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5.5 Cedarbank Centre, Livingston

Alternative Curriculum
Cedarbank Centre

Brief Diary/Annotated Timetable

An individual programme is devised to accommodate the needs of the young people and will be altered at any time in order to meet their needs. Thus it allows the programme to have a successful non-exclusion policy, e.g. young person having difficulty interacting with peers, in order to achieve may require to work on a one-to-one basis. Throughout time staff have recognised that the level of engagement from the young people will be determined by the relationship they have with them, therefore a person centred approach with consistency of staff and identified key-worker has contributed greatly to the level of attendance and success of the programme.

The programme is socially constructed and throughout the period it has been running both young people and staff have had a great learning experience. It has been difficult raising the profile of the programme due to perceptions of the community therefore initially resources were limited. Throughout time and with the support of a few empathic employers the young people are now in a position that they have a bank of employers to choose from for extended work experience. Employers have recognised that young people are very well supported through their employment preparation and key-workers. A great example of the young people's vocational skills put into practice was when, along with a member of staff, they were given the job of painting a couple of rooms within a local secondary school. This was a great achievement for them as this is normally an environment that they experience exclusion from and they were being accepted and praised for a job well done.

All elements of the programme have the same level of importance. Whether it be formal education, outdoor education, independent living skills, personal and social development or any other element incorporated to meet the needs of the young people all are beneficial in their learning. The flexible, practical approach from staff is also beneficial, e.g. for a young person to experience a member of staff abseiling down a wall and offer support and encouragement when normally in life the role is reversed is a great achievement for any of these young people. The background of staff is wide and varied. However, they all have one thing in common, being open and accepting of vulnerable young people and being willing to accommodate their needs.