Sometimes the world can be daunting. We’ve all experienced moments when we’re faced with things we’ve never done before, meeting new people or making difficult decisions.  

For many young people, having someone to share those daunting moments with can be an important lifeline. Now, our new CAN programme is making those connections possible.  

Supporting young people to become confident adults 

Relaunching for 2022 across the North East, after the life-changing impact made in the 2020 Newcastle programme, CAN: Confident Adults Northeast will connect 48 young people to mentors who can support them with the transition to adulthood.  

The programme offers 16 to 25 years olds the opportunity to access support to overcome diverse barriers that may be stopping them from moving forward in their lives. This could mean a helping hand settling into independent living, having someone to join them attending community activities, or exploring with them what they want to do with the next chapter in their lives.  

“I find it easier to talk to someone who knows me less – there’s no judgement then.” 

The impartial guidance the team and mentors can provide is an important part of the impact of the programme, offering young people a friendly, confidential sounding board. This may include how to approach things many of us learn from our families, friends and support networks, such as setting up bills, accessing health services, searching for jobs, or managing budgets.  

Chris Griffin took part in the programme in 2020 after his Grandma passed away, leaving him with growing debt and at risk of homelessness. With his mentor, Ricky, by his side, he took action to resolve his situation, organising ID, opening a bank account and, finally, accessing debt relief. 

Chris explains, “Before coming to Children North East I had no idea how to be an adult at all. I had no experience of the outside world and I didn’t really know how to get things done. But through Ricky, I was able to get a bank account and sort my finances out which enabled me to get my flat.” 

Being able to tap into someone with experience of navigating adulthood separate from the rest of his life was important to Chris. He comments, “Friends are fine, but in my case, I find it easier to talk to someone who knows me less – there’s no judgement then.” 

A problem shared can be a problem halved  

Leading the programme is Kate Sandberg, CAN Project Coordinator, who has worked on the frontline of youth support for 18 years, including 6 years with our Young People’s Services team.  

Kate comments, “I am incredibly excited to share that CAN is launching across the North East for 2022. Every young person deserves the opportunity to access support and guidance as they make the transition to adulthood, and mentorship offers a safe space to ask difficult questions, explore options and grow the confidence to access new opportunities.” 

Mentors will be carefully paired with young participants based on interests, experience, and the situation they are navigating. Many find the experience deeply rewarding.  

Kim Ross, for example, is a mum of two who was paired with Omar Akram as part of the 2020 programme. New to independent living, she provided an experienced voice as he settled in, on hand to provide advice on household tasks such as using the washing machine and helping him apply for jobs. 

Kim explains, “It’s really nice to see how the young people progress. They might be starting from a place where they feel stuck and can’t move forward and then they make these little steps – it’s a really nice experience to know you’ve helped them in that way.” 

“I’d say it’s probably a 50-50 relationship where the person who’s volunteering is getting as much out of the experience as the person they’re working with.” 

The Confident Adults Northeast programme has been made possible by the support of a generous private donation from a couple. One of the benefactors commented, “We have been fortunate in our lives to have had the support of different people and have been given the opportunities to follow what we want to do in life. If we can, we would like to help young people benefit from the kind of support we had.”  

To learn more about CAN: Confident Adults Northeast, taking part in the programme or becoming a mentor, read about the programme on our website. 

Read Olivia and Georgia’s story >

Children North East and its South Tees Arts Project (STAR) partners are delighted to announce that their initiative to improve the health and wellbeing of disadvantaged children in South Tees has been shortlisted for ‘Most Impactful Project Addressing Health Inequalities’ at the HSJ Partnership Awards 2022, recognising their outstanding contribution to healthcare and NHS collaboration.

Over 190 entries were received for this year’s Awards, which will announce overall winners on 24^th March.

HSJ commented, “STAR was shortlisted, ahead of the official awards ceremony to be held on 24^th March. Standing out amongst tough competition from hundreds of other exemplary applicants, STAR has been selected based on their ambition, visionary spirit and the demonstrable positive impact that their project has had on children, young people and their families living in some of the most deprived communities in Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland.

The collaborative project was initiated by the North East and North Cumbria Child Health and Wellbeing Network, whose vision is that all children and young people should be given the opportunity to flourish, reach their potential and be advantaged by organisations working together. The programme was developed in conjunction with Northern Ballet, and is being delivered by key regional partners, including frontline organisations, local primary schools, academic researchers, and the South Tees public health team.

Martin Wilson, Executive Director at TIN Arts comments, “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for ‘Most Impactful Project Addressing Health Inequalities’, recognising the collaborative efforts and dedication of the project team over the last twelve months to successfully implement STAR. We are committed to improving outcomes for children and young people, and to be chosen among the other incredible nominees is a wonderful achievement.  This nomination has been a tremendous boost for all project partners, and I am sure it will bolster our continued efforts to spread the success of the initiative to other under-served communities.”

