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Claire Lewis is the service manager for children’s homes at Oxfordshire County Council. Claire talks about her passion for her role, the impact of her work and the exciting new opportunities to join our service.

I’m incredibly proud when I talk about what I do – I’m privileged that I’m paid to do it.

Working with and for the children who live in our children’s homes is a passion as much as a career.

Watching children, many facing big challenges, develop trust and confidence is an incredible feeling.

Life in a children’s home can be good and we care.

The first part of care is creating happy moments in the present and supporting young people in the now. The second part is providing them with the skills and support to thrive in tomorrow and beyond.

We’re supporting and inspiring them, so that when they leave the council’s care, they’re equipped with the confidence, skills and self-belief to make the most of their lives.

We create life-changing experiences.

What I tell my team and try to instil in the children who walk through the door, it’s that a children’s home isn’t a full stop – it’s a fresh start. This is a place that can shift their direction.

When they arrive, some children won’t have an educational provision. We work really closely with colleagues in virtual schools to fix that, in a way that’s relevant to their interests and needs.

Everyone learns differently, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to learn.

I find it incredibly uplifting when a child bursts in, bubbling with enthusiasm, desperate to tell us about their day on the farm, or at the sports academy, or fixing cars.

All vastly different settings, but that’s the point. We advocate for our children’s education to be built around the things that interest them – and it works!

Can you imagine the excitement when they pass their exams, qualify for college, begin their chosen career?

Connections can be for life.

In some cases, long after they’ve left our home, they phone or email to tell us they’ve got married, started a family, or got a promotion. They don’t have to stay in contact. The fact they do, for me, shows that our teams of dedicated specialist residential family support workers have made a difference, and the children remember us and want to keep sharing.

Spreading their wings and flying the nest.

We’re always so happy when a child we’ve invested so much professional time and effort in is ready to take their next step and fly the nest. There’s always a loss felt by the team as another child leaves us. But it is mixed with incredible pride.

Now they’re equipped with the education and skills to progress.

When they wave goodbye, perhaps they’re returning to their parents, and we work exceptionally hard to rebuild family relationships where we feel it’s possible.

Or they might be moving on to a more independent provision. We’ll have empowered them to do this, from teaching them domestic basics like cooking and laundry, to broader life skills such as understanding money and independent travel.

We’ve given them the wings to fly the nest, their home. If you take up one of our professional roles, your workplace is a home, not an office.

Oxfordshire children, in Oxfordshire

In a broader context too, we’re recruiting and expanding to bring our children home. Some of Oxfordshire’s children we care for have been placed out of the county, away from their family roots, friends and the locations they’re familiar and comfortable with.

The council is committed to bringing them back. Our new children’s homes will increase capacity locally. The team we’re recruiting will help us achieve our goal. It’s morally right.

Watching our children mature, flourish, aspire and achieve is a joy. How could it be anything else?