A new family centre has opened in Tandridge to offer local families a range of support options.
The centre, which is being run by children’s charity Barnardo’s on behalf of Surrey County Council, offers support to the most vulnerable families with children aged 0 – 11 years, across Tandridge, providing individual outreach to families wherever it best suits their needs.
This could be in the family home, at local community venues or in the family centre itself, which will be based at Hurst Green Infant School until a permanent building has been found.
Mary Lewis, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, said:
“I am so pleased to have a well-known charity like Barnardo’s bringing their expertise to Tandridge. We have created a network of family centres around the county which support children right up until they’re 11, rather than five as now. Most importantly our service will be based on outreach so that we can target the families most in need of support and provide help for them close to home.
“By targeting our resources more effectively, we can provide help early on and prevent problems escalating. We will work with families to bring about change so that they do not need more high level services later on.”
Families must be referred through Surrey Children’s Single Point of Access for this service. The centre will help parents and families recognise and build on their own strengths so they can manage independently in the future.
In addition, the centre will be offering a range of group work programmes either face to face or virtually. Families can refer themselves directly or can be referred by a practitioner or professional for example by a health visitor, school, or a GP. The groups may include support and advice about postnatal depression, parenting and behaviour, domestic abuse, substance misuse or mental health, and will be delivered in local communities. The centre will also be able to signpost families to activities being run in the community by other organisations.
Lucy Ivankovic, Barnardo’s Assistant Director of Children’s Services said:
“We are delighted to be providing support to children and families across Surrey. Barnardo’s has a wealth of experience working with families and our skilled practitioners will be on hand to advise on a range of issues. Offering targeted support in this way means that we will be working with those people in the community who need us the most which is so important. This is a fantastic opportunity to have a really positive impact for families in Surrey.”
Posted from Surrey News
