St Christopher’s Fellowship Newsletter - Autumn 2014
OPENING DOORS
Shaping support to
meet young
people’s needs
In our Spring newsletter, we told you about our plans
to open three new services to care for young people
in London. We are pleased to announce that these
services, based in Camden, North London, are now up
and running, each day providing support for 25 young
people aged 16 and over.
St Christopher’s is proud to work with each young
person we meet on an individual level to identify their
potential and help them achieve their goals. The three
new services in Camden are designed specifically to
provide tailored support to young people with more
complex issues.
The first new service cares for young people with
learning disabilities and Asperger’s syndrome. The
second provides support to young people with histories
of offending, gang involvement or other specialist needs.
The final service gives a safe place to stay to young
women who have suffered sexual abuse or violence. The
service provides tailored support to help these young
women overcome traumas from their pasts. It also has
additional measures in place to help keep them safe, for
instance there is a taxi service which collects them as
soon as possible if they feel they are in an uncomfortable
situation when out.
At St Christopher’s, young people are at the centre of
all we do. We aim to continually improve and adapt the
care we give to fit in with their ever-changing needs.
This is only possible thanks to your support. Follow us
on twitter at @stchris1870 and on Facebook (search St
Christopher’s Fellowship) to keep up-to-date with how
you are helping change lives each day.
In this issue of Opening Doors
St Christopher’s young people enjoy an outdoor
activities break
Teaching our young people skills for the future
Recordbreaking summer of fundraising
A day in the life of Steve, a St Christopher’s
children’s home manager
St Christopher’s young people
enjoy an outdoor activities break
Due to difficult childhoods and chaotic lifestyles, many
St Christopher’s children haven’t had the same
opportunities as their peers growing up. Many have never
had a holiday before, left the city or borough they come
from or been given the chance to learn new skills in a
different environment.
“I feel that the weekend has changed my life,
opened up new doors and given me a positive
outlook on life”
We want to provide chances for young people to broaden
their horizons and gain fresh perspectives on the world
while at St Christopher’s. This summer, 25 young
people from our services packed their sleeping bags and
suncream and travelled to Essex for an action-packed
activity weekend. They took part in abseiling, climbing,
raft building, archery and rifle shooting. There were also
workshops where young people could share their ideas for
improving St Christopher’s services.
The weekend allowed young people to grow in
independence and confidence. They learned transferable
skills such as teamwork, communication and problemsolving, which will help them move from our services
into independent living. The weekend also offered them
a valuable chance to relax, have fun and build happy
memories of their young lives.
For young people like Daniel, these trips are invaluable.
He said: “I feel that the weekend has changed my life,
opened up new doors and given me a positive outlook
on life. Travelling to new places makes you feel alive and
happy. The trip broadened my horizons by letting me see
other areas of the UK and has given me a new desire to
travel.”
Life-changing weekends like this are only possible due to
donations from our supporters, so thank you for the ongoing support you give to young people.
‘The weekend away changed my life’
Create a brighter future for the next generation
A gift to St Christopher’s in your will can make a profound difference to young
people’s lives in many ways. The leaflet included with this pack gives more
information on how gifts in wills support us. Speak to your solicitor about
supporting St Christopher’s young people in your will.
Teaching our young people skills for the future
At St Christopher’s, our aim is that young people leave
us with the skills and experiences they need to succeed in
living independently. Many have not had the support of
parents or stable families to teach them these skills, so it is
important that while they stay with us, we provide them
with opportunities to develop knowledge and tools to
benefit them in the future.
When Lewis PR offered to run a workshop teaching
our young people about film making and editing, we
were excited to take them up
on the offer. Young people
from our London services
joined colleagues from the
fundraising, marketing
and participation teams to
learn how films can be used
to present ideas and how
editing software can be used
to make short films.
Workshops like the film editing course teach young
people transferable skills which will be very beneficial
to them as they leave our services and move into further
education, training or employment. Since attending
the course, one of the young people, Freddie Gerrens,
pursued his interest in media and is studying to be
an actor, so we will hopefully see his face in films of
the future. Another young person, Mason Picek, has
developed his skills by assisting the fundraising team with
work on this newsletter.
