Unlike many IFAs (Independent Foster Care Agencies), we did not start as an IFA. For various reasons, we began Phoenix Community Care (PCC) by providing Supported Accommodation support for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC), aged between 16 and 17. With almost 25 years of experience, we have accommodated and supported 300 young people in our housing during that time. This transition aligns with our core values of compassion and service, and our extensive experience in the field gives us the confidence to continue providing comprehensive support.
In 2023 Ofsted announced they will be inspecting Supported Accommodation for 16-17 year olds. As a company, we are proactively preparing for this inspection, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to high standards. Our approach has always been, ‘Would I live there?’ and our ability to create a ‘wow’ factor for these young people remains steadfast. They have often suffered terrible life experiences to this point, and we want to help change the narrative.
We contract with various local authorities to accommodate such young people. We employ social workers and trained key workers to work with the young people placed with us. We ensure that we cover the following areas in our support:-
- Health, registration at a doctor, dentist and optician
- Legal, do they have the correct representation for any asylum claim?
- Education, can they speak English; in between enrolling them for college, we will run classes for them, (colleges usually will only enrol at the beginning of a term, asylum seekers do not always arrive at terms start) ensure that they are linked into the local social settings. PCC runs its own Life Skills course to ensure that once they are older, they can cope with living independently, doing things such as shopping, cooking, managing finances, knowing their way around public services, and understanding their rights. The local police help us with some of this training, meeting with our young people and giving them great advice.
PCC, with the help of some outside organisations, has set up things like its own football team and lots of other social events, such as pool tournaments, social evenings, and art initiatives. We also arrange beneficial educational trips around London, museums, and open days so our young people placed with us can become very culturally aware.
A key worker visit our young people each week and many come straight to our office for help with forms such as bus passes, letters from the government, and many other things daily. A constant stream of young people come to meet with our staff for further help. Our key workers will accompany them to such scary places as government interviews and social interviews with dentists, hospitals, doctors, and the like.
PCC has worked with the supply of CHARMS, the software known to many IFAs for its significant applications in recording foster care activities that meet statutory requirements. Along with our staff, those friendly people at CHARMS have adapted the software to accommodate supported accommodation record keeping, and we now use the systems for both the IFA department and our UASCs department.
We also have a high-quality maintenance program. To do this, we employ our maintenance manager and staff and organise contracted-out work when required.
I am aware that other IFAs are looking to work in this sector, and I think if you are aware of the pitfalls, IFAs are well-placed to help in this necessary area.
Some of the changes we noted over our 25 years are that initially, we were accommodating mainly females. It seems that Local Authorities have decided not to put 16 – 17 year old girls in supported accommodation but to refer them to foster care, a decision that we consider the right one.
Currently, we can accommodate in our supported housing some 28 young people who, currently, are all male. The idea is that such accommodation is for a maximum of two years, and by that time, the young person reaching 18 years of age would either be awarded PLR, LR or ILF (Provision Leave to remain, leave to remain or Indefinite leave to remain) and leave our service, either because they are being deported or they would move to their accommodation. We have experienced that because there is a housing shortage in the UK, particularly in London, and young people spend much longer with us.
The things that wind me up are questions like ‘Are these people genuine?’ Along with all populations, I am sure there are different people, as there are different UK-born nationals. However, I know many of the stories, and I often ask myself how I would have survived if that had happened to me. Or further listing to your story, why are you not mad? Frankly, many are suffering from depression and PTSD.
Are these people beneficial to UKPLC? We have few of young people go on to university to study medicine and business. Another of our young people is just completing a documentary, as I am sure he will be the next Mo Farrar. I was in a restaurant the other day, and the manager came and was so kind to me, and I realised he was one of our old UASCs. Other friends from our service are now running companies employing many other people.
If your IFA wants to open such support, then if you can take the knocks about what awful people you are, you will be rewarded with seeing often damaged young people become wonderful additions to the UK. It is very rewarding.
If you think I can help you further, please contact us.
Adrian Hawkes