Steve Brine MP Visits Winchester Charity Daybreak

Media Release Steve Brine MP Visits Winchester Charity Daybreak

Winchester and Chandlers Ford MP Steve Brine visited Daybreak Family Group Conferences last Friday 23rd October. Daybreak works with children, young people, and vulnerable adults across local authorities in the Southeast, London and the Midlands. A Daybreak Family Group Conference (FGC) Meeting enables the widest possible network of family and friends to come together, hear about the problem, and on their own to make a safe plan to address the issue. Many referrals are for children on the edge of care, and the plan frequently provides a safe alternative to this costly process.

Steve came to the charity’s main office in Colden Common to understand more about the work it undertakes. He met a group of children, adults and their family members who have been helped by their FGC Meeting to make a safe plan for one or more members of their family. Often this has enabled children to avoid coming into the care system, or for an adult to address a life threatening situation, and move on. He was welcomed to the office by Claire Ryan, Chair of the Board of Trustees and Marilyn Taylor, CEO. Steve was introduced to members of the Daybreak staff team and volunteers before hearing directly from children and family members of their lived experience, and their views of their Daybreak family group conference Meeting.

Steve Brine MP talked to members of three families who had taken part in a family group conference meeting. Members of the first family included Sophie, her daughter, Becky, and son, Tom, and godmother Helen. Sophie told Steve:“Daybreak has given me and my family a voice and a new direction for the future, feeling more valued and hoping for a brighter future. It was a great way of realising how much support I have and make plans for my children if the worse happened”. Helen says, “She (Sophie) had a call from a lady, Sarah, from Daybreak. My friend rang me and told me and said she had put my name forward, as well as others. Sarah also rang me, and we met up and talked about what we do next. Finally we have hope and my friend could see light at the end of the tunnel. A year on she still has her children and is in a very happy place and this is all down to Sarah and her team from Daybreak. I personally would like to thank Daybreak for everything they have done for my friend. Thank you again”.

For a second family, Grandmother Lesley shared with Steve that her expected grandchild for whom planning was in place to take her into care on birth was able instead to remain with her mum and dad with daily support from the wider family and services. The arrangement went so well that after 8 months social services closed the case. Lesley says that "my son and his wife kept the baby thanks to Daybreak. If it hadn’t been for Daybreak they wouldn't have their daughter now." She has since become a volunteer advocate for Daybreak, in order to help other children have a voice in their meeting.

For 46 years, Gerie was a victim of increasingly life threatening domestic violence. Her family group conference meeting enabled her to plan to escape this situation with help and support. She has since grown substantially in confidence, becoming a trustee for Daybreak, and now a valued coordinator of meetings for others, as well as a volunteer advocate. Gerie says of her meeting “Instead of a cry in the dark, I was in a meeting where everyone was there to help me, when I thought there was no one who could help me. The FGC empowered me, with my family’s help, to save my life”. Gerie believes that family group conferencing offers an excellent way to address other issues for adults, particularly the current crisis of bed blocking in our hospitals. It would enable the family and friendship network to come together with service providers to make a plan that would provide safe care in the community. The Daybreak team supports this view.

Marilyn Taylor CEO, says that not only do family group conferences enable families to make broad ranging and safe plans for their family member at risk, leading to good outcomes for children and vulnerable adults, but result in significant potential savings for the tax payer.

Steve Brine MP says “I didn’t know about Daybreak before, but now I do I totally get what it is about and I can see it is an absolute lifeline. It was so useful to hear about what they do and I will certainly be discussing their work with the Minister at the Department of Education.”

Since April 2015 Daybreak FGC has already supported 978 children and vulnerable adults and their wider family and friends network.

Some names have been changed to promote confidentiality

Visit http://www.daybreakfgc.org.uk/ for more information.

Photo attached. Caption: Steve Brine MP visiting Daybreak head office in Colden Common meeting families and staff

For images, interviews or more information, please contact Anna Coad on: [email protected] or 02380 696644