Dr Chris Nicholson, therapeutic services manager at Donyland Lodge, says: "NCB plays a central role in making comprehensible the mass of information out there and keeping us abreast of current developments. It enables us to make sense of the wider picture. From this broader perspective, we believe preparation for young people leaving care needs to move beyond the mere acquisition of "life skills".
At Donyland Lodge, life skills are part of the curriculum in Year 11, and govern programmes for all post-16 placements. Like many children's homes, Donyland realises young people who engage in preparatory work on domestic living, health and social skills cope better with life after care. However, it also recognises that skills cannot be given but have to be learned from experiences, which staff must allow care leavers safe exposure to. Risk cannot just be assessed, it needs to be negotiated between staff and young people so they can own their choices and learn from experience.
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