Supporting Families
The Castle Family Support Team (We Can Help)
Being a parent can be one of the best jobs in the world - but also one of the hardest, and few of us get training. Most of us just do the best we can. If we're lucky, we learn good parenting from the way we were brought up, or we have friends and family around to talk to and support us when we're finding it hard. But if we didn't have positive parenting ourselves it can be hard to know how to do the best for our children. And even if we did have a loving childhood, life is very different now to when most of us were young.
We at the Centre therefore place a high value on supporting the parent / carer and child relationship by having a sound ethos and philosophy of parental involvement and partnership. We also strive to develop a range of services and activities which are needs led and aim to strengthen family relationships and overall well being, supporting families through difficulties, encourage family learning and celebrate families successes and strengths.
Team Profile
The team is made up of a Social Work Co-ordinator and seven Family Workers who have over 16 years experience in supporting children and their parents with everyday stress and pressures associated with family life. The team is made up of workers who provide general parenting support and some members of the team provide more specialist help and support for parents and their children.
The Family Support Team
My name is Mark Duffy, I am the Social Work Co-ordinator with responsibility for the Family Support Team. I am also involved in delivering the parenting programmes that run from the Centre, facilitate a group for fathers and male carers on a weekly basis and I also work with parents and children offering general and specialised familiy support services.
E-mail: mark@castlecc.wakefield.sch.uk
My name is Nichola Boyer, I am a family worker working within the Snowdrop Project. My role within the team is to provide specialist help and support to families who are experiencing attachment and bonding issues, to help parents to develop a more positive relationship with their child/children.
E-mail: nichola@castlecc.wakefield.sch.uk
My name is Kim Liddle, I am a family worker based within the team. My role is to work with parents who have children with social and communication difficulties. I also host a support group for parents called the "SPACE Group".
E-mail: kim@castlecc.wakefield.sch.uk
My name is Sarah Parton and I am a family worker. My role within the team is to support parents and children who have general support needs, I am also involved in delivering some of the groups that we run for parents and children at the Centre.
E-mail: sarah@castlecc.wakefield.sch.uk
My name is Angela Shaw and I am a family worker who also offers general family support to parents and children. In addition I am also responsible for providing weekly Parent and Toddler sessions on an outreach basis at Hall Green and I help facilitate and support a variety of groups within the Centre.
E-mail: angie@castlecc.wakefield.sch.uk
My name is Diane Townend I am a family worker, working with the Gypsy and Traveller community who live on the Heath Common Traveller Site within Wakefield. I organise and run toddler groups for pre-school children and help run a coffee morning for parents.
E-mail: diane@castlecc.wakefield.sch.uk
My name is Michelle Bradley and I am a family worker working within the Snowdrop Project, my role within the team is to provide specialist help and support to families who are experiencing attachment and bonding issues, to help parents to develop a more positive relationship with their child/children.
E-mail: michelle@castlecc.wakefield.sch.uk
My name is Louise Edwards and I am a health trainer based within the team. My role is to help adults to achieve any health related targets which they have set themselves, for example, losing weight, stopping smoking etc.
My name is also Louise Edwards and I am a health trainer based within the team. My role is also to help adults to achieve any health related targets which they have set themselves, for example, losing weight, stopping smoking etc.
My name is Rachael Fox and I am a family worker responsible for the Weigh and Play Group which runs on a Tuesday 1pm until 3.30pm and the Parent and Toddler Group which runs on a Wednesday 9.30am until 11.30am
What We Can Offer
The way the Centre supports families can be through:
1) Working directly with parents or their children on an individual basis, either in their home or at the Centre.
2) Informal support in Nursery and across the Centre
3) Working with other people to provide services for families, such as Health Visitors, Job Centre Plus and Adult Education.
4) Providing childcare to assist parents to work and train.
5) Providing a parent's library with a specialist library for parents of children with social communication difficulties.
6) Providing computer / internet access.
7) We can offer group work for parents or children to provide learning opportunities and support. groups that we run in the Centre include:
Baby Clinic (Weigh & Play) - Held on a Tuesday afternoon 1.30pm until 3.30pm. Health Visitors are on hand to monitor your child's progress and it's an opportunity to meet other parents and for your children to play.
Parent & Toddler Group - Held on a Wednesday morning 9.30am until 11.30am. A chance to meet other parents/carers and let your child play in a safe environment.
0-18 Month Group - Held on a Tuesday morning 9.30am until 11.00am. This is a play and learning group for parents and carers and their children aged 0-18 months old.
Webster Stratton Parenting Group - Our groups have run for the past seven years. The course runs over twelve weeks and helps parents to deal with children's challenging behaviour and increases the attachment between parents and their children (by referral only, contact the Centre for details).
S.P.A.C.E. Support Group - For parents who have a child with social and communication difficulties. groups are held monthly. For more details contact Kim Liddle.
Dads Group - We run a weekly Dads and male carers group on a Thursday afternoon 3.30 until 5.00pm. It's a drop in group that offers play based activities for children aged from birth to 8 years of age and the opportunity for Dads to have a chat, offload and play with the children. Please contact Mark Duffy for more details.
Parents Coffee Afternoon - Fancy a drink and a chat? Come along to our parents coffee afternoon, no invite required, just come along, Fridays 1.00pm until 3.00pm.
How Do I Access The Support
It's really simple, just complete a referral form which is available from the Centre or ask another professional to complete the referral on your behalf.
The Criteria
For us to be able to work with a family they must be within our reach area (see below), and you must have a child living with you that is under 5. The age range of children who we work with is between 5 and 8 years old, but we try to be as flexible as possible.
What Happens Next
As soon as we receive your completed referral we will write back to you to confirm that you are now awaiting a place on the family support programme. As soon as a worker becomes available we will contact you to arrange an agreement meeting to discuss the plan of work, this will take place with you and anyone else who you feel needs to be involved, for example your health visitor, social worker or friend.
What Is Our Reach Area
We can cover the surrounding areas of Portobello, Belle Vue & Agbrigg, Sandal, Kettlethorpe, Crigglestone, Painthorpe and Hall Green.
What Parents Say About Family Support
"I saw big improvements within a couple of meetings and decided to stick at it, the workers were great, they gave me great suggestions and the tips and advice were wonderful. Me and my daughter get along better now, we play, sing, dance, even cuddle one another which wasn't happening before."
"There is always someone there who will listen and try and help me to resolve my problems."
"I have been able to meet parents who are having similar problems to me and make lots of friends"
"They arranged for us to go away on holiday as a family for the first time in seven years and we had a fantastic time."
"I felt like committing suicide with all the debt we had, but they helped me to get rid of nearly all the creditors, it made such a difference, like someone had lifted a huge weight off my back."