Supporting families to help themselves
Charlotte Goddard
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Glasgow-based charity 3D Drumchapel has supported families in one of the most deprived areas in Scotland for more than 20 years. Charlotte Goddard explores the challenges and keys to success.
Drumchapel is one of the most deprived areas of Scotland with many families facing extreme hardship. Almost half of the area’s children live in poverty while more than half of households with dependent children are single-parent households. Local families struggle with high unemployment, low educational attainment, poor health, high incidences of suicide and self-harm, and a high number of teenage pregnancies.
It is against this challenging backdrop that 3D Drumchapel, which won the award for family support at the CYP Now Awards 2020, aims to realise its ambition of making Drumchapel the best place in Scotland to grow up. Launched in 1997 as a mum and toddler group working with a handful of families, the organisation has expanded to offer a packed schedule of universal and targeted family support from outdoor play sessions to intensive one-to-one work with families.
The stress of poverty can make it hard for parents, preoccupied by difficulties in finding food and housing, to meet children’s emotional needs, affecting their development and future wellbeing. Research shows children from deprived areas tend to do worse at school but parental engagement can make a difference. 3D aims to provide a space where families can deal with issues in their lives, build on strengths, and create robust relationships with their children, which can protect against the impact of adverse childhood experiences. Parents are helped to build their skills, confidence, self-esteem, ability to cope and network of support, while children are given opportunities to play and interact with others.
“We try to encourage families to spend as much positive time together as possible,” says 3D Drumchapel chief executive Sharon Colvin. “A lot of what we do is provide support so parents feel they have the capacity, strength and the space to parent.”
Staff are trained in the Solihull Approach, a way of working that emphasises supporting people to process their emotions, experiences and feelings. “It is about supporting people to be aware of past trauma that is still unprocessed, to deal with that and move forward,” says Colvin.
The key to 3D’s success is without doubt its position at the heart of the community. Children whose parents took them to sessions some years ago are now returning with children of their own. Many parents who have benefited from the programme go on to volunteer and children and families are involved in shaping and informing 3D’s work.
Peer support is built into the project. “We create the space, capacity and time for people to come together and make their own connections, and that is much more valuable than the support we can offer,” says Colvin.
Marion Lindsay, senior children and family worker, cites the example of Space Peer Support, a monthly group for carers of children with additional support needs, which she co-facilitates with a parent. “Her own son has additional support needs, so she totally gets it in a way I will never be able to understand, because she has come through so many of the issues that families are bringing to the table,” says Lindsay.
Jackie Niccolls, service manager for the north west area of Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, has experience of 3D’s work both as a frontline social worker and in her current more strategic role. “It’s something we’re trying very hard to shift, but people often mistrust social workers, which means advice and guidance which is well-intended is often not received well,” she says. “3D doesn’t have that – they are well known in the community.”
Parents might come for a baby massage course or toddler group, and as workers get to know them they can offer other options such as sessions around building self-esteem or children’s first aid courses. All 3D sessions are free. The stability of the organisation means workers can build relationships with families over a long period of time. “We are not going anywhere, so we have got time to travel with the parents at a pace that’s good for them,” says Lindsay. Families can drop in and out of the project as and when they need support.
The pandemic forced 3D to adapt its services to support families facing financial difficulties, struggling with limited space and isolation, and trying to manage the increased pressure on their mental health and family relationships. The team hit the phones, making regular calls to check in and provide the emotional support families had been getting from face-to-face sessions and classes. “People were scared, worried about things, isolated and they just needed to hear a voice on the phone,” says Lindsay.
Practical support included sourcing and distributing hot meals, food supplies, baby formula and food, nappies, fruit and vegetables, pamper packs for parents, tablets and laptops, art and craft supplies and food vouchers to families in need, as well as grants to help with broken-down washing machines and other white goods.
Some sessions moved online while new ones were developed, including a weekly family disco and bedtime stories. “There were some things we tried online and it just didn’t work,” says Lindsay. “For example, baby massage is designed for people to be there in person – they want their baby to meet other babies and they want to meet other people.”
Since 3D first launched, some things have changed for the better in Drumchapel and other things for the worse. “Drumchapel was always at the top of every bad list and at the bottom of every good list,” says John Purves, minister of St Andrew’s Church in Drumchapel and one of 3D’s board of directors. “Now when you look at the statistics that is not always the case, although there are still a lot of people facing significant challenges.”
One thing that has improved is housing – damp tenements with mould growing on walls have been replaced by new houses with gardens, says Lindsay. However, she says there has been an increase in working poverty. “I don’t think food poverty was so prevalent 20-odd years ago – it’s a huge issue now,” she says. “We have a lot of families who are working, some working two jobs, and they are really struggling.”
