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Ashdale Care CEO Paula tells us how she fulfilled her vision of a very different kind of care home for children. The story of Ashdale Care Ireland began back in the 1990s, when Social Work student Paula Kane observed how traumatised children were placed in institutions and expected to conform, when they felt worthless and detached from society. As Paula went to work in the social care field she recalls...

You’ve completed your social care degree, and completed a two-week induction for your placement at Ashdale Care. So what might your first working days look like?...

There’s a very special team working at Ashdale Care – and these are just some of the reasons why they love it here! 1. Positively transforming children’s lives Ashdale Care is the pioneer in residential care for children that have experienced trauma – we do things very differently, and our methods – offering children a place of safety in a familial home, along with therapeutic interventions – are incredibly effective. What better reward can there be than helping these children and young people to enjoy their childhood and go out into the world as confident young adults? 2.  The Ashdale community Although there obviously have to be people in charge you’ll find the hierarchy at Ashdale Care is really relaxed ...

Discover the ethos behind Ashdale Care’s familial home system. The young people and children who come to us at Ashdale Care often come from chaotic and traumatising situations. To help them heal, we strive to create a warm, nurturing home for them. As pioneers in care for children in Ireland, we look to help these young people have some choice and control over how they are cared for. We want to help them manage and recover from their trauma – rather than forcing them to conform to a life pathway that is drawn out for them by strangers. Something that can all too easily cause them further trauma and damage their sense of self worth. Our therapeutic ethos requires the ...

Jean Andersen joined Ashdale Care on a student placement 11 years ago - and now is responsible for a number of homes as a Regional Manager. She embodies Ashdale Care’s ethos of ‘grown from within’ - training colleagues to grow and flourish in their career. “I joined Ashdale Care for three months on placement while working for my degree in Social Care Practice,’’ explains Jean. “It was quite challenging - I was only 20 - but when CEO Paula Kane offered me a full-time position I grabbed it with both hands.’’ It was the supportive culture that attracted her to Ashdale Care: “The support of teammates helped me to stick with the challenge of the initial few months in residential care.’’ Supporting young ...

A programme run by a major American university is helping Ashdale Care use the latest research to improve the quality of care of the children in our homes At Ashdale Care we are always looking at ways to improve the quality of care for the children and young people that we work with, so we are proud to be working with the world-renowned Cornell University and its Residential Child Care project. CARE stands for Children and Residential Experiences programme. This innovative system uses the latest research to help to improve the quality of care of children like ours, who live in group care settings. The programme offers a clear framework, which helps both our staff and our young people stick to processes ...