That matters particularly where there is a pattern of repeated admissions, placement breakdowns, high-risk behaviour, emerging personality difficulties, eating disorders, trauma-related presentations or co-occurring autism and mental ill health. In these situations, hospital can be necessary at times, but it is not always the setting most likely to reduce risk over the longer term. A more specialist, less restrictive residential model can sometimes provide the structure, therapeutic input and continuity that young people need to move forward.

What makes hospital admission the wrong fit for some young people?

Psychiatric inpatient care has an essential role in acute mental health treatment. Where there is immediate and severe risk, detention under the Mental Health Act, or a need for intensive medical monitoring, hospital may be the right and safest option. The difficulty is that not every high-acuity presentation is best managed on a ward.

Some young people deteriorate in inpatient environments. They may struggle with the intensity, the loss of autonomy, the disruption to education or routine, or the impact of being cared for alongside others who are also highly distressed. For autistic young people in particular, ward environments can be overwhelming and dysregulating. Others may become caught in a cycle of admission, discharge, relapse and readmission, without enough time or relational continuity to address the underlying drivers of risk.

For referrers and commissioners, this is often the point at which the question changes. It becomes less about whether the young person needs support, and more about what type of support is most likely to deliver stability, engagement and a realistic pathway towards independence.

An alternative to psychiatric hospital admission can fill a critical gap

Between acute inpatient care and unsupported community living, there is a service gap that many professionals know well. Young people who are too high risk for generic placements may also be too clinically complex for standard supported accommodation. At the same time, they may not require the restriction of hospital, or may actively need a more relational and developmentally informed setting.

This is where specialist residential mental health care can act as an alternative to psychiatric hospital admission. The model works best when it combines accommodation with 24/7 staffing, risk management, therapeutic support, medication oversight and access to a multidisciplinary team. Rather than responding only to crisis points, it creates a stable environment in which risk can be understood, patterns can be reduced and progress can be sustained. It is also important to recognise that often it can be difficult to access specialist residential care quickly, and in a crisis situation time can be of the essence. In such situations, a rapid intake and assessment to a specialist mental health support residential setting can make all the difference in offering a realistic alternative to a hospital admission.

The value of this approach is not simply that it avoids admission. It is that it offers a clinically integrated setting where young people can practise daily living, build trust, engage in therapy and move gradually towards greater independence, without the abrupt step from ward to community that so often leads to further breakdown.

What a strong residential alternative should include

Not every non-hospital setting is suitable for a young person with complex mental health needs. The quality of the alternative matters. For a placement to be credible, it should be able to demonstrate clinical oversight, a clear risk framework and a proven ability to work with high-acuity presentations.

In practice, that means more than providing a bed and basic support. Effective residential services should offer round-the-clock staffing, trauma-informed care, positive behaviour support where needed, medication management and regular input from professionals such as psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and dieticians. For those with eating disorders, self-harm, suicidal ideation or severe emotional dysregulation, the support plan must be specific, responsive and embedded into everyday care.

The environment matters as well. A least restrictive approach is often central to progress, but it must sit alongside strong safeguarding and well-defined clinical boundaries. Young people need consistency, not over-control. They need a service that can manage risk confidently while still promoting autonomy, dignity and development.

Who may benefit from an alternative to psychiatric hospital admission?

There is no single profile, and decisions should always be based on assessment. However, residential alternatives are often particularly relevant for young people and young adults who have experienced repeated admissions, failed foster or residential placements, delayed discharges, or escalating risk in the community without a workable support framework.

This may include those living with severe anxiety, depression, complex trauma, emerging personality disorder, psychosis in recovery, eating disorders, self-harm, suicidality or significant emotional dysregulation. It may also include autistic young people whose needs are poorly met in generic mental health settings, and who require an autism-informed environment with predictability, sensory awareness and relational consistency.

The key question is not whether the young person presents with risk. It is whether that risk can be managed safely in a structured residential service with clinical input, and whether the environment is likely to support engagement better than an inpatient ward. For many referrers, that assessment sits at the centre of effective pathway planning.

Why outcomes often depend on continuity, not just containment

One of the common limitations of inpatient care is that it is designed primarily for acute containment and stabilisation. That can be life-saving, but it does not always create the conditions needed for sustained recovery. Young people with long-standing relational trauma, attachment disruption or repeated service breakdowns often need more than short-term crisis management.