What skills could your organisation
pass on to the young people at
St Christopher’s? Get in touch
with the fundraising team on
0208 780 7800 or
[email protected]
to discuss your ideas.
Chris and Eric go to parliament
St Christopher’s is committed to improving the care
young people receive, both in our services and on a UKwide level. Who better to offer recommendations than
young people themselves?
Two young people from our Camden children’s home,
Chris and Eric, recently attended a meeting in parliament
organised by The Who Cares? Trust to share their
opinions on the care system with MPs. Chris shared his
thoughts on the day:
“Eric and I had a fantastic time in parliament. We
discussed ideas to improve the care children receive in
children’s homes, such as staff that stay at the home for
a week at a time rather than changing shifts each day.
We had a fascinating day learning about the entitlements
of children in care and we would be happy to attend
parliament again any day of the week.”
As well as encouraging young people to share their views
on how services across the UK can be improved, we also
advocate on their behalf. Our recommendations that
young people in children’s homes should be allowed to
stay in residential care until age 21 were recently quoted
in a Commons Education Select Committee report. We
have also been awarded a grant from the Department for
Education Children’s Services Innovation Programme
to develop our care for vulnerable children by taking
inspiration from good practice in services abroad. St
Christopher’s is dedicated to providing the best possible
care for young people and we are excited about the
opportunities these new developments will bring.
Recordbreaking summer of fundraising
Thirteen runners took on the challenge of the
British 10k in London in July to raise money for
the vulnerable young people at St Christopher’s.
Thanks to healthy competition between team
members, they all completed the race in excellent
time.
Hot on their heels were our team of hikers who
climbed the highest mountains in England,
Scotland and Wales in one weekend. They faced
challenging terrains and dense fog but managed
to complete the challenge in just over 24 hours.
Finally, good luck to Vicky Perry, who works in
one of our Bedford children’s homes and is facing
the incredible challenge of cycling from Land’s
End to John O’Groats this September.
Together, the 10k and Three Peaks teams raised
more than £12,000 to support St Christopher’s
young people. The money will go towards kickstarting our new Activities Programme, which will
offer young people opportunities many have never
had, such as visiting an exhibition, attending the
theatre or going on a trip to the beach.
We are proud of the dedication our fundraisers
have shown to creating brighter futures for
vulnerable young people. To find out more about
fundraising for St Christopher’s please contact
the fundraising team on 0208 780 7800 or at
[email protected].
Three of the British 10k runners share their reasons for being
part of the team:
“I was looking for an achievable challenge
for a worthwhile cause.”
Andy MacIntyre, St Christopher’s supporter
“I am interested in helping young people
and wanted to test myself to see how
much I can improve.”
Jetmir Sylisufaj, young person living in a
St Christopher’s service
“I have been amazed to see the great things
St Christopher’s staff and young people
achieve together. Just as I prepared for the
race, staff prepare vulnerable young people
for the challenges and opportunities that
lie ahead.”
Bert O’Donoghue, St Christopher’s Trustee
HANIF BARMA AND PHIL TOWNSEND
ENJOY THE VIEWS OF BEN NEVIS
THE 10K TEAM CELEBRATES
AT THE FINISH LINE
A day in the life of Steve, a
St Christopher’s Children’s
Home Manager
Mason Picek lives in a St Christopher’s 16+ service in
West London. He recently visited one of our children’s
homes to learn about a day in the life of the manager
there. In his own words, this is what happened.
Steve Munn is a Home Manager of a children’s home for
eight young people aged 12-16. I recently spent a day
with the staff team and the young people at the home
and had a great day. However the real reason I was there
was to talk to Steve.
Mason: Did you always want to look after young people?
Steve: No. I qualified as a chef and went to work in
a St Christopher’s children’s home. I kept leaving the
kitchen as I preferred being with the kids. I then realised
I wanted to be a youth worker.
Mason: What is a day in your life like?
