Minister's Trust praise

Edward Timpson MP gave the keynote speech at the Trust’s second anniversary celebrations recently, which was attended by 150 delegates and showcased some of the ways in which Doncaster is now doing things differently for children.

In his speech, Mr Timpson, said he continued to see an improvement in services delivered by the Trust: “The recent Ofsted comments are a cause for celebration. They confirm for me that the Trust is having a positive impact on children, young people and families in Doncaster.”

The event also included presentations by some of the Trust’s young advisors, who explained the circle of support involved in their lives, as well as personal accounts of growing up in care and of the importance of peer support.

Details of some of the Trust’s innovative schemes were also revealed, including the EPIC project designed to prevent young people getting involved in crime and anti-social behaviour; and the Growing Futures project designed to tackle domestic abuse and violence.

The Trust is the first of its kind to be established in the UK, following an agreement with the government and Doncaster Council to pioneer new, dynamic, ways of providing outstanding care to local children and families.

Trust chief executive Paul Moffat said: “The first year was all about finding our feet. Having now been praised twice by Ofsted for our ‘significant progress’ we know we are headed on the right trajectory. We have a long term, detailed plan of what needs to be done and we are fully confident of reaching our target.”