New Belfast Head Office officially opened by the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People

22.09.09

(Pictured at the official opening of the new Keys Group Head Office is (L-R) Don Patterson, Chairman of the Keys Group, Heather Laffin, CEO of the Keys Group, Patricia Lewsley, the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People and Sheila Fearnley, Clinical Consultant with the Keys Group)

Keys Group, the largest independent provider of specialist residential children's homes in the UK, new Belfast head office was officially opened today (22^nd September) by the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, Patricia Lewsley in a special ceremony that also unveiled the company's on-site Training and Therapy facilities.

In addition to managing a variety of high quality registered children's homes and schools, Keys offers a wide range of specialist support services. To mark the opening of the new training and development facilities in Belfast, the company are launching a series of Practice Exchange Workshops where they aim to share their knowledge and expertise, as industry leaders, by facilitating workshops for external agencies and local authorities. Keys new therapy suite is further evidence of the company's commitment to improving the range of social care services available for children in Northern Ireland.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Patricia Lewsley, the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, said:

"Part of my job is to meet with children and young people on a daily basis and listen to what they have to say. Another part of my job is to work to influence the strategic direction of government policy around alternative care for children and young people. I want to congratulate the Keys Group on the work that it has been doing to provide child-centred services to highly vulnerable children and young people. I hope that the Keys Group continues to work with and serve children and young people through listening to them and developing their essential skills. I hope the opening of this new office represents a new stage in their work in Northern Ireland for the months and years ahead - and that many more vulnerable young people benefit from their services."

Heather Laffin, Chief Executive of the Keys Group, charts the company's growth over the years, she explains:

"The opening of our new Group head office in Belfast marks an important stage in our journey to date. Keys have come along way since we began in 2005, from modest operations in the North of England, the company has grown strategically from 17 care homes to over 70; 2 educational schools to 15; 100 staff to over 1,400 but the most important figure of all is that we are now helping over 378 children in our care homes and educational facilities throughout the UK and island of Ireland. Our sustainable model of growth has been inspired by our commitment to give children in every part of the UK and the island of Ireland the chance to access high quality childcare."

Sheila Fearnley, Clinical Consultant Keys, who also spoke at the opening, said:

"As a co-founder of Keys Attachment Centre in England, and now a Clinical Consultant to the Keys Group, I think it's excellent that children in Northern Ireland now have access to independent, high quality therapeutic services."