Calderdale Council’s ‘Sleep on it’ service is celebrating after receiving an outstanding rating from Ofsted.
Sleep on it is a voluntary short stay service designed to support young people and their families who are worried about their relationships with each other breaking down. The service works with families who have been referred as part of early intervention work, and is designed to support 11 to 17 year olds by offering them an overnight stay with the service.
At Sleep on it, young people can have a break from the problems at home and have the opportunity to build positive new relationships with staff and other young people at the service. Youngsters can stay for up to two consecutive nights every eight days.
Key workers from the project will also work with the young person’s family, in their home or community, to help them come up with a plan to make things better.
Inspectors visited the service at the end of April and looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. They watched how staff worked and spoke to young people and their families. They found that the service was outstanding in all areas.
The inspector was particularly impressed with the progress of young people using the service and found that they made significant improvements in building confidence. They also commented that the wide range of activities provided by the service helped the young people establish their own interests and talents.
The report also notes how innovative the service is and compliments how staff give parents the confidence to be authoritative and young people the skills to deal with their emotions.
One parent the inspector spoke to said:
“It’s been a godsend. We used to argue a lot. Now my son will say I’m going outside for 10 minutes to calm down.”
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services, Cllr Megan Swift, said:
“It’s fantastic news that the Sleep on it service has received such a glowing report from Ofsted. I’m very proud of the work the service does and I’m delighted it’s received the recognition it deserves.
“For some families Sleep on it is invaluable, providing a safe place for young people, who may be on the edge of care, to ‘cool off’ after arguments or problems. It’s proved a really successful idea and has made a real difference to the lives of children and young people in Calderdale.”