Results:

The head of an independent review has described English children’s services system as “a tower of Jenga held together by Sellotape”.  According to Josh MacAlister the system needs major reform and investment, and is currently "bureaucratic, risk-averse, financially strained, and over-focused on investigating potential abuse and neglect at the expense of providing practical support for struggling families."

 

This year, Welcare staff have been working closely with the Youth Offending Team, working with children who have been in trouble with the law, and their siblings, helping them to rehabilitate and stay away from crime. This work has been funded by the Youth Endowment Fund.

Richmond Rugby Club launched its Second Hand Tech Saturdays in early 2021 during lockdown.  The initiative encouraged people to donate any unused laptops and tablets by dropping them off at the club on Saturdays, and these were then distributed to local children and families.

Despite the challenges presented by the current pandemic, Welcare in Bromley have continued to actively support children, young people and families over the past year. Working closely with local schools and partner agencies, we've provided support for 34 families, facing issues ranging from isolation, mental health and domestic abuse concerns during lockdown, to finance and housing.

As 2020 brought about many changes in day to day life for the nation, our supporters found ways to get creative with their fundraising. As we approach one year since the nation was first placed under lockdown, we look back on the innovative ways Welcare supporters have continued to help us raise funds for the children and families we serve - from adapting old classics, taking things online, and new innovative ways to connect.

We were sad to learn of the death of Reverend Jean Griffiths on 4th February this year.

We are delighted to have been awarded a £2,000 grant to support children and their families in Richmond who are struggling to cope with the pandemic through our community grant programme. The local community grants will enable us to provide practical support for families in immediate need and to assist them in emergency situations.  

 

We interviewed Mel*, a mother who attended our online Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities course run in association with Skylarks this autumn, to find out how the experience helped her. Welcare's ongoing partnership with Skylarks dates back over the past three years, and this course was made possible through funding from the Richmond Parish Lands Charity.