Education is at the heart of the Oberstown approach

For the young people who are placed in Oberstown Children Detention Campus by the Children Court, the Campus provides a safe and secure environment with a bespoke care management plan for each young person, which has education as a key pillar.

The focus on education is also seen in Oberstown’s strong commitment to supporting staff through their learning and development strategy. This commitment was demonstrated with the recent graduation of twenty-seven Oberstown staff from the Leadership, Exploration and Development (LEAD) Executive Education Programme at Dublin City University (DCU). The group are the first graduates of the programme which was designed specifically for Oberstown’s management team.

The LEAD programme was developed by DCU to support Oberstown in ensuring the management team have the skills and competencies to ensure the Campus meets best practice in providing care for young people in detention.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Pat Bergin, Oberstown Director said: “At Oberstown we are committed to the development of our staff team and actively support our employees to enhance workplace skills and continue professional education. We worked with DCU to develop the LEAD programme for our managers, focusing on both individual skills and how we work together to provide excellence in the care of young people. Everyone in Oberstown plays their part in ensuring that we make a positive difference in the lives of young people who are sent to us by the courts and the continued development of our staff is essential to achieving that goal.”

Ursula Kilkelly, Chairperson Oberstown Board, “A key objective in the Oberstown Strategy 2017-2020 was to develop our people and our organisation. This means investing in our management groups with a view to developing and enhancing their capability to support better decision-making in all areas. Education is ingrained within the Oberstown ethos, both within our care model for young people and also in making opportunities for career progression and professional development available for staff through a range of training and upskilling.”

The DCU LEAD programme is just one initiative in a range of employee development and support activities available at Oberstown. Running alongside the learning and development strategy is a comprehensive health and well-being strategy that has led the way in the promotion of staff well-being.