SME News Northern Enterprise Awards 2023 / 116 Best Kinship Family Support Charity 2023 - North East Based in Sunderland, More Than Grandparents is an independent registered charity run by, and for, kinship carers and their families. We find out more from the charity’s CEO in the wake of it celebrating a win in the Northern Enterprise Awards 2023. Kinship families are usually, but not limited to, grandparents who are raising their grandchildren because they cannot live with their birth parents. As there is no statutory responsibility for local authorities to support kinship families, they therefore are usually denied support from children’s social care which means that they are often left struggling to cope with their child’s trauma, struggling to cope with their children’s extremely challenging behaviour, struggling to manage very difficult relationships with birth parents, struggling to supervise contact between the parent and the child, struggling financially and, often, struggling additionally to manage their own life-limiting health conditions. This is where charity, More Than Grandparents, comes into play. “Kinship carers also often have other caring responsibilities such as caring for a sick or elderly partner or parent or caring for other grandchildren whilst their parents are at work,” elaborates Melanie Nichols, the charity’s CEO. “Many are struggling to raise children on their pensions and, often, those who are of working age are forced by authorities to give up work to care for the children and those who do continue to work often find that this is unmanageable because of the complex needs of their children.” Currently supporting around 400 families across the north east, who are collectively raising more than 347 children, most say if it was not for the support of More Than Grandparents they do not feel they would have been able to continue caring for their children and they would have been returned to the care system. “There are no other organisations delivering kinship specific support in the north east,” Melanie continues. “We pride ourselves on delivering support that meets the needs of the family as a whole. Above all else we go above and beyond for our families to help keep children with their birth family, keep them out of the care system and to give them hope for the future.” Melanie herself raises four of her own grandchildren alongside her husband, so has a great understand of kinship care needs and connects with carers on a personal level. There is a great sense of family within the organisation and all the carers feel that they are connected to something special. More Than Grandparents supports kinship carers by offering 1-2-1 support, advice and guidance on a range of issues, such as care proceedings, financial entitlements, housing, contact arrangements, and children’s behaviour etc, plus training is also offered on a wide range of issues such as trauma, behaviour, first aid, and volunteering opportunities. Working in partnership with numerous community organisations, the charity is able to signpost refer carers as appropriate and also provides options for peer support with the aim of bringing carers together for mutual support to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness, and promoting positive mental wellbeing. In addition, the charity arranges social events, bringing families together in recreational activities which gives carers the opportunity to learn a new skill and to take part in a diversionary activity to give them a little respite from their complex daily lives. It also offers opportunities for short term respite through relaxation sessions and pamper sessions giving the carer feelings of vitality and self-worth, self-confidence and self-esteem, building resilience that reduces feelings of overwhelm so they can continue caring for their children, reducing the risk of the children being returned to the care system. “In addition to supporting kinship carers, we also support the children by providing activities aimed at fostering and improving attachments between the carers and the child which helps to diminish some of the challenging behaviours we see in kinship children,” comments Melanie. “We provide outings, recreational activities and social events which allows the children to come together with other kinship children to reduce feelings of difference, isolation and loneliness thus promoting positive metal wellbeing.” Recently, in recognition of its dedication and commitment to the kinship cause, More Than Grandparents was named Best Kinship Family Support Charity 2023 - North East in the Northern Enterprise Awards 2023. Now currently looking to move into bigger premises to accommodate the growing number of families, the future is looking bright for the charity with its long-term goal being to acquire a building for the sole purpose of supporting its kinship families and to further develop its infrastructure. Contact Details Contact: Melanie Nichols Company: More than Grandparents Web Address: [email protected]
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