A Quiet Place ® Cocoon

Nurturing Families
A new approach to fostering

What is Cocoon?

It is an intensive family support programme. It is a bridging service between fostering and respite that offers an effective programme of developing support for children in both short and long term. It offers a 'no blame' educational approach to these hard to reach families.

After many years of experience working with families in areas of high deprivation through A Quiet Place ® programmes in schools this additional programme may enhance the work already being done to support families under stress before the ultimate sanction of removal from families is put in place.

The programme is targeted within the community and will provide a wrap around service co-ordinating, where possible with other services, to help maintain children within their families.

This will be a unique service and centred on the needs of the family. The criteria will be children whose parents have post natal depression, depression, mental heath, addictions and anxiety states. These difficulties can leave children vulnerable and at risk of social exclusion, criminality, exploitation and neglect. Cocoon can be used as a calculated way of boosting positive characteristics in both children and carer, modifying aspects of their behaviour and unblocking the barriers which are preventing them progressing. It will build their capacity to learn, their appreciation of themselves and others, their readiness to meet challenges and their sense of hope and fun.

In some areas of deprivation there are over 30% of the population registered with their G.P.'s with mental health problems. This is inevitably going to affect the ways these families parent, as basic survival is often just about all they are able to manage. Sometimes a child may even become the informal and unrecognised 'carer' for their parent.

Research from those who have been taken into care reports that they wish there parent had had as much money spent on support at home as has been spent keeping them in care...

Aims:

To address the needs of families with a 'no blame' approach, who generally have great difficulty accessing services for a variety of reasons including:

  • Severe stress factors
  • Mental health
  • Learning difficulties

Outcomes

  1. To provide an intensive programme of effective family support
  2. To maintain children at home with their families
  3. To mentor and support families under stress
  4. To educate families in effective parenting skills

The project is targeted within the community and will provide a wrap around service co-ordinating, where possible with other services, to help maintain children with mental health problems.

This will be a unique service and centred on the needs of the family. The criteria will be children whose parents have post natal depression, depression, learning difficulties, mental heath issues, addictions and anxiety states. These difficulties can leave children vulnerable and at risk of social exclusion, criminality, exploitation and neglect. Cocoon can be used as a calculated way of boosting positive characteristics in both children and carer, modifying aspects of their behaviour and unblocking the barriers which are preventing them progressing. It will build their capacity to learn, their appreciation of themselves and others, their readiness to meet challenges and their sense of hope and fun.

Coccon™ offers:

  1. A layered approach to family support both short and long term
  2. A service led by family concerns and needs.
  3. A holistic package that provides whole family support and does not discriminate and treat the child as the scapegoat!

A differentiated approach is crucial to success otherwise successful communications will not take place and therefore maximise the success, retention and sustainability of early intervention.