Mission statement

The New Beginning's mission is to work holistically with families who are known to Children’s Social Care for concerns relating to neglect; emotional, physical or sexual abuse. Parents who find themselves in this situation have most likely experienced prolonged episodes of trauma, such as physical, sexual and emotional abuse, often within the home, at some point in their lives. These traumatic events can lead to issues with mental ill health as well as drug and alcohol misuse. Our vision is to work closely with parents so that they can develop the strength, knowledge and power to become the parents they want to be and in return, teach other parents how to do the same. 

LEARNING & PRACTICE

At New beginnings, we realise that many parents find being a parent difficult because of issues they may have experienced in their own childhood. This may be because they have come from a disadvantaged background or found themselves in a situation where they have faced a number of different social, emotional, environmental and health related challenges. Collectively, these factors can affect parents' ability to provide what social care services may refer to as: ‘good enough care’. The aim of this project is to break that cycle by working with parents and their children for a period of six months. During, the first six months parents will attend an intense course designed to help them recognise who they are, understand why they parent in the way that they do and develop new skills which can help them progress and move forwards. At the end of the programme, parents have the opportunity to become teachers. They will feedback on their learning, their prior experiences and their newly acquired knowledge by becoming peers and mentors to the newcomers who join the project.

SUPPORT SERVICES

When families first join the project they will be assigned a key worker who will provide them with support throughout the duration of the programme. Families will be part of a safe and supportive, learning environment. However, their involvement is entirely voluntary and if they wish to withdraw they may do so at any point. In addition to the support they receive from their key worker and other practitioners, families will also have the opportunity to develop connections with other families. We have learned that when families are part of a peer support network, parents are less likely to feel isolated and stigmatised and more likely to learn and engage with their children and other professionals.