Steve: The first thing I do each morning is to help
get the kids off to school. It’s really important for the
children to have a regular routine and that we support
them as much as we can with their education. When I
come back from the school run, I read my emails and
have team meetings with the other staff members. After
school and during the summer holidays there is time for
fun. Next week we are taking the kids on an activities
holiday which will give them a chance to relax and build
strong relationships within the home. Everyone is really
looking forward to it.
Mason: What is the biggest challenge you face every day?
Steve: When working with children, every day is
different and you always have to be flexible and ready
for new challenges. All the staff are here for the young
people and they always come first.
In a children’s home, we can’t replace a child’s family and
we don’t intend to. We make sure the children are safe
and happy. We try our best to make the house a home. I
love the kids. I love them.
Pub gets into fundraising spirit
St Christopher’s has found a valuable supporter in the White Hart Barnes pub
in West London. Starting with a collection at their New Year’s Eve party, the
White Hart has run a range of fundraising events for St Christopher’s, including
storytelling, face-painting and craft days for children.
Partnerships like this are a great way to raise money for the young people we work
with and share the work St Christopher’s does with a wide range of people. Could
your local pub, church or community group run a fundraiser for vulnerable
children? Contact the fundraising team on 0208 780 7800 or at
[email protected] to see how you can help.
FOSTERING FACT FILE
St Christopher’s foster carers come from different
backgrounds, age groups, genders and family situations.
The one thing they all have in common is a desire to
give a loving home to a vulnerable child and help them
reach their potential.
Did you know?
Foster carers can be any age, gender, sexuality or
ethnicity
St Christopher’s welcomes foster carers from all walks of
life. There is no upper age limit to be a foster carer. We
look for people with the energy and the dedication to
look after vulnerable children.
Foster carers don’t need to be married, own their own
home or have their own children
As long as a person has experience with children and the
commitment to helping them achieve their goals, they
can be single or married, renting their home and don’t
need to have children.
Jess is the birth daughter of a
St Christopher’s foster carer. She
shared with us the impact that
fostering has had on her family.
Foster carers work as a team
St Christopher’s Fellowship provides 24-hour support
for all our carers. We train them to tackle any issue
which might arise with a foster child and we hold group
meetings for carers to support and encourage one another.
“My family have been fostering for
five years. It’s almost impossible
for me to imagine the little girl
we foster not loudly singing along to the latest musical
soundtrack, not sitting at the dinner table with us, and
us not having to move a relic of hers out of the way
before sitting down for that dinner. Fostering has been a
life-changing experience both for my family and for the
children St Christopher’s helps to rebuild their lives. It’s
these kids that most need and deserve help.”
Donations from our supporters help foster carers look
after young people
The support you give allows us to train foster carers to
help children and young people overcome their difficulties
and build brighter futures.
Your support helps families like Jess’s take care of
vulnerable children and give them the loving home they
need. If you would like to find out more about fostering,
please call us on 0800 234 6282 or go to
www.stchris.org.uk/fostering.
Jess with her foster
carer mum, Jeanne.
THANK YOU. We are so grateful to everyone who has supported us
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The Batchworth Trust
The Bridging Fund Charitable Trust
Buttle Trust
Fitton Trust
The Gisela Held Settlement
HSBC Future First
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Orange Tree Clinic, Teddington
Paul Hastings
Rodmell Trust
Royal Masonic Trust for Girls
and Boys
• Sainsbury’s, Putney
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Schroder Charity Trust
Souter Charitable Trust
Thomson Reuters
Waitrose, Putney
The Warburtons Trust
White Hart Barnes
If your organisation, company or trust would like to hear more about the work of St Christopher’s and how you can be
involved, contact the fundraising team on [email protected], call 0208 780 7800, follow us on
Twitter (@stchris1870), on Facebook (search St Christopher’s Fellowship) or on our blog at
www.stchristfostering.blogspot.co.uk.
St Christopher’s Fellowship
1 Putney High Street, London SW15 1SZ Tel: 0208 780 7800
Email: [email protected] www.stchris.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 207782. Homes and Communities Agency No. LH1832.
Limited Company No. 321509
Caring for children and young people since 1870