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Board
for Social Responsibility - What do we do?
Hello, my name is Lesley Jenkinson and I have been working
for the Board for Social Responsibility at Blackburn Cathedral
since August. I am working with some of the local schools
in Darwen to support families who are under stress and
as a result the children are not very settled in school
and are not achieving their potential. Lots of agencies
offer "family support" but what exactly is it? I am offering
regular visits to a family by a volunteer who will offer
practical help and be a good listener in order to identify
ways in which the family could solve any problems. This
could be meeting with a debt counsellor, attending a stress
management workshop, discussing local job opportunities
or simply talking through parenting problems and offering
some suggestions from past experience. I would be interested
to hear from anyone in the Partnership who thinks they
might know of a family with school age children who might
like to make use of this service, or from anyone who would
be interested in becoming a volunteer. Other projects
run by the Board for Social Responsibility are the Contact
Centre in Darwen ( and shortly one in Mill Hill) where
children can meet parents or grandparents if they are
unable to see them at home. The centre is run by a Co-ordinator,
Dorothy Parsons, with the invaluable help of volunteers
who attend one Saturday a month. The centre has been a
great success for some families who have been able to
build bridges between estranged family members and have
moved on to meet up within the family home, much better
for the children. The project is welcomed and supported
by local solicitors and family court officials who have
to make the arrangements for contact between children
and parents. The Board for Social Responsibility also
has staff working to help the children of ex-offenders
recently released from prison and being resettled in the
community, and with young people needing supported accommodation
with families. This work also involves volunteers, and
householders who have a room they would be prepared to
rent out to the Supported lodgings scheme. We see all
the above work as opportunities for local people to act
as Christian ambassadors in their local community. In
the past Church members would visit newcomers to the area
and anyone going through a time of trouble, bereavement,
family breakdown etc, and we want to encourage people
to continue to do this.
If anyone would like further information or to discuss
referrals to the different projects, please contact me.
E-Mail
Lesley Jenkinson
Thank you for taking the time to read this article!
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