social responsibility Projects
Breconshire Projects
Sure Start, Breconshire
In early June 2004 we were pleased to be awarded the contract to deliver Sure Start Services in Breconshire from Powys County Council. The remit was to sustain and develop existing work in Brecon and develop a new Sure Start project in Ystradgynlais.
Sure Start Brecon
Services for families are being delivered from 2 venues in Brecon, the Youth Centre in Cradoc Street and Church House/Bishop Bevan Hall in the centre of Brecon. The team is working closely with the Sure Start Health Visitor, generic Health Visitors and Midwives to provide a conception to age four service for children and their families. Postnatal support is available each Monday in Bishop Bevan Hall together with exercise classes, baby massage and parenting support in those crucial first few months of life.
The team offers a package of Parent and Toddler Groups, Healthy Life Style days and individual ‘outreach’ support to isolated families. Playgroup is run two afternoons per week.
Four members of the team have now completed High/Scope training and two series of the High/Scope Parenting Programme, Caring Start, are run since annually. The programme has been targeted at families who normally just drop their children off at Playgroup. The programme, in addition to encouraging parents to follow the same developmental strategies at home as within the playgroup environment, has allowed parents to meet in a supportive and supported group. The Webster Stratton Parenting Programme is now running on an annual basis in Brecon and High/Scope has been integrated with all ‘child centred’ work in the project.
Staffed from the Brecon base a pilot outreach project with the toy library has been undertaken in Glasbury. The project started in the autumn 2006 and provides a ‘Drop in ‘ service for families in the local school each Friday morning and individual family support in the afternoon.
Sure Start Ystradgynlais
This project is based in the Healthy Living Centre on the Penrhos estate. The team based here is working closely with various other projects who are also based at the centre including, Women’s Aid, Health Promotion Wales and the Triangle Project.
The premises are going through a transition as services from the centre were previously orgainised by an independent Board. Since the NOF funding ran out in March, Powys Social Services are subsidising the project and are expecting a change in criteria for services delivered at the project with an emphasis on family support and vulnerable adults. Transition is never easy, however we hope that the new criteria and the Integrated Children’s Centre also based at the premises will in time help to ‘firm up’ both the vision for the community and quality of service being provided from the premises for those in need.
The Sure Start Team provides a programme of activities and services including Webster Stratton parenting programmes, Parent & Toddler Groups, Outreach Support, Healthy Eating sessions, Trips and Treats.
- Breconshire Sure Start Team
- Carolyn Bell Breconshire Co-ordinator (Based in Brecon)
- Brecon Staff
- Barbara Hobday Playwork leader
- Tina Page/Ann Gibson Playworkers
- Kay Hindley Outreach Worker
- Ystradgynlais Staff
- Anthea Turner Family Services Development Officer
- Gaynor Morgan Outreach worker
- Karen Bayliss Administrator
- Sue Thompson Playworker