Learn more about the STAR project in the launch announcement.

Photography by Ian Paine

Over the past three months, thousands of residents, commuters and visitors using Tynemouth Metro Station have found a surprise waiting for them.

At the heart of the beautiful station canopies, as travellers cross the iconic footbridge, a history of Children North East in the seaside town is on display to the public.

In collaboration with Vistry Partnerships and Mott MacDonald, the Tynemouth exhibition is part of the charity’s 130^th Anniversary celebrations and shares insights into the early beach trips of the 1890’s and its infamous Sandcastle Challenge.

The exhibition was thought up as a creative way to keep alive the legacy of the Sandcastle Challenge, which has been run for over 25 years, after the pandemic stopped it from going ahead in 2021. The annual Challenge usually sees over 1,700 children descend onto Tynemouth beach to show off their building skills and compete for a coveted trophy, with local businesses teaming up to provide a helping hand.

Hayley Bell, Social Value Coordinator at Vistry Partnerships, commented, “We have been proud supporters of the Challenge for the last eight years, so it felt important to work with Children North East to celebrate the Sandcastle Challenge during their Anniversary year. Vistry are passionate about playing an active role in local communities and it spoke to those values to remind people that the community is still here, even if we can’t be on the beach together building sandcastles.”

In the spirit of the challenge, schools were asked to build bridges, with the winning designs included as part of the exhibition display. Students from Broadway Junior School in Sunderland, Cotherstone Primary School in Barnard Castle and St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Jarrow took the top prizes.

One student commented, “We made solar panels to light up the bridge at dusk and at midnight, if anyone wanted to do a midnight bridge walk! It was really good fun making the bridge and we are very proud!”

Bridges were chosen for the challenge, not just because of the location of the exhibition, but because long-term supporters of the challenge Mott MacDonald are gearing up to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of another North East icon which they designed: The Tyne Bridge.

Leanne Nicholson, Business Development and Marketing Lead at Mott MacDonald, comments, “It’s been great to see students across the North East harness the spirit of Sandcastle Challenge by putting their problem-solving and creativity to the test in the bridge challenge. Mott MacDonald believe that the bright young minds of today will be the inventors and engineers of the future, which is why we choose to support organisations like Children North East, that work to give every child the best possible stat in life.”

If you would like to see the exhibition, it will be running until the end of January 2022 at Tynemouth Station footbridge.

Children North East celebrated our 130-year anniversary in 2022.

Children North East are pleased to share the appointment of two new leadership roles.

Meet our new Deputy Heads of services

Rachel Leslie has been appointed as Deputy Head of Youth Services and Poverty Proofing and Mandy Brown as Deputy Head of Families and Parenting. The two join our newly appointed Heads of services, and will help take our 2021 strategy forward, in collaboration of the Operations Director and Senior Leadership Team.

Rachel Leslie comes into post from her role as Youth Counselling Team Manager, in which she led our provision of counselling for young people aged 9 to 25 through a range of specialist programmes, such as NHS mental health provision, support for victims of crime and an innovative project utilising Minecraft. Mandy has spent nearly a decade leading services for families in North East communities, working in areas including child safeguarding, therapeutic support, domestic violence and help for families in crisis.

A new landscape of need for young people

As we enter 2022, we enter a new landscape of need for babies, children, young people and their families. The Youth Services and Poverty Proofing Team is faced with a context in which young people are facing significant difficulties. 37% of North East children live in poverty ¹, whilst one in six report a diagnosable health condition ² (two years ago this was one in eight). Bringing to life the scope of need for the team’s services, ‘in an average classroom, ten children will have witnessed their parents separate, eight will have experienced severe physical violence, sexual abuse or neglect, one will have experienced the death of a parent and seven will have been bullied’ ³.

Rachel Leslie comments, “I am thrilled to have been appointed as Deputy Head of Youth Services and Poverty Proofing. For the last 15 years, I have been privileged to witness the excellent work all of our teams at Children North East deliver to make a real difference in babies, children, young people and families’ lives.

“Working within Young Peoples Service, and in particular the counselling team, has allowed me to understand the growing complexity and needs children and young people face. This is an exciting time for Young Peoples Service and Poverty Proofing. I am passionate about the work we do and I am determined to strengthen and support the commitment Children North East have made to enable our vital work to continue.”

A helping hand for families in times of need

Whilst the Youth Services team supports young people to deal the impact of negative experiences and create new, positive ones, the Families and Parenting team are focused on giving babies and children the best possible start in life. In the year before the pandemic, there were 643,000 child social care referrals in the UK and almost 390,000 children were on CPPs at the beginning of 2021⁴.

These statistics cover a range of challenges that families may face and which can often be reduced with the right support. For example, 15% of babies do not have an emotional connection with a supportive and nurturing adult⁵, something our Little Minds in Mind therapeutic service can help new parents and carers to develop. Another example is the potential for new parents with a disability to be seen as a risk to their child. In this instance our can work closely with the family and CSC to ensure all possible pathways of support have been explored to keep them together.

