The concept of StepUp 16+ comes off the back of Christine Matthews-Harvey. Chrissie, as she prefers to be known, has over 30yrs social care experience. Having worked her entire career within Children’s services, she has worked with young people entering the looked after care system for the first time – residential care/ foster care and those exiting care. For some young people, and for many reasons it may be that they are unable to remain in their family home, StepUp 16+ is there for them too.

All too often the age of 16yrs can be a daunting time for these young people who are naturally curious and concerned about what will happen next, where will I live, where do I belong? We see young people being placed in a “best fit” provision with many succumbing to the periphery of homelessness.

At StepUp 16+ we aim to relieve some of these fears and reassure young people that whilst we see the need for independence, we are also able to recognise when a young person still needs just that little bit more support to enable them to succeed. No two young people are ever the same, at StepUp 16+ we support each young person according to their wishes and ability to navigate them to alternative services which best suits them with the right support and assistance.

Chrissie’s vision is to see that the life chances of these young people is as good as that which we would want for our own children who are not simply put out because of their age. We want young people to leave our placement with the skills and knowledge to stand their own ground in society, to be resilient and face adversity with strength and knowledge to become valuable members of the adult population.