They need consistency across days, weeks and months. They need staff who know their triggers, their communication style and the early signs that risk is increasing. They need support with practical routines such as sleep, nutrition, appointments, education, budgeting and community access, because these are often the foundations of stability.

A specialist residential placement can provide that continuity. It allows therapeutic work and risk management to happen in the real context of daily life, rather than in isolation from it. That makes it easier to measure progress in meaningful terms: fewer incidents, reduced admissions, improved engagement, stronger emotional regulation and a more realistic transition towards independent living.

What referrers should look for in a provider

For local authorities, NHS teams and clinicians, choosing an alternative placement requires confidence that the service can hold complexity safely. This means looking closely at staffing, governance, clinical integration and evidence of outcomes.

A strong provider should be able to explain how referrals are assessed, how risk is reviewed, what multidisciplinary input is available and how the service manages crisis without defaulting immediately to hospital. It should also be clear about the limits of the placement. A responsible provider will not present residential care as a substitute for every form of inpatient treatment, because there are situations where hospital remains necessary.

It is equally important to ask about progression. The most effective services do not create dependency. They build towards greater independence through planned transitions, step-down support and close partnership with the wider professional network. That collaborative approach is often what prevents a stable placement from becoming another dead end.

Care in Mind is one example of a specialist provider working in this space, with a clinically informed residential model designed for young people whose needs sit between hospital and unsupported community living.

A better pathway is often a less restrictive one

The phrase least restrictive can sometimes be misunderstood as less intensive. In reality, the opposite is often true. A well-designed residential service can be highly structured, clinically informed and closely monitored, while still giving the young person more agency, more normality and more opportunity to develop everyday coping skills.

That balance is often what makes it effective. When young people feel safer, better understood and more involved in their care, engagement tends to improve. When support is consistent and multidisciplinary, crises can be identified earlier and managed more proactively. Over time, this can reduce the need for repeated admissions and create a more stable route towards recovery.

For professionals planning care pathways, the goal is rarely to avoid hospital at all costs. It is to match the young person with the setting most likely to keep them safe and help them make progress. Sometimes that will be inpatient treatment. Sometimes the better alternative to psychiatric hospital admission is specialist residential care that offers clinical support, relational stability and a clear path towards independence.

The most helpful question is not simply where a young person can be placed next, but where they have the best chance to recover, remain safe and build a life beyond crisis.

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Throughout the year, we’ll deliver three thematic mini-series, each designed to connect professionals, share expertise, and create space for learning and collaboration. These sessions will be free to attend and open to professionals from a wide range of backgrounds across health and social care, including clinicians, managers, social workers, commissioners and education partners.

Whether you’re looking to deepen your knowledge, connect with peers, or explore new ideas, these webinars are an opportunity to learn, share, and collaborate. We hope you’ll be able to join us!

Read on for more information on Series 1.

Series 1: Trauma-Informed Complexity

This three‑part Lunch & Learn series is designed for professionals working with young people whose needs challenge traditional service boundaries. These sessions combine practical insight with reflective discussion, helping practitioners navigate the realities of trauma, neurodivergence, risk, identity, and system pressures in complex care.

Across the series, we’ll move beyond theory to explore what trauma-informed practice really looks like in everyday clinical and social care environments equipping you with frameworks, language, and perspectives you can apply immediately in your work.

Episode 1: Therapeutic Risk Management and Trauma-Informed Practice | Wed 18th March 2026 | 12pm – 1pm | Josef Comyn-Doyle, Clinical Pathways Manager & Lindsay Irwin, Clinical Placements Manager

This session explores the essential relationship between therapeutic risk management and trauma-informed care. We’ll examine the benefits, barriers, and scrutiny that come with managing risk therapeutically, and ask the critical question: Can care truly be trauma-informed if it’s focus is on avoiding danger and harm? Drawing on young people’s perspectives and real-world practice, this session invites reflection on how risk can be held safely, ethically, and meaningfully in complex care settings.Episode 2: Beyond the Label: Diagnostic Overlaps in Complex Care | Wed 25th March 2026 | 12pm – 1pm | Dr David Kingsley, Consultant Psychiatrist

This session explores the diagnostic complexity often seen in young people with overlapping presentations of trauma, neurodivergence, personality disorder, and developmental factors. Through a person-centred lens, we’ll consider how to move beyond labels to understand the individual to improve their experiences of care across services.Episode 3: Intersectionality in Complex Care | Wed 1st April 2026 | 12pm – 1pm | Sharon Sandhu, Highly Specialised Clinical Psychologist

This session explores how overlapping social identities such as race, gender, neurodivergence, and socioeconomic status interact with complex mental health needs to shape young people’s experiences of care. We’ll examine how these compounding vulnerabilities can lead to exclusion, misdiagnosis, or systemic disadvantage, and discuss how professionals can respond with greater awareness, equity, and sensitivity.

