Children’s Services specialist and teacher who created Spark of Genius in 2000 and remains as chairman. The company has now grown to nine residential care homes for children and young people, four schools, called learning centres, and post 16 training programmes to promote young people into employment or further education.In addition Spark now has a well established Adult Services arm which supports young people leaving care.From our base in Renfrewshire we are now expanding, in close partnership with Stockton Borough Council, into the provision of services in the North East of England.Spark works with children and young people challenged by autism, some who have had engagement with the youth justice system, and those with complex learning needs and social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.Uniquely Spark grew firstly as a series of learning centres providing educational and training experiences for children and young people who were disengaged from mainstream. The approach used in education and training emanated in part from experience in employing online learning materials and a variety of IT tools to promote learning engagement learnt working for Philips in Germany in the early 1990s.Residential care was introduced later when it became apparent that there was a real need for a new type of approach to care centred upon small, family sized homes with a therapeutic ethos which valued excellent care as a preferred first choice, not as a last resort and which was underpinned by an emphasis on excellent education.Grades from regulators and occupancy of homes and learning centres has always been high reflecting the high quality nature of services provided.
Listed skills include Awareness And Empathy With The Needs Of Vulnerable And Complex Children, Self Starting Entrepreneurial Drive, and Strategic Leadership And Ambition To Drive Growth.
