Young people with experience of care have taken part in a Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service course teaching them valuable skills to take into adulthood.
The Fire Service has worked with Northamptonshire Children’s Trust to offer a three-day early intervention course to 15 young people, aged between 16-22. The Trust provides children’s social care services on behalf of North Northamptonshire Council and West Northamptonshire Council.
Young people taking part in the course have been looked after by the local authority while they were growing up, and the course has been designed to help them live an independent life when they leave care.
The bespoke course was held at Mereway Fire Station just before the Easter weekend, and delivered educational sessions on health and safety, road and water safety advice and first aid. They also took part in practical fire training exercises to help improve communication, resilience and teamwork.
It culminated with them taking part in a mock scenario where they treated a casualty involved in a road traffic collision and put out a house fire, giving them a chance to put their new skills into practice.
They were then presented with certificates by Chief Fire Officer Nikki Watson, with Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone also attending to lend her support.
Beth Hughes, senior personal advisor for education, training and employment at Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, said: “The safety information that the Fire Service pass onto our young people is so vital, especially as they are about to leave care and move into their own homes.
“It has given them valuable skills as we look to get them into either employment or volunteering opportunities. They have had so much fun, and it is amazing how much their resilience and communication, and ability to work as a team, have come on in three days.
“This is the second early intervention course we have done with Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, and I cannot praise the staff who delivered the course enough for the positive impact they have had.”
Chief Fire Officer Nikki Watson said: “An important part of our remit is to make sure that we keep people safe through our prevention work.
“It has been a pleasure to work with these young people, and the Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, to be able to equip them with skills in discipline and decision making. These are skills that I have no doubt they will use a lot as they move forward into adulthood.”
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone added: “Early intervention is so important, as it gives us an opportunity to provide young people with skills and opportunities that set them on the right path.
“I want our Fire Service to be visible and accessible for all our communities, and this course is an excellent example of that in practice. Our firefighters and fire staff work to keep the public safe and it is fantastic to see the positive impact they have had on the young people who took part in this course.”
