Nelson’s Journey supports children under 18yrs who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling or other significant person in their life. Nelson’s Journey aim to: provide a service for in excess of 100 bereaved children and their families a year and to improve the mental health of bereaved children by increasing self confidence and self belief, enabling families to talk openly about death and bereavement and for all children to express and understand their emotions.
We offer a range of services including: thorough assessment of a child’s bereavement needs, advice and information service available to families at and around the time of death, 1:1 therapeutic support and therapeutic weekend camps for those aged 6-13yrs (held in January, May and September) and 14-17yrs (held in July).
Therapeutic weekends provide children with an opportunity to remember their special person, speak to other children about their grief experiences and share memories of the person who has died. Whilst some are remembering people who have died of illnesses such as cancer, many of the young people we see will have experienced the sudden death of a parent, sibling or significant other, sometimes in violent circumstances. It is not unusual for the children to have witnessed these deaths or have been involved in the events immediately afterwards.
We do not charge for our services as we believe that our support should be available to all regardless of their financial circumstances. It costs Nelson's Journey £3,990 (£222 per child) to hold one therapeutic weekend for those aged 6 - 13yrs (not including staffing costs). We usually accommodate 18 children who are supported by up to 20 volunteers.
A series of 1:1 bereavement support sessions cost around £400, these sessions are for children with complex bereavement needs, learning difficulties or behavioural problems. We usually offer 6 sessions but if the child needs further support then we will extend this.
Research into how a significant bereavement can affect a young person has been conducted by the Childhood Bereavement Network (CBN) of which Nelson's Journey is a member. Mental Health - Death and loss are identified as key issues in the risk of children developing a range of mental health problems “The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents”, Office of National Statistics, Meltzer et al (2000). Drugs Use - 47% of 18 year old girls in one study who had experienced the death of a parent had tried drugs, compared to 20% of those living with both parents and 37% of those whose parents had separated. School Exclusion – One study found that 63% of a group of 15-16 year olds outside mainstream schooling had been bereaved of a significant person close to them.
You can watch a 4 minute video on our website which features Becky whose father was killed in a helicopter accident, the film follows Becky on one of our weekends, it will give you a great insight into the work we do.
http://www.nelsonsjourney.org.uk/#/case-studies/4531678636
Leeway is Norfolk’s leading specialist domestic abuse charity, supporting over 4,000 women, children and young people every year. Leeway was established in 1974, and for over thirty years has provided specialist support to women and young people who are experiencing domestic abuse.
Leeway has a range of client based services, our helpline provides advice and support to women and young people, allowing them to seek help and discuss their options. We have three refuges in Norfolk, located in Norwich, Gt Yarmouth and North Norfolk, which offer a safe and secure environment for women and young people to escape from abuse, and provides them with the time, space and tailored support they need.
Our services also operate in the community, through our Outreach service, which offers support to women and young people, whether they are still in an abusive relationship or have recently left. This service provides one to one support, in a safe environment and drop in clinics throughout the county. Our Advocacy service also works in the community, in partnership with Norfolk Constabulary, to prioritise the safety of women and children and to support women who wish to prosecute their perpetrator through the criminal justice system.
All of these services expand to provide a range of specialist support for children and young people, both in our refuges and in the community and are delivered by our Under 16’s team. This service helps children and young people to come to terms with their experiences and also educates children about safe relationships, through Leeway’s educational programme.
£1,000 – 20 drop in sessions in a safe environment for women to seek help. In some cases this can be the only source of help for women to seek advice and support, as many are controlled where they go by their perpetrator.
£2,500 – 6 week Power to Change self help group – this programme would be delivered in our refuges and provides a programme of education and support in a group setting to women who are, or have been, in abusive relationships. This programme helps women come to terms with ther expereicnes and move forward with their life.
£5,000 – One year’s session, once a week for children under the age of 5 in the refuge – this would provide one to one and group support for resident children, to help them come to terms with their experiences and develop effective communication skills.
These funds would enable us to deliver support, which we are currently struggling to fund and would benefit women and young people in Norfolk who are living with abuse.
2011 Charity Rally
