There will not be a single reader who hasn’t seen first hand the impact of family breakdown. Most parents in these sad circumstances go to huge efforts to try and protect their children, difficult as that may be. However in some cases an “honest broker” may be needed to help arrange contact for the parent who isn’t looking after the child on a day to day basis, effect the hand-over and provide a safe and fun meeting place.
These services are brilliantly provided by the Horsham Child Contact Group. On my visit I was pleased to meet the professional organiser and her staff of deeply committed fully-trained volunteers. The kids and parents were hugely enjoying their time together in a wonderfully relaxed setting. Anyone over the age of 25 can only smart that “soft play areas” were not around when we were of an age to enjoy them! The centre is accredited with the National Association of Child Contact Centres and has proved a huge success for many families over 8 years. They are keen to make other parents aware of the service – and for that matter would be volunteers.
Another group engaged in bringing hope and better outcomes are the local providers of the “Work Programme”. This is the Government scheme to help those who have particular barriers to securing a job or who have been out of work for a prolonged period. Assistance and advice to help them make a breakthrough is provided. One of the two providers locally are Royal British Legion Industries. I had heard about their work at a “round table” I hosted in Westminster earlier in the week and was pleased to accept an invitation to attend their “Employability Day” on Friday. It was good to meet Horsham clients and hear about the skills provided and confidence engendered. On a practical level local firms are increasingly recognising that by approaching the Work Programme direct they have every prospect of discovering excellent and committed employees. It is no surprise that RBLI locally generates some of the best Work Programme results anywhere in the country.