Mandy shares, “Working within the Families and Parenting team at Children North East for nearly 9 years as a Team Manager, I have seen first-hand the incredible impact our services and support has on the lives babies, children and families in the North East.

“In my new role as Deputy Head of Families and Parenting, I will continue to work with such a passionate and dedicated team who continue to provide high quality support to babies, children and their families. I look forward to seeing the service grow and reach more people across our region with the helping hand they need to overcome what are often the most difficult moments in their lives or relationships.”

¹ https://www.nechildpoverty.org.uk/facts/

² https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/81/health-and-social-care-committee/news/159548/mental-health-services-for-children-and-young-people-risk-backward-slide/

³ https://mhfastorage.blob.core.windows.net/mhfastoragecontainer/b43d749d355eea11a811000d3ab82d69/Youth%20Two%20Day%20Statistics%2015012020.pdf?sv=2015-07-08&sr=b&sig=3g8G%2BpXpqfWtp8nUjF%2BqnMqQbKhDTniIxkSBSOCxwF0%3D&se=2021-12-16T17%3A31%3A45Z&sp=r

⁴ https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2021/11/04/number-of-children-in-need-falls-for-third-straight-year-to-lowest-point-since-2013/

⁵ https://parentinfantfoundation.org.uk/why-we-do-it/relationship-difficulties/

⁶ https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2018/september/disabled-parents-often-seen-risk-their-children-rather-given-support-warns

Shoppers and diners at John Lewis Eldon Square will be treated to an exhibition of photographs from Children North East supporters, as a display of our photography competition winners goes up in-store this week!

The images of North East landscapes and wildlife were chosen from over 200 entries to be featured in our 2022 fundraising calendar, which is currently on sale from our online shop.

Situated on the second floor in the ‘The Place to Eat café, exhibition visitors will be treated to a mix of inspiring images. If you head down, expect to see snaps of our region’s beautiful coastline, close-ups of nature, and a snow-topped Jesmond Dene.

Winners of the photography competition were chosen by a team of judges, made up of Leigh Elliott, our Chief Executive; Denise Wray, Partnership and Community Coordinator at John Lewis & Partners; photographer James Fortune; and the FAB (Fabulous and Brilliant) Group, a collective of young people with disabilities who meet at our Young People Services.

Billie Jenkins, Marketing and Communications Manager at Children North East commented, “It has been very exciting to have John Lewis support our work by gifting us this fantastic space, which we are using to celebrate our supporters and share our fundraising work. We are incredibly grateful for our longstanding relationship with Denise and the team, who have been wonderful collaborators and champions of the charity.”

All proceeds from the 2022 calendar will support babies, children, young people through the most difficult circumstances.

If you can’t make it to the John Lewis Eldon Square store, you can view the winning photographs on our website, or order a copy of the calendar through our shop.

When Emily Martin joined us as Head of Finance during the 2020 lockdown, she probably expected her time supporting the charity would be spent organising bills rather than climbing hills. But, after becoming part of the family here at Children North East and seeing our work first hand, she signed herself, her husband and her two sons up for our Hadrian’s Wall fundraising walk.

Taking on the challenge of trekking 130 kilometres over the summer of 2021 is no mean feat, but it’s even more impressive when you’re aged 9 and 11. However, her boys were fearless, even when faced with a final 55km hike over three days along the actual Hadrian’s Wall.

Emily says, “I’m so proud of the boys, they embraced the whole challenge. We had many laughs and made some amazing memories along the way. We took on big distances but seeing their perseverance kept Joward and myself going. We also have to say a huge thank you to the friends and family who joined us for parts of the walk.”

The family walked the full 130km over eight legs, which took in the beautiful landscapes of Northumberland and Cumbria.

“The boys are too young to understand fully the specialist work that Children North East do but we’ve talked about the fact that some young people don’t have the same experiences and opportunities as others and they were keen to do something that could help.”

Emily and her family raised an incredible £2,000 thanks to support from friends, family and Joward’s employer Bellway Homes, who match funded their efforts with a £1,000 donation, as part of their employee fundraising pledge.

“We have been really blown away by the generosity of the people who sponsored us. I think one reason is that the mission of Children North East is something anyone can get on board with. Everyone deserves a childhood that is safe, healthy and happy, and which doesn’t limit their opportunities in later life. This money will fund services that help make that possible.”

We couldn’t tell you the Martin’s story without sharing a few of the hits, dedicated by their supporters, on their hiking playlist, which included the very fitting tunes ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Queen, ‘One Step Beyond’ from Madness and The Proclaimers’ track ‘500 Miles’. If you’re hinting your next challenge will be 500 miles Emily, we’ll be cheering you on! There is still time to donate to Emily’s fundraiser on the Give Penny site.