A RADICAL rethink of care provision for young people being led by the county council has been recognised with a national award.

North Yorkshire County Council’s No Wrong Door programme was introduced just over three-years-ago to replace traditional council-run care homes.

Two hubs were created to cover the county and combine residential care and fostering with on-site support from clinical psychologists who act as life coaches, speech and language therapists and a supportive police role.

The service has proved highly effective in breaking the traditional cycle of young people who enter care and who go on to engage in offending and risk-taking behaviour.

The scheme also impressed judges in the MJ Awards for UK local authorities and received the prize for Impact and Learning in Children’s Services.

The MJ Award award is the latest recognition for the programme since its inception.

No Wrong Door has previously won the national award for Innovation in Local Government and has been rated outstanding by Ofsted.

And its effectiveness led to The Department for Education saying the scheme should inform national policy and practice.

In granting the MJ Award, the judges praised the outcomes being delivered by the service.

The panel said: “North Yorkshire County Council has achieved exceptional results.

“It has obtained buy-in from wider service providers, including the police, health, housing and child and adolescent mental health services.

“The model puts the child and young person at the core of their work, embedding a culture of analytics which ensures service improvements are intelligence-led.”

County Councillor Janet Sanderson, executive member for children’s services, was pleased with the accolade. She said: “We are very proud of No Wrong Door and are delighted that it has received this recognition.

“Our dedicated No Wrong Door staff work with the most complex young people in North Yorkshire.

“They make a difference to the lives of young people with serious challenges and often multiple issues, including autism, learning difficulties and ADHD, and help them to realise their potential.

“We have worked with numerous other local authorities, charities and governmental bodies to share our success.”