3D’s 15 paid staff and 33 volunteers are seen as the lynchpin of the organisation. There is a strong focus on training. All staff are trained in child protection and coaching skills, allowing them to support families to identify and work towards their own goals. Individual staff members are trained to facilitate specific programmes such as attachment-based antenatal programme Mellow Bumps and Seasons for Growth, for children who have experienced loss and change. A volunteer development co-ordinator helps the team of volunteers improve their skills and experience.
Partnership working has become increasingly important as the organisation has evolved and grown. “It got to the point where 3D can only do so much,” says Colvin. “We can only really change things for families if we are working in collaboration with partners in social work and education, as one big team.” 3D has driven the development of the Drumchapel Children and Families Network which brings together professionals working with children and their families across all sectors to share best practice, identify gaps, test new ideas and scale these up if appropriate.
Colvin says she is hopeful about the direction of travel when it comes to social policy in Scotland, citing initiatives such as The Promise Scotland, which is responsible for driving the work of change demanded by the findings of the country’s Independent Care Review. “There is a real collective will and momentum about putting resources and time and energy into figuring out what ‘better’ looks like,” she says. “There is work going on around ensuring services are trauma-informed and that’s a piece of work we are bringing into Drumchapel through the Children and Families Network.”
A recent external evaluation of 3D by Community Enterprise, which supports charities and voluntary sector organisations, found partners felt working with the organisation improved outcomes for families and community relationships, made them better able to meet local needs and helped them to move towards preventative strategies. “I have heard my colleagues saying if we could replicate 3D in other areas, it would just be fantastic,” says Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership’s Jackie Niccolls.
Partner organisations felt the removal of children from the child protection register was a key indicator of impact on the lives of local children and families. “If 3D were not there, social worker involvement would increase, because there are cases where they have been able to intervene in families’ lives and make a real difference,” says Niccolls.
The evaluation found 94 per cent of parents, partners, staff and volunteers surveyed rated 3D as “excellent” with six per cent saying it was “good”. Service users said involvement with 3D services affected their lives in several key ways, including increased confidence, self-esteem and resilience, improved family relationships, reduced anxiety and depression and improved child development.
In the end, says Colvin, the role of 3D is to help families to help themselves. “These are families with so much resilience, it just shines out of them,” she says. “It doesn’t matter how hard life knocks them, the resilience people have to keep going and do their best for their families is incredible.”
FACTFILE
3D DRUMCHAPEL
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Launched 1997
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Area covered Drumchapel and surrounding areas in Glasgow
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Aim To provide support, strengthen relationships and empower families to make positive changes
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Services Include intensive family support, parenting classes, outdoor play sessions, issue-based workshops, perinatal sessions, one-to-one support, sessions for children with additional needs, and a bank of baby and children’s clothes and equipment
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Funders Include BBC Children in Need, Glasgow City Council, Foundation Scotland and Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership
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Workforce 15 paid staff and 33 volunteers
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Annual expenditure Around £500,000
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Who is supported This universal service supports around 1,000 people a year including lone parents, out-of-work families or those on a low income, young first-time mothers, families affected by issues including domestic abuse, addiction, health-related problems and marital breakdown
THE SUPPORT WE GOT WAS A LIFELINE
Like many mums, Laura Coleman (pictured above) found lockdown with two lively under-fives very challenging. Her oldest child, four-year-old Lyle, has a diagnosis of autism. “I felt very isolated, it was such a life change and so difficult,” she says.
The support offered by 3D Drumchapel was “a lifeline”, says Coleman, who was made redundant just before lockdown started. “They called twice a week, asking ‘Is there anything we can do?’ and there was no judgment,” she says. “Sometimes I was in tears when the call came.” Practical support such as a hot lunch and activity bags for the children was also extremely welcome.
The family first encountered 3D Drumchapel when Coleman’s health visitor pointed her towards the organisation’s baby massage class in 2018. “My boy needed an operation at 20 weeks,” says Coleman. “I was shown ways to keep him calm so he could settle before he went in.”
The family returned to baby massage with youngest son Lucas. Lyle was able to attend a crèche to allow Coleman to focus on her baby. Lyle has also benefited from a club for families with additional support needs. Meanwhile, Coleman has attended pamper nights for mums and the family has enjoyed autism-friendly pantomime productions. 3D Drumchapel’s classes helped combat the isolation that comes with being a new parent, she says. “I am still friendly with parents I met at baby massage.”
