Family Fun and Friendship
3
The Pitch
Problem statement
Families have told us that the current Cost of Living crisis, following closely after the impact of living through a pandemic has compounded challenges already being experienced by them. The families referred to us for support face multi-deprivation eg. loneliness, isolation, poverty, illness and disability. As well as accepting self-referrals, families can be referred by Health Visitors, Mental Health workers and other local support services. Our volunteers and staff will support families to access wider community services such as Welfare Rights and CAB. We will help to build resilience and coping mechanisms to ensure parents feel able to meet their children's practical and emotional needs.
Solution
We support 105 young families (189 children) per year across Angus.We offer a mix of 1-1 befriending and social groups.Although we have a waiting list for each of our 6 x weekly family groups,they are at risk of closure due to current funding coming to an end. Our families have expressed their wish for this type of support to continue. In Sep 2022, 13 families surveyed told us that, as a result of coming along to our group: 100% of adults and children felt more confident, 62% were choosing healthier eating options, 85% reported improved emotional health. The funding will help us sustain these groups. This will ensure all of the current 48 families attending do not lose this lifeline support
Why are we best placed to deliver?
We have supported families across Angus since 1994.We are the only organisation in Angus currently offering early intervention and prevention support to vulnerable and isolated young families,providing role-modelling of effective, attuned parenting practices. The mixed staff/volunteer leadership of our service is unique.We have a small, dedicated staff team and a team of 32 trained volunteers with years of experience of working alongside vulnerable families.Parents have told us:‘I look forward to group every Friday.The staff couldn’t be more kind.I feel more confident meeting new people’.'It’s so helpful to be able to talk to other parents.I love that staff are supportive and non-judgemental
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| Staff hours - 12.5 per week x £12 x 6 months | £3,900 |
| Group Rents (3 x groups x 6 months) | £1,100 |
Beneficiaries
143 people
Expected impact
Children and their carers attending our groups will experience increased confidence and a sense of belonging. Through regular attendance, adults will become more comfortable and able to interact with their peers. Parents and children will experience improved emotional wellbeing and will report feeling less isolated. They will experience improved social networks. We will use Outcome Star as our outcome and evaluation tool to record what families tell us. We will record where families feel they're at when initially referred for support. Through bi-monthly review visits with families, we will note any improvement/deterioration reported by families. The support we provide is flexible and adaptable and we will make any necessary changes in order to provide families with the support they tell us they want and need.
Track record
Through evaluation carried out in September 2022, the following quotes were provided by parents attending our groups regularly: ‘I love that the children get a chance to eat together and that I get to know other parents’ ‘We love coming to group. It’s helped me understand other parenting methods and that I am not doing everything wrong’ ‘I had great support from Home-Start when my partner died. Thank you for helping me get a tumble drier. I love that the staff and volunteers make everyone welcome at group. I hope to become a volunteer in the future and would love to help other parents with cooking at groups’ ‘The children love the healthy snack and breakfast. We love the variety of activities you offer’ ‘I value the support I get from staff, volunteers and other parents, especially as I’m a single parent. Thank you Fiona [staff member] for helping me sort out my housing difficulties’ We have a proven track record of helping to improve the lives of vulnerable families for over 29 yrs.