Every Family Matters, (previously Develop Your Child Foundation) was formed to enable the self empowerment programmes of Develop Your Child to be extended into families and the wider community. The ethos of Develop Your Child is based on:
We believe you are born with unlimited potential. The rigours of life can damage or hide this innate ability and source of energy, which, when re-connected, can fire up empowerment in young people and parents, in fact, everyone. The purpose of Develop Your Child is to support you, your children or the children you work with to re-connect with your innate potential - the wonderful, creative and resourceful you.
The objects for which Every Family Matters is established are:
- To advance the education of the public through training, support and development of self empowerment.
- To develop the capacity and skills of the members of public who are socially and economically disadvantaged in such a way that they are better able to identify, and help meet, their needs and to participate more fully in society.
The Promotion of Community Capacity Building
The work of the organisation is carried out in socially and economically disadvantaged communities. The work is undertaken both in geographical areas of disadvantage and also socially disadvantaged groups. We particularly target families on low income, often unemployed and whose social skills and parenting skills need support and development. We encourage the development of self help groups in communities to continue support for each other at the end of the programmes.
Our particular emphasis is on building confidence and improving relationships in family and community groups to enable individuals and the community to fulfil their potential and achieve their goals. The impact of changes created by the programmes is to increase respect for others, reduce anti social behaviour and improve social cohesion in the community - in short to change the fabric of our society from the inside out.
The work is undertaken through practical programmes of personal empowerment in community settings and the emphasis is on encouraging changes which enable people to help themselves. The participants are encouraged to develop networks of support to disseminate and continue the empowerment process.
Beneficiaries will be identified through a variety of routes. Referral might come from statutory agencies, schools, colleges, voluntary and community organisations, others and via self referral. The criteria for selection are that the charity would engage with any disadvantaged individual or group who express willingness to participate, have a desire to make changes and have barriers to communication, social inclusion and relationship issues.
We can provide training from a different perspective to Government agencies by:
- Providing parents with a positive approach, using focussed life coaching techniques
- Ensuring there is no 'culture of blame'. Traditionally there has not been a cohesive and integrated support structure but, as a registered charity, Every Family Matters is able to support such a network
- Providing a preventative approach fostering emotional literacy, with self-sustainability incorporated into our programmes. Parents have a mistrust of Government agencies because any support received has often been reactive, inconsistent and short-term
- Gaining parental trust. Parents have a real fear that, by asking for help, they risk having their children removed from them
- Using the passion of our facilitators to encourage change and build confidence, motivation and consistency
- Offering an wholistic approach to families - 'holistic' in Governmental terms means supplying the services needed. Our wholistic approach works with the whole person, looking at 'self' and encouraging individuals to trust themselves in their intuition/knowing/sensing
- Educating families in our comprehensive approach, working with the whole family to change the family dynamic to one of respect
- Develop Your Child works with the whole family as a group and individually as required. Historically, it is only in exceptional circumstances that Government agencies work with the whole family unit
Develop Your Child C.I.C makes a contribution of 15% of all revenues to this charity and the contribution will increase as the company grows.