The fact classes are free for everybody, whatever their income, is a huge bonus, she says. Despite having not attended a session for a while, as her boys are now in school and nursery, Coleman knows 3D Drumchapel is still there for her family. “They’re always there for the parents as well as the kids,” she says. “It makes a big difference. Drumchapel would be lost without them.”
13 STEPS TO RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICE
By Sharon Colvin, chief executive, 3D Drumchapel
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Build a good team
A good recruitment process is key. Skills and experience are important but these can be gained. The most important thing is to bring people into your organisation who have the right values and fit with the ethos of the organisation. -
Keep relationships at the heart of everything you do
The golden thread through all our work is to show families they are valuable and they matter. We do home visits and phone and text families – as well as seeing them at sessions – to check they are okay. -
Support families to tell their own stories
Everybody has their own story. We support parents to articulate their stories and process their journeys and what has happened to them. Often their feelings about themselves go back to their relationship with their own parents in childhood. Many of our parents have experienced adverse childhood experiences.
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Be flexible, adaptable and always persevere
It is important to deal with what is in front of you and sometimes the best laid plans must be put to the side. At 3D, our family workers support families with whatever is required at the time. Sometimes it may be just sitting with a family and listening rather than delivering the session that was planned or practical support like helping clear up from a flood or clean the house. We have a 100 per cent completion rate for families doing the Triple P parenting course as our family workers adapt and do what is required to get people to the end of the course even if it takes twice as long to get there.
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Use a coaching approach
It is important to support families to identify their own goals, barriers and solutions. It is not our job to fix anything but to journey alongside families and help them achieve their own outcomes. All our team are trained in the coaching approach and this is a really important foundation for our work.
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Create the space for peer support
The best support families get is from each other. Our role is to create the space for this to happen. We have some specific peer support groups however, making the space for chat and connection is an essential part of all our sessions. Many who come to 3D are isolated and do not have a support network. At 3D they become part of a family and know they belong.
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Build your network
Make time to have a coffee and create and keep connections with partners. On your own you can only do so much but with other organisations and sectors working together you can do more. Keep partners updated on your service and programme and make referring to your organisation as easy as possible. Our local health visiting team are great at telling all the families they visit about 3D services. We are also based in the local antenatal clinic in Drumchapel every Monday morning to speak directly to expectant parents and invite them to 3D services.
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Create pathways
Many of our parents become our volunteers. Two of our current staff team were volunteers with us first before they were employed. We also have a service called Bairn Necessities which is run entirely by our own parents and volunteers. This redistributes children’s clothes and goods to families who need it. These opportunities create pathways for our parents to gain new skills, experience and confidence.
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Explain the “why” to parents
At 3D we model attachment and bonding but it is also important to explain to parents the “why” behind what we do such as the importance of eye contact and talking to your child for good brain development. We use the Five to Thrive approach and explain the building blocks of this to parents. We also deliver the Solihull Understanding Your Child course, which explains brain development and attachment.
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Think about your language
Use of language is so important. We do not talk about clients, referrals or cases. We talk about families and people.
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Diversify your funding
Try to pull in funding from many different sources. Don’t rely on one or two sources only because if these disappear then so does your service. At 3D, we have around 30 different sources of funding and do our own fundraising. We have also built good relationships with our funders and keep them regularly updated about our work.
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Use social media to your advantage
Social media is a great tool to get information to families and partners. We currently have more than 2,500 followers on our Facebook page. We use Facebook to connect with families and Twitter to connect with our partners and funders.
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Look after yourself.
Supporting families can be emotionally draining. It is important to look after yourself and fill your own cup. Good team support and robust support and supervision processes are crucial.
3D FUTURES
NEW PROJECT TO SHARE LESSONS LEARNED
3D Drumchapel has acquired a lot of learning, skills and expertise over the years. The newly launched 3D Futures initiative will enable the organisation to share this with other groups, empowering and supporting them to design and deliver their own community-based models of family support.
This might take the form of training, consultancy or mentoring, says 3D Drumchapel chief executive Sharon Colvin. “It is about building capacity in other communities and journeying with them as they take their own path,” she explains.
The charity is developing resources including a family support manual and a toolkit, which will include templates which organisations can adapt to develop their own policies and procedures. “The resources could be part of the package of tailored support that we develop for each community, or you could just order them separately online,” says Colvin.
The first phase of the project will be a one-day training course which is set to launch this Christmas, with a six-month course planned for next year.
The fees charged by 3D Futures will cover the cost of the project and also generate income for the rest of the charity, says Colvin.