PHILOSOPHY & VALUES

Every young person or adult who joins us at Seaview is unique and worthy of respect. It is an integral part of our approach to recognise that young people exist as part of a network of relationships involving parents, family and other significant people.

Seaview changes whenever it is joined by a new young person or adult. Everyone contributes to the meaning of Seaview and must feel capable of making an impact.

Our task is to accept young people who are the "failures" of families, social work, education or health services. It is inevitable therefore that we cannot be a neutral place but will have to be concerned with the feelings of guilt, anger or failure that parents, social workers and other adults may bring with them.

Seaview must be an exciting place which cannot be ignored by the young people who come here. We have to encourage and facilitate the growth of all members (adults and young people). It must offer an alternative to family life which is complementary and which provides the compensatory experiences which young people may need in order to function effectively.

Our responsibility is to the individual young person. Although we recognise him as a member of a family or as having a particular relationship with a social worker or other adults, we affirm that our prime responsibility is to the young person.

Seaview is concerned with feelings and emotions - it is not only concerned with tasks, goals, behaviour, etc. Feelings are acknowledged to be the property of the individual and cannot be programmed or trained but must be experienced.

The young people who come to us have experienced failure, deprivation, abuse or neglect. These forms of traumatic experience are commonly associated with aberrant behaviour, inability to relate to others, anti-social actions, low self-image and difficulty in expressing a full range of emotions. At Seaview behaviour is understood to be an expression of previous experience and every opportunity is taken to use current daily experience to share understanding.