Child Action North West
Key Facts
Location
Project Criteria
Project funding
£90,214
Funding round
Child Action North West is a charity based in Blackburn. Founded in 1886 we now run a number of services for children and young people in care or who have had contact with the Youth Justice system. These services include: a remand unit for young offenders, foster care services, supported lodgings, interview facilities for victims of abuse, bail supervision service, an 'appropriate adult' services, a young cares' service, a community youth project and parent support groups.
We are using the Parenting Fund grant to extend our family support services with 17 primary schools and the Youth Offending team in Blackburn with Darwen to offer additional support to parents of children in transition to secondary school.
The project will employ 2 full time parent support workers to work with parents' whose children are aged 10-13 and are vulnerable to bullying, or who may experience difficulties during the transition to secondary school, or who face the risk of exclusion or offending.
The workers will target Year 6 children of 17 local primary schools and Year 7, 8 pupils at Darwen Vale, Darwen Moorland and Queens High School.
The project will provide individual support to parents to enable them to help their child cope with difficulties encountered at school, in the home and the community. The support will include:
- generic emotional and practical support on a range of issues
- one to one support for a 3 month period or longer if necessary
- 'drop in' crisis support sessions
- evening Parent Support Group (solution focused problem solving group with kids' club)
- family holiday activities.
Referrals will come mainly from families, schools or the LEA's exclusions department.
Each worker will support 15 parents per quarter. Needs will be assessed using the Department of Health's Common Assessment Framework and an action plan agreed with the family. A solution focused Neuro-Lingustic programming approach will be used to support families to move towards change or assist them to maintain positive patterns of behaviour. Additional advice/information on child development will be provided where needed.
The work will be evaluated with the family. A strong multi-agency approach will be adopted and we expect to work alongside schools and other local specialist agencies in meeting families' needs.