Home from home

Steve Pratt meets one of the lucky ones, whose room, rather mysteriously, is in the garden.

SIAN’S bedroom is much like that of any other 18-year-old, although perhaps tidier than most, because she knew a Northern Echo photographer was calling. The difference is that this room isn’t in the main house, but in a cabin in the garden of a Neasham cottage.

She may be the occupant of the most unusual supported lodgings in the country.

She’s one of the fortunate ones – with a place to live after coming out of care at 18. Others are left to fend for themselves, once they reach that age, and have independence forced upon them.

They don’t have a choice when they leave home. Care ends at 18, and that’s that.

Sian’s one of the young people on a supported lodgings scheme run by Barnardo’s. She’s lucky, not only in her unusual living arrangements, but also because the service is in desperate need of people – “accommodation providers” who can be single people, couples or families with children – in Darlington to offer their help to these 18 to 21-year-olds.

“These are young people who just need a period of stability in their lives,” says Carol Preston, of Barnardo’s, who is co-ordinating the service.

“They’re often referred to us if they’re unable to live with their own families, or are preparing to come out of care. In our Darlington project, they are all care leavers.

“In our similar service in Northumberland, the youngsters often form a good relationship with the people they are living with, and continue to visit them long after they have left and gone on to live elsewhere.”

Accommodation providers receive a minimal fee paid directly from the project. The young people also make a contribution from their income.

Organisers admit that the rewards can seem small for the service their accommodation providers give.

“It’s a big step to take a stranger into your home and obviously quite daunting,” says Ms Preston. “Young people do realise they’re being given a chance to succeed and lots of opportunities, along with stability, which is something they may never have had in their lives before.”

Sian has been in care since she was 16. She does not want to elaborate on the reasons, simply saying, “stuff went wrong”. She was living with another family, but was left homeless when they had to move from the area.

Marilyn and Paul Martin, who have ambitions to open a children’s home eventually, took her into their Neasham cottage, currently being expanded into a seven-bedroom property.

She’s part of a family that includes four other children, aged between eight and 14.

The cabin in the garden is the icing on the cake. She’s very happy in her new family. “I thought it was amazing,” says Sian, who is studying IT at college.

“They’ve been so nice and made me feel welcome.

They were dead honest and befriended me from the beginning.

“When I was in foster care, there were kids in the house all the time, but these kids are really different – they always talk to you and never leave you out.

“It’s really good and nice that I fitted in straight away and it didn’t affect my college work. I realised it’s easy to fit in, you just have to be yourself and talk to people.”

Middlesbrough-born Mr Martin, a plasterer, built the cabin, with its own bathroom, to accommodate the overflow from the house. “But it’s become Sian’s cabin, basically,” he says.

“It’s her choice when she interacts with the family, although it’s not like she’s separated from us. It’s just her own personal space.”

Sian appreciates that. “In the house you have to hide things because there are kids walking in and out of the bedroom. But in the cabin, I can put something down and not have to worry about it.

“I feel independent as well. It kind of teaches me to be by myself, but know I always have the house to go to and the family. When I was in care, I was worried about moving into my own flat and not being able to stay on my own.”

Much work was done in finding the right family for Sian. Both sides have the right to say no. “That’s a good thing,” she says. “When you go into foster care, you might move in somewhere and feel uncomfortable, but you have to stay there.”

FAMILIES are made fully aware of any problems that might arise with these additions to their family. The most important thing, says Karen Lowe, of Barnardo’s, is a commitment to young people and a belief in young people.

“The financial side is not that great. To bring a teenager into your home is an amazing thing to do because teenagers, even if they haven’t been in care, are not the most straightforward people.”

Sian is now part of the Martin family. “We had a meeting with our own children and discussed it. They were all supportive and we’re like a carer family. Our children will support us as much as we support them,” says Mrs Martin.

The Martins weren’t what Ms Preston was expecting of an accommodation provider. She thought it would be older couples without children, or those whose children had grown up.

She was surprised that “people with a lot of their hands” were taking people in.

The advantages for Sian are many. “I’ve got a lot more confidence and, even when I do move out, I know I’ll have Marilyn and Paul to support me. They’ve said ‘even when you’re not here, we’ll be here for anything,” she says.

She could be the first of many young people to pass through the house. Mr Martin wants to work in all forms of care. “Our ultimate goal is to have a children’s home. We’ll get that one day.”

■ Anyone interested in learning more about the Supported Lodging Scheme in Darlington, or in having an informal chat, can contact Carol Preston or Karen Lowe, on 01325-354155.