Tuesday 31 January 2012

Exciting News! We're going global...


We're very excited to announce that we will be hosting live training from Child Trauma Academy in Houston, Texas.

'The Child Trauma Academy (CTA) works to improve the lives of high risk children through direct service, research and education. A major activity of the CTA is to translate emerging findings about the human brain and child development into practical implications for the ways we nurture, protect, enrich, educate and heal children. The "translational neuroscience" work of the CTA has resulted in a range of innovative programs in therapeutic, child protection and educational systems'.

Over 10 weeks With Kids will participate in live conferences via the internet and be covering a variety of subjects including sleep problems and maltreatment, secondary trauma, neurobiology of empathy and music and the brain.  We have also invited other interested parties and early years workers to join us during these sessions. It's a fantastic opportunity to learn about the cutting edge research and development on the human brain and children which is only recently emerging.

To read more about the Child Trauma Academy and their cutting edge work please go to: www.childtrauma.org/


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Tuesday 24 January 2012

Let's face facts...


We want to put things into perspective. We are a charity working with kids in the East End of Glasgow and have recently taken the same format to Wester Hailes in Edinburgh. Although not all children and families in these areas are affected by the issues we tackle, there are hard hitting facts and figures that we would like to share with you that highlight the need for us to work with children that are living in poverty and its affects.



Facts and Figures:
  • In some postcode areas in the east end of Glasgow, 60% of children live in workless households, 
  • Almost 50% of adults of working age are on incapacity benefit and life expectancy can be as low as 54. - (Glasgow Herald)
Over 90,000 children in Scotland live in severe poverty - of these:
    • 72% of children parents’ are not in work
    • 66% of children are in families claiming income support, job seekers allowance and incapacity benefit,
    • 45% of mother’s of children have no educational qualification,
    • 1 in 2 children live in single parent families,
    • 10% of children are from an ethnic minority, compared to 2.6% not in poverty,
    41% of children live in families with a disabled adult, compared to 17% of children not in poverty. - Living Below the Radar:
    • Measuring Severe Child Poverty in the UK - Save the Children
    • Poorer children are five times more likely to regularly miss school. - BBC News
    Poverty in Glasgow is being blamed for malnutrition in almost one in five youngsters who attended a children's hospital in the city. Health experts say many families cannot afford a more varied diet.  - BBC News

    Although the facts and figures may seem bleak, not all families will have the same issues. However, living in or near an area of high poverty can affect you directly or indirectly through crime, lack of amenities, poor educational facilities etc.

    And the sheer volume that may need help means that sometimes children and families might not get the support they need; a parent struggling with a child with a learning difficulty or emotional issue might not know where to turn, a parent who's a former addict may be afraid to ask for help in case social services intervene.

    All families, regardless of background find that they have difficulties from time to time and too often parent's may not be aware of available support or the best action to take. With Kids aims to fill that gap and to provide flexible support that is suited to the needs of children and parents.


    To find out more about the work we do here at With Kids you can visit our website or you can keep up to date with us on our Facebook and Twitter page.



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    Thursday 12 January 2012

    Canal Boat Cruise with Santa on the Grand Union Canal


    We know Santa is well known for riding on his sleigh but on December 22nd 2011 Santa gave up his sleigh for one afternoon to sail with 41 children and their parents/carers from Wester Hailes along the Grand Union Canal in Edinburgh. The Santa cruise was organised by the With Kids team recently set up to work in Edinburgh’s Wester Hailes.


     On board everyone was treated to a welcome drink of hot chocolate, tea, coffee or soft drink and mince pies, sandwiches, and a selection of nibbles, everyone then relaxed to some festive music as the boat set sail to look for Santa.


    During trip the children and their families participated in some brilliant festive singing to try and lure Santa to the boat. Everyone sung very loudly and it wasn’t long until Santa was spotted by the children climbing on board the boat. It was such a joy to watch the children’s faces light up when they first caught a glimpse of Santa. Once on board Santa greeted everyone with a big Ho! Ho! Ho!


    Santa asked the children if they had been good children and of course they all had been! Santa then handed out 41 personalised Christmas presents to all the children and 23 Christmas presents to their parents/carers. Santa then left the boat to the children shouting ‘goodbye Santa’. It was truly a magical and exciting trip enjoyed by  both children and their families.


    Look out for more news and updates from With Kids newest base in Edinburgh.  We would love for you to join us on our Facebook page and get involved in our online discussions. We also have a Twitter page for you to keep in touch.


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    Friday 6 January 2012

    Get to know us a little better...



    We recently posted about the work we do here at With Kids and we wanted to let you know a little bit more about our other facilities and how important they are to our work. Our Drop-In Centre's in Glasgow and now in Edinburgh are very much at the centre of what we do.

    They aim to create a place for vulnerable children and families that offers a range of therapeutic services, including group work and play therapy. The centre complements our other work with children and families providing emotional, social and practical support aimed at building the resilience and social skills required by children to achieve their full potential.


    Our Drop In Centres
    With assistance from a number of trusts and foundations we completed the refurbishment of our Glasgow premises in June 2010. The refurbishment created a state of the art drop-in centre which provides access to two specially adapted therapy rooms, meeting rooms and a central cafe type space. Many of the children and parents we work with are more comfortable using a facility which is independent from statutory authorities and more likely to engage with a voluntary organisation.


    Our new drop-in centre in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh aims to mirror our Glasgow base and we are looking forward to the year ahead to develop our work in Edinburgh. We plan to keep you posted on all the latest developments in our Edinburgh base and all of our newest programmes in 2012.


    What's on at With Kids
    We organise a range of activities including the Cinema Club which provides a cinema experience complete with hot dogs, popcorn, ice cream and a classic children’s film at a fraction of the cost of going to the local multiplex. Our summer programme offers a range of activities and trips for families has also been run from the drop-in centre. You can read our blog about our Summer Programme here.


    Working Directly with parents
    We also work directly with parents to expand their understanding of parenting, the needs of their children, and the importance of play to improve communication between parents and child and enable the parent to provide the support necessary to meet the needs of the child. An important first step in this process is often providing very practical support to parents to help deal with issues such as helping them clean up their house, provide furniture, help them to make sure their children are up and ready for school, etc.


    To find out more about the work we do here at With Kids you can visit our website or you can keep up to date with us on our Facebook and Twitter page.



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