Working together to help families
Working together is critical to the success of Longmead. Central to this is the willingness of families to get involved and participate in the activities at Longmead as well as being open to reflect on their individual family circumstances.
The willingness of a raft of dedicated volunteers enables Longmead to exist and continue to work with families. Each comes with their own skills and experiences and enriches Longmead so that it can better help families who come to stay.
Many families are referred to us by local authorities. Dorset County Council send families through the route of Continuum using funding from the troubled families initiative. We also have a contract with Borough of Poole Social Services that allocates a weekend per month for troubled families.
To best help each family, we partner with others, such as: CAP, giving advice on budgeting and debt, Mothers Union offering family holidays, SMILE working with single parents, BCHA working with families affected by domestic violence and The Bus Stop Club working with families struggling with poverty.
Words from a Longmead guest
“And also mucking in with the routine, we don’t do that at home. There’s no excuse for no routine, write it down, who does what on a rota, we could do that, and maybe a menu.”