Using case studies and lived experience, the session will invite reflection on how multi-agency systems can better recognise and address intersectionality in complex care environments.

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Staff and young people came together to plant sunflowers, marking the start of something beautiful. But this wasn’t just about gardening. It was about teamwork, nurturing growth, and creating a vibrant, therapeutic environment for all.

Some staff even added a musical touch—playing Mozart to their plants in a light-hearted but caring effort to help them grow. This friendly competition only strengthened the house’s already positive atmosphere.

Celebrations like this showcase the creativity and community spirit that set Care in Mind apart. By encouraging young people to participate in activities that connect them with nature and each other, we continue to support emotional and mental wellbeing in meaningful ways.

At Ashurst, growth is more than physical—it’s emotional, personal, and shared. Events like these remind us that even small moments can make a big difference.

Thank you to everyone at Ashurst who got involved and made the day so special. Here’s to more days filled with sunshine, teamwork, and blooming potential!

The post Growing Together: Ashurst celebrates National Plant a Flower Day appeared first on Care in Mind.

This year’s celebration was packed with festive cheer, joyful moments, and recognition for the amazing contributions of our staff. A huge thank you to everyone who helped organise the event and congratulations to all of our 2024 award winners!

Care in Mind Awards 2024 – Full Results

Care in Mind Values Award

🏆 Winner: Dominique Hooper

• 🎖 Finalists:
• Dominique Hooper
• Jen Nairn
• Hannah Cheetham

✨ Special Mention: Luke Pilling

Head Office Team of the Year Award

🏆 Winner: Tech and Estates

• 🎖 Finalists:
• Strategy and Pathways
• Tech and Estates
• Finance

✨ Special Mention: People Services

Outstanding Leader of the Year Award

🏆 Winner: Christian Birchall

• 🎖 Finalists:
• Rachael Fletcher
• Christian Birchall
• Nicky Davenport

✨ Special Mention: Amy MacFarlane

Calmer of the Storms Award

🏆 Winner: Laura Thompson

• 🎖 Finalists:
• Danny Rawcliffe
• Matthew Reeves
• Laura Thompson

✨ Special Mention: Chris Brooks

Extra Mile Award

🏆 Winner: Amy Rendle

• 🎖 Finalists:
• Amy Rendle
• Hannah Wright
• Andreea Ducan

✨ Special Mention: Lauren Hirst

Best Newcomer Award

🏆 Winner: Ibrahim Ahmed

• 🎖 Finalists:
• Janel Williams
• Ibrahim Ahmed
• Kelly Snape

✨ Special Mention: Gracie Mae Long

Career in Care Award

🏆 Winner: Sarah Craven

• 🎖 Finalists:
• Jen Nairn
• John Hill
• Sarah Craven

✨ Special Mention: Anna Darby

Governance Award

🏆 Winner: Cherryhurst

✨ Special Mention: Elmhurst

The post Festive Spirit at Our Christmas Party & Staff Awards 2024 appeared first on Care in Mind.

Therefore, we feel it is vital that young people are regularly offered the opportunity to speak freely and openly about how they feel about the service. It is equally important to have an effective process in place to capture that feedback and ensure that it is implemented. To do this, at Care in Mind we conduct an annual ‘Service User Feedback Audit’ which takes place throughout June, July and August. As part of this audit all young people currently in service are sent a survey to complete.

The survey covers all aspects of the service and contains questions on the following topics:

• The residential home and the environment
• Care in Mind Team
• Independence and recovery
• Education, vocation and activities
• Service User Involvement
• Care and treatment
• Information and communication
• Feedback and complaints

Survey questions are mostly closed questions, making it easier for young people to complete. However, within the survey there are also lots of opportunities for young people to elaborate further on things if they would like to. Following on from the survey and as part of the audit process, young people are also offered the opportunity to meet with the Service User Involvement Coordinator for a follow up meeting, to discuss any further concerns or suggestions.

