Schools, the wider education agenda and the voluntary sector

1
Schools, the wider education agenda and the
voluntary sector

• Richard Sorton, NCH
• Safina Mir, Nick Koral, Barnardos

2
What is the voluntary sector?

• Often referred to as the Voluntary and Community
  Sector, (which becomes VCS in many documents) or
  the third sector
• The common characteristics of VCS organisations
  will be charitable purposes and not-for-profit
  status

3
The Big 5 National Charities

• In childcare terms there are 5 national charities
  which deliver services to children. They are
  Barnardos, The Childrens Society, NCH, NSPCC
  and Save the Children (now mainly overseas work).
• All of these agencies are highly professional,
  employing thousands of qualified childcare staff
  and delivering hundreds of services across the
  country. Some have over 150 years of work with
  children behind them.
• In Kirklees, Barnardos, NCH and NSPCC all
  deliver services to children and families.

4
District or Regional Charities

• In every area of the country, voluntary
  organisations have
• been established to respond to local needs.
  Medium sized
• charities often develop to serve their own
  district. Examples in
• Kirklees include
• Northorpe Hall Trust (counselling services)
• The National Childrens Centre in Huddersfield
  (range of projects)
• Lifeline Kirklees (drugs related work)
• Other medium sized organisations are franchises
  of national
• agencies, such as
• Home Start (family support work)
• Victim Support (work with young victims of crime)
• YM / YWCA (general youth work)

5
Local community organisations

• The community sector is composed of small,
  neighbourhood or issue based organisations, often
  run by local people and serving a particular area
  of group of children. Smaller charities often
  operate largely through volunteers, or with one
  or two paid staff.
• Examples include playgroups, playschemes,
  community projects, special interest groups,
  disability groups, BME groups, uniformed groups,
  sports clubs etc

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How can schools and the VCS work well together?

• The National Charities have a strong history of
  co-work alongside schools and employ a range of
  teaching, social work and specialist childcare
  workers across their services. Barnardos, NCH
  and NSPCC all work closely with schools in
  Kirklees at present.
• District or regional charities will often have
  excellent local knowledge and can be extremely
  responsive providers to schools.
• Local community organisations will understand
  your neighbourhood and know your children and
  families. Community organisations can often be an
  invaluable support for out of school activities.

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What does the Voluntary Sector offer to schools?

• Quality
• Innovation
• Flexibility
• Commitment
• Partnership
• Child focus

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Barnardos Kirklees Khandaani Dhek Bhal

• KKDB provides a comprehensive family support
  service throughout Kirklees based in Heckmondwike
  since 1996.
• KKDB continues to grow and has successfully
  provides pre-school, play schemes, parent/carer
  and toddler groups and parenting support. We
  work in partnership with external professionals
  providing adult education, CAB and KREC advice
  surgeries, Education, SSD and KEYS, health
  visitor services and YP activities.
• It also provides a culturally linguistically
  sensitive service to the South Asian community.
• KKDB is mainly funded by Barnardos, however over
  recent years we have secured funding through
  Childrens Fund, KMC, Big Lottery Fund, PCTs and
  most recently KKDB was commissioned to undertake
  consultation work Kirklees wide for CAMHS.

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• KKDB has developed reading clubs in local primary
  schools
• and are looking to develop this initiative
  Kirklees wide. We facilitating homework clubs at
  the local Mosques, which they will continue to
  develop in this coming year.
• In 2006 KKDB aims to deliver a Islamic
  Perspective Sexual Health programme to young
  people. The programme will be delivered, it is
  hoped, across Kirklees in various high schools
  and community venues.
• KKDB has secured Childrens Fund which will allow
  them to further develop their programmes to
  engage young people.
• In 2006 KKDB will facilitate a child parent
  group, which will focus on improving home and
  family life.
• Positive response has been received from high
  schools regarding setting up Advice Surgeries for
  children and young people. These will be for
  them to access support and advice on issues
  relating to personal, home and school issues.
• We are a service based in the community for the
  community

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Barnardos Missing in Yorkshire

• The Missing in Yorkshire Service offers a service
  to young people of 16 years and under who are
  reported missing. We cover the whole of Kirklees
  and Bradford Districts. We work in partnership
  with West Yorkshire Police, the Kirklees Primary
  Care Trusts, The Childrens Fund and Kirkless
  and Bradford Social Services Departments. The
  Missing in Yorkshire service fits into Barnardos
  theme of protecting children from harm because
  we aim to help children and young people to keep
  themselves safe
• Our aim is to explore risks and to look at
  strategies for keeping young people safe. Our
  service is short term, which could include family
  work, crisis intervention, advocacy or a
  volunteer for a listening/supportive service. We
  will also offer support to young people to access
  services and resources they feel are appropriate
  for them.

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• A key element of our service provision is the
  preventative model that we offer to schools. Our
  service offers work in schools and out of school
  activities for children aged 5 to 13. This means
  that we work with younger children to look at the
  dangers of going missing before it happens. Our
  aim is that, if children face difficult
  situations in the future, they will have some
  strategies to keep safe.
• We offer 4 to 6 Keeping Safe sessions to small
  groups of children and young people which we
  present in a fun and creative way, using art,
  drama and discussion to explore risks, safe and
  unsafe relationships and physical and emotional
  well-being. We also train workers in schools to
  deliver our Keeping Safe pack themselves.

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NCH Childrens Fund Kirklees

• Childrens Fund Kirklees believes in the children
  of our district. Our goal, as a partnership, is
  to create positive change for children aged
  between 5 and 13 who are at risk or in need, and
  to prevent children from coming to harm. Our work
  will help children to be heard, to play, to
  learn, to be safe and be healthy, and to have
  fun.
• CFK is managed by NCH, and commissions work for
  children through both public sector and voluntary
  agencies. Our work includes schools and work
  with schools through the school support services

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NCH Childrens Fund Kirklees

• The voluntary agencies which will be operating
  services for CFK in 2006-
• 08 are below. CFK also supports a range of
  services being delivered in
• schools by public agencies
• Pennine Relate work with children who have
  experienced separation and loss
• Jabadao developmental movement work with
  Childrens Centres and primary schools around
  transition into school
• Parents of Black Children culturally sensitive
  curriculum development work alongside parents and
  schools
• NSCPCC work with children who have behaviour
  management difficulties
• Suga Brown streetdance work to aid transition
  to High School
• Credit Unions helping children to become
  financially literate

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How do you find the right Voluntary agency?

• Contact the Childrens VAN
• (Voluntary Action Network)
• via Tom Taylor on 01484 518457
• or vyon_at_voluntaryactionkirklees.co.uk