Action for Children

Location: Ashington, Northumberland

Central Children’s Centre’s are there to ensure all children get the best possible start in life. We are a focal point in our community where families with children from birth to 19 years old can access all the services and information they need.

Children’s Centre’s:

• offer family's a friendly place to go and get information and support on health, parenting, work and childcare.
• give help and advice on child and family health, parenting, money, training and employment
• provide learning together through play sessions for children under 5 years with mums, dads, carers and their children, and there are lots of opportunities for families to develop new skills
• offer outreach and home visiting, and services for children and parents who need it through the 'early help' process for 0-19 years of age.
• provide early learning opportunities for pre-school children

Location: Bedlington Children Centre Northumberland

Our service enables to ensure all children get the best possible start in life .

Our vision is of a world where all children and young people have a sense of belonging, and are loved and valued.  A world where they can fulfil their potential, shape their destiny and experience the joy of life.

We operate a social care model of disability, ensuring that our service users are seen as children first, and receive the necessary care and support to manage their disability so they can get the most out of life.  Each young person is unique and we value their differences, recognising that what might be thought a great activity by one young person, could be thoroughly disliked by another. By ensuring children and young people have access to a wide range of opportunities, and noting their responses, we aim to enhance their life and enable them to fulfil their potential. 

We operate evening youth clubs in term time as well as overnight short breaks at weekends and holidays which provide support to the individual young person and respite for the family.  Firstly by providing young people with a range of experiences and opportunities which help them to achieve positive outcomes in life.  Secondly, by giving support to parents in the form of a break to enable them to recharge as well as being a source of professional advice and assistance to families.  Thirdly by giving parents the opportunity to spend time either together or more often with their other children doing the things that they find it impossible to do when the disabled child is at home, but most of all we want our young people to enjoy their time with us and most of all, have FUN.  

Location: Derbyshire

Our Talk Time service in Derbyshire works with children aged 4-11 who are unhappy, anxious and at risk of developing a mental health issue. We help them to understand their feelings and relationships. To see that life really is worth living.

Location: Sandwell, West Midlands

In Sandwell (Oldbury, Smethwick, Wednesbury and West Bromwich) we provide various activities and support to children and their families. We run one-to-one and group sessions and provide support with employment, parenting, debt support, school readiness  and many health initiatives. Sessions are run in our centres and at community venues in the area. We support children and their families to explore learning opportunities and raise their aspirations through fun and exciting activities. We also run specific targeted groups such as our Fathers group in order to support the harder to reach members of our community. We also offer a family support service offering support, advice and guidance to families within their own homes or in our centres.

Location: Tyne and Wear

When times are bad, families need extra support.

We use a system of whole-family support, providing an intensive relationship and support to contribute to the wellbeing of families we work with; this can stabalise families and enable them to overcome their difficulties and live happier lives together.

If families and relationships are strengthened, children who were previously on the edge of being placed in care are able to stay at home.

We work with each member of the family with all children in the household receive care and attention, and where necessary we work with other significant members of the household if we believe this will help.

Our work helps;

• Keep children out of care;
• Help parents towards employment;
• Reducing children's involvement in crime;
• Making more confident parents;
• Helping families to better mental health.

Junior Mentoring In Action

We work across Merseyside, focussing on children aged 5-11 years. They are experiencing difficulties which may be having a negative impact on their learning, confidence and social skills.

The programme provides a solution focused approach to support a child to develop their inner resources and strengths. Building their self-esteem, and finding positive alternatives to their challenging behaviour that could otherwise result in them not reaching their full potential.

Tailored Support

We provide a tailored one-to-one mentoring package with a carefully screened, trained and supervised adult volunteers from within the community.

Volunteers are trained in using a solution focused approach to working with children, they cover safeguarding children, lone working and solution focused approach to working with children, before they are matched to a child. Safeguarding is paramount throughout our work.

Proven Outcomes

• 96% OF THE CHILDREN ACHIEVE THEIR SET GOALS
• 98% SHOW AN IMPROVEMENT WITH ISSUES THEY WERE REFERRED FOR

The benefit of the mentoring service affects the individual child, their family life, their school academic life, the relationships with their friends and the life of the volunteer mentor.

Activities Assistant Newbiggin children's Centre.

Be rewarded and have new experiences, volunteer with us.

Action for children does what's right, does what's needed and it does work.

We are commissioned by Cumbria County Council to deliver a 0-19 and Family Support Service across South Lakeland. We are based in 7 Children's Centres but also deliver work in schools, community venues and family homes. We work with children, young people and families and offer both universal and targeted support. This includes:

• Advice and Information drop in sessions on a range of topics e.g. healthy eating, supporting children with additional needs, staying safe online
• Play and learning sessions for pre-school children and their parents
• Targeted group sessions to develop resilience, support parenting or improve emotional wellbeing
• One to one support to meet the specific needs of children, young people and families
• Signposting to partner agencies or specialist support