'If it wasn't for the children's trust, I probably wouldn't be here'
BBCA trust that provides children's services to two councils has "significantly improved", say inspectors. So what has changed and what do staff and people receiving its support think?
"I'm thankful for them helping me. If they didn't help me, I probably wouldn't even be here – I'd probably be arrested or something," says James, who entered care aged 17.
He is talking about his experiences with Northamptonshire Children's Trust, an independent body that took over children's services in the county in November 2020 on government orders.
The trust was set up following a damning report into the murders of two children and Northamptonshire's children's services being rated "inadequate".
Even before that, the county's children's services had a troubled history, and in 2018 a government commissioner had been appointed to oversee them.
Now the trust provides children's services to the county's two unitary authorities, North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire councils.
An Ofsted inspection found the trust had "significantly improved" since its last inspection in 2022.
Now 20, James says he did not know what to expect at first as he had never experienced care services, didn't know anyone and felt a little bit on edge.
I meet him at Russell House in Northampton, one of two hubs in the county that offers services to those leaving care.
When a young person turns 18, they are no longer considered to be "in care", but there is still a duty to provide support.
Care leavers are assigned a personal adviser to help them with the transition into adulthood.
Figures published last year showed young people leaving care in England faced a sharper increase in homelessness compared to the population more broadly.
When I arrive, the smell of cheese toasties wafts through the air as James makes one for himself and one for Raven, another young person using the service.
"I started coming down here, meeting other young people that I can relate to and they started doing little groups, which helps my ADHD," says James.
He says the groups made him feel better about himself, helping him with his mental and physical health, as well as his confidence.
In the last six months, he has been supported into getting his own accommodation.
"Got my own tenancy, got all my own furniture and all that, and without them I wouldn't have got my own house or anything like that," he says.
"Honestly, I feel proud of myself. I've made it this far."
Raven, now 19, also entered care when he was 17, moving into supported living.
He says his experience has been positive. "They've held me accountable for making sure I am staying on target for my goals," he says.
"They've supported with things like making sure I am eating and sleeping well."
He enjoys coming to the weekly sessions at Russell House. "We do cooking and stuff so we can build our independent skills.
"It has had an astronomical impact on my mental wellbeing, on the way that I see things and helping me ground myself emotionally and find new challenges."
Raven, who wants to be an actor, says staff in the service have gone above and beyond for him.
"I had a show at my college – it was one of the last one before I left – and staff from the place I was in at the time came to see me and it was really, really wonderful to know that support extended beyond their office hours."
The trust works with more than 7,000 children across the county, just over 1,200 of whom are in care.
Hannah Dezille is a practice manager in the Leaving Care Service supporting 16- to 25-year-olds with things such as housing and accessing appropriate benefits.
She has worked in social care since 2013 but only joined the trust in 2024.
"Everybody is very present," she says. "You can get hold of senior managers if there's issues or there's problems and things, or if you want to make a suggestion about things for our families and the young people that we're working with.
"There's a bit of an open-door policy in terms of being able to just say 'You know, this is what I've been thinking' or 'This is what we've been looking at', which is really important for our young people and the families that we work with."
The trust has reduced the proportion of agency workers it relies on from 25% in 2022 to 12% last month.
This has led to the appointment of more permanent staff such as Simba Chowomadzi, a consultant social worker.
He worked in the county for a couple of years from 2015 when children's services were run by Northamptonshire County Council.
He left and came back to the service in 2023 as an agency worker but transitioned to become permanent in September 2025.
"When I initially came back, I didn't expect to stay very long. I was just thinking 'I'll do a bit of a stint as an agency worker, see how things are,'" he says.
"But I think things are a lot more stable now compared to what they were before: a lot more support; things had massively improved."
Chowomadzi says he has seen some real changes.
"Caseloads are a lot more manageable. There is a lot more support from management, a lot more visibility from senior management, like the chief executive you see around the office all the time. He makes time to speak to social workers.
"A lot more emphasis on wellbeing and support for children and families as well."
Rae Shaw has been working in children's services in Northamptonshire for 17 years and is team manager in the Leaving Care service.
Since it became an independent trust, there have been noticeable changes, she says, including feeling more visible to senior leadership.
The service's policies and procedures can also change faster to enable it to keep up with changing needs.
So what has kept her working in children's services for nearly two decades?
"Every day is different," she says.
"You know, you think you're qualified as a social worker but then the next minute you're being an events planner or you're trying to fundraise.
"You're working with people and it's real lives – no two days are the same."
Do you have a story suggestion for Northamptonshire? Contact us below.
Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.