Young people came from far and wide, including some who we looked after as long ago as 2002. Many were proud to tell us how well they are doing at college and university.

In a survey conducted during the party by our service user participation officer, former residents were unanimously positive about their time at St Christopher’s. Comments included:

‘Everything worked out well for me. You’ve done a good job!’

‘If I had the chance to live here again, I’d be happy.’

Many of the young people who came to the party had experienced enormous difficulties in their lives, which meant that they struggled with issues around boundaries and found their stay with us quite hard to manage at the time. It was especially positive to hear how much these young people in particular appreciated the care they had received and valued their experience with St Christopher's.

The event was a twin celebration, as the home underwent a change of purpose from short- to longer-term residential care. This change was long overdue according to one former resident, who said that she wished it had always been a long-term home.