Once we have the results of the Service User Feedback Audit, it is analysed and a report containing a summary of the results with an action plan is drawn up. Subsequently, the action plan helps us plan our response to the feedback, and it informs how we plan to grow into the next year in alignment with what the young people actually want and need. The action plan and results are shared with the Clinical/Residential Operations Group, who monitor the action plan closely to ensure all actions are completed.

How Information is Communicated

We strive to communicate all relevant information to young people effectively to ensure that they feel part of their own care and can make informed decisions. Overall, when asked if they felt information was actually presented in a way that was easy to understand, 91% responded with either ‘Yes’ or ‘Sometimes’. Additionally, 83% felt that they were either always or sometimes informed about any changes in their care, and 92% felt that clinicians either sometimes or always take the time to explain their care and treatment in a way they could understand.

The Home

Half of young people surveyed felt that their residential home actually feels like a home, with a further 17% stating that it sometimes felt like a home. When asked why they felt this way, it seems that many of the reasons why it felt less like a home were in relation to COVID-related safety measures, such as PPE and COVID-19 information around the home. It’s unfortunate that this has been yet another negative impact of the past year, however, there were also some positive comments received in relation to this question.

Work Experience & Education

Building independence and providing young people with the tools to build up their future through education and work experience is an key element of our model of care. Of those surveyed, 100% of the young people felt that they are supported by Care in Mind either all of the time or some of the time to access education, volunteering, and work experience opportunities. We also strive to ensure young people explore their identity outside of their mental illness through hobbies and interests. When asked if they felt like Care in Mind supports them in pursuing hobbies and interests, 91% answered ‘Yes’ or ‘Sometimes’. Additionally, all young people surveyed shared that they felt an effort is always or sometimes made to set up activities that would be of interest and value to them.

Service User Involvement/Being Involved in Their Own Care

Involving young people in their own care in a meaningful and helpful way is an important part of the care we offer. Therefore, we were pleased that all young people questioned felt that either always or sometimes felt confident to contribute to their risk management and care plans. Furthermore, 100% also always or sometimes felt confident working with their clinical team on identifying goals towards recovery.

An important part of the survey process includes keeping the young people informed about the outcome of their involvement and are made aware of what action we will take as a service in response to their feedback. Therefore, the results of the survey are shared with all of our young people, utilising the ‘you said, we did’ framework to display this information is presented very clearly. For 2020, we reviewed and acted on feedback from five key areas; therapeutic risk management, complaints, boundaries & consequences, education & vocation, and information about changes to the service and your care. In response to the feedback, we formed working groups where appropriate and made key strides in addressing the concerns of our young people. However, it is also important to note that whilst the Service User Feedback Audit is a key part in addressing the worries of young people, this is also something we attend to throughout the year to ensure that we consistently provide the best possible care.

At Care in Mind, we view the Service User Feedback Audit as one of our most important audits, and we take the young people’s feedback very seriously. Through the audit, we can learn from the young people what we do and do not do well, and it also allows us to learn what they want from the service. Subsequently, the feedback helps us to make important decisions about Care in Mind to ensure that we provide a service that is tailored to the needs of those we care for.

Giving the young people an opportunity to have their voice heard when it comes to their own care is an important aspect of recovery. is essential in making sure we deliver the highest quality of service for those who use it.

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Great British Care Awards are a series of regional events throughout the UK and are a celebration of excellence across the Care Sector. The purpose of the awards is to pay tribute to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their field of work.

We have exceptional talent at Care in Mind, with staff regularly demonstrating a true passion and dedication to help our Young People. Through entering the Care Awards, we hope to shine a light on the amazing people that consistently work hard to uphold our values.

Anyone can nominate a Care in Mind staff member, and through doing so, you will be supporting their dedication and commitment. Additionally, you will be helping to raise the profile of Care in Mind. If this is something you are interested in, please see the details below.

The categories that we are eligible to enter are:

• The Care Employer Award
• The Care Newcomer Award
• The Care Team Award
• The Care Home Activity Organiser Award
• The Workforce Development Award
• The Care Innovator Award
• The Frontline Leaders Award
• The Home Care Coordinator Award
• The Putting People First/Personalisation Award
• The Outstanding Contribution to Social Care

Please visit www.care-awards.co.uk where you can view each listed category and submit your nominations. Each nomination is allowed up to 300 words per entry and there is no limit on nominations which you can submit. The deadline for all nominations for the 2020 Regional Awards is 31^st August 2020 so please make sure you get your nominations in by then.

Good luck to everyone getting involved with this year’s Great British Care Awards.

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