Children's Fund Review of Projects

About the Redbridge Children’s Fund

The Redbridge Children's Fund is a sum of money that has been given to Redbridge by the Government. The money is looked after and handed out by The Children's Fund Partnership.

About the Partnership

Redbridge Children’s Fund is managed by the Redbridge Children’s Fund Partnership set up in 2001. The members come from Redbridge Council, local voluntary organisations, the health service and the youth offending team. It is based in Redbridge Council for Voluntary Service (RCVS) which employs the staff.

The Redbridge Children’s Fund helps services to children and families who most need extra support. These services are mostly for 5-13 year old children and young people. The projects work directly with children and by helping parents.

With children’s help it has agreed five main themes. The key theme is quality play and leisure as this is important for children’s development. Other themes are support for families, helping children achieve in schools, promoting good eating and health and preventing youth crime.

How children help the Children’s Fund

Children’s panels in local schools helped choose the themes for the programme. They said what issues concerned local children and what would help locally. Children helped choose some projects. Children interviewed the people looking at the Redbridge Children’s Fund to make sure they could work well with children. The final choice of was the result of children’s opinions.

The Central Children’s Advisory Panel will bring together children from the schools and the projects to advise the Children’s Fund Partnership.

Children’s Fund projects working in Redbridge

Women’s’ Refuge Outreach Project

Some children live in homes where there is violence from adults. They may have to leave their homes to be safer. The Women’s Refuge provides a safe place to stay. This project will support children and their families to help them settle and be confident. It will help other people to understand about violence in homes and how to help children. It will start this summer.

B In

This project helps a group of children who have problems at home or at school. Some find it difficult to make friends. They go to a Saturday morning club where they have games and sports activities. They learn about cooking and good eating. There are people helping who can listen to the children and help with their problems.

Refugee Forum project

My name is Muneer. I work with refugee children and their parents. I help the children and the family with things like schooling, their health, finding places to play safely, and with getting more money to buy things for children or take them out. I also give parents information about other places that can help them.

African Mental Health project

This runs a Saturday evening club for a group of refugee children. Most speak French. It helps children with advice on English society and helps children learn English as well as run activities. The club offers help with homework if needed.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service

The Parent and Children’s group helps children between the ages of 6 to 10 years old. The children who come to the group are usually finding it hard to figure out why they are feeling angry, sad or upset. Sometimes children can get into trouble at home or school and this can make everyone feel bad. The group leaders run activities and games to help them to figure this out and find ways to get along better with others. The parents come too so that they can help their children with the feelings they experience-and to help them be more in charge of them. Parents can talk about their worries about their children getting into trouble and find new ways to help them to feel better about themselves-so that they can do well and be happier.

Barnardo’s Indigo Young Carers project

Some children have to care for disabled adults or other children. They often receive little help or support with their responsibilities. The project offers young carers the chance to meet together and enjoy social activities and support in their own lives and education.

League of British Muslims

This project runs a Saturday school and sports activities at Eton Road Community Centre in Loxford Ward . It helps children with their school work and to become good citizens.

ELHAP

Runs an adventure playground, and other play for disabled children and their brothers and sisters. There are play schemes at weekends and during school holidays as well as visits from schools during the week. Many of the children need one to one adult support to be able to play. ELHAP are able to offer that.

Education Pathfinder project

The project helps children who have behaviour problems in school or often miss classes. This can lead to worse problems. It helps parents to help their children improve their behaviour. Most of the work is with children aged 11-13 where the need is greatest.

Young people’s health worker

My name is Patricia and I am a trained nurse. My project provides health and support for the general well being of children in Ilford. Many of the children are new to London and live in temporary housing. They may have problems finding health care so I give advice and information to help children improve their health.

Redbridge Dyslexia Support Group

Some children have difficulty learning to read, write and spell because of a problem called dyslexia or “word blindness”. What is learned may be easily forgotten. As many as one in ten children may be affected. This project works to help teachers find the children with dyslexia, to understand the problems and teach dyslexic children better.

M-Power

This is the youth crime reduction team. It helps young people usually aged 10 or over who are at risk of crime. Youth crime prevention projects including panels to decide how best to help children and helping parents manage children how are starting to behave badly. M Power works with the Education Department and the police to help children as soon s they start offending. For example it works with children found stealing from shops so that they do not repeat it.

Step Up

This new project supports families where there have been cases of sexual abuse of children. By supporting the parents then they will be better able to help their children. Step Up runs a drop in centre and an information/advice line to help parents. Step up also takes the children out on outings so that they can get together and make new friends with other children who have had similar experiences allowing them to talk or simply have fun.

Hear and Now

Hear and Now listens to children who are worried or have other problems at home or at school. It helps them understand what is wrong and helps children feel better about themselves and be able to cope with problems. The Children’s Fund has helped Hear and Now to reach more children.

Be’yahad

This project will help children who may be upset or worried at school. Trained counsellors will listen to children to help them deal with their fears and problems. It will start in September in two local primary schools.