Our service
A short-term crisis activity and stabilisation service.
Starling supports children and young people who require intensive support during periods of instability, providing a safe, structured and supportive environment while professionals work together to assess needs, reduce immediate risks and plan sustainable longer-term arrangements.
Intensive daytime support
Structured daily routines and consistent, supportive staff provide calm and predictability during periods of instability, helping young people re-establish stability while professionals plan next steps.
Crisis activity
Structured, purposeful engagement throughout the day - outdoor education, sport, swimming, cooking, arts and creativity, animal care, volunteering and community participation, tailored to each young person.
Emotional support
Therapeutic communication, coaching, mentoring and restorative conversations that support emotional regulation and encourage positive decision-making.
Assessment and observation
Structured observation that helps professionals assess ongoing needs, reduce immediate safeguarding risks and plan sustainable longer-term arrangements.
Life skills and independence
Cooking, budgeting, independent living skills, educational engagement and employability work - practical foundations young people carry forward.
Multi-agency collaboration
Regular communication with social workers, commissioners, education providers, health professionals and families, with children actively involved in planning wherever possible.
Why activity?
The purpose of activity is not simply occupation.
Activities are selected according to each young person’s needs, interests and agreed support plan, for one young person that may mean climbing a mountain; for another, learning to ride a bike or baking a cake from scratch. Every activity is an opportunity to:
- Regulate emotions
- Build confidence
- Improve relationships
- Increase resilience
- Reduce risk-taking
- Develop independence
Support is delivered through positive relationships, consistency, coaching, mentoring, restorative conversations and solution-focused practice. Staff work alongside children rather than doing things for them, the emphasis is on encouragement, guidance and positive role modelling.
Who we support
Young people who need additional support because of:
Support is intended to be short term, individually agreed according to assessed need, and reviewed regularly, designed to assist professionals during periods of crisis and transition rather than provide permanent accommodation.
- Placement instability
- Emotional crisis
- Family breakdown
- Risk of missing episodes
- Exploitation concerns
- Offending behaviour
- School disengagement
- Emotional dysregulation
- Transition planning
- Assessment needs
Starling provides support and structured activity. The service is not intended to replace regulated residential children’s care where such care is required, and we do not describe ourselves as providing regulated residential children’s care unless and until such registration is obtained. We work openly and collaboratively with commissioners to ensure the service offered matches each child’s assessed needs.
Outcomes
What a successful intervention looks like.
Success is measured not only by reductions in risk, but by increases in confidence, relationships, aspirations and hope for the future - improved emotional wellbeing, better daily routines, greater independence, stronger engagement with education and professionals, and a successful transition to the next appropriate placement or service.