Trailblazers have formed a partnership with CERT training (www.cert.uk.com) to offer semi independent accommodation with additional vocational training. Under this pilot scheme the local authority will be charged a weekly fee which will include accommodation, mentoring, preparation for independence along with accredited vocational training. The allocated key worker will offer a minimum of 5 hours face to face support with each young person.

All of our properties will be staffed and run in accordance with industry guidelines and regulations. Trailblazer’s staff are all highly competent individuals with the necessary CRB clearance, and extensive experience in working closely with young adults.

Any young person accepted by Trailblazers into a semi independent placement will be expected to work towards an educational pathway, be it vocational or otherwise. We feel that young people respond positively to clear guidelines and expectations and would look to implement this in a formal manner. A contract will be agreed by all parties confirming their intention to commit fully to their future. This contract will be drawn up between the young person and their key worker this will also include a code of conduct for the house. This “contract” will also provide them with an assurance from us, of our intentions and commitment to their development and them as individuals.

Should the young person for whatever reason fail to commit to the project then there placement would be reviewed by a senior manager along with Social worker and the young person. The primary goal is to ensure that all the young people placed in that particular unit are motivated to train and it is essential that no individual disrupts that motivation.

At Trailblazers, we passionately believe that at age 16, adolescents should be given the opportunity to experience an independent lifestyle. In the case of young people who have spent their entire lives in care, we actually believe that it is all the more important that the transition to fully-independent adulthood at age 18 is handled effectively & positively, gradually and with an appropriate level of support.

The Trailblazers Semi-Independence Programme enables adolescents to live in a flat on their own but with an appropriate level of daily supervision. Trailblazers also operates a 24 hour a day, 365 days a year, free phone emergency response service so that our young people can contact us whenever and wherever a problem arises in their lives.

Each young person is treated as an individual:

•a programme and contract will be made recognising the young person’s abilities and aspirations

•realistic goals will be set for each individual

•life skills coaching will be tailored appropriately

For the majority of young people on the programme, the acquisition of practical skills is easy, however the interpersonal skills needed to co-exist in present day society can appear complex & daunting to a young person – which is why Trailblazers makes a constant input in those areas. We place a heavy onus on individuals to accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions.