Life isn’t easy for many children. The pressures of a difficult personal or home life can make doing well at school feel like a big challenge. Without long term help and support it can be very difficult for a child to see how things can change for the better.
Big Futures Foundation supports children from disadvantaged backgrounds from 5 years old, right through to when they start work. The children come from some of the most disadvantaged communities in England. Many of the parents and children in our
community are socially isolated, often suffer from poor mental health and have very limited financial means. We work in schools to help children and their families improve their emotional wellbeing and life skills. Our goal is to help children succeed in school, in work, and in life.
We provide mental health support through counselling. Children and their parent/carer are offered one to one counselling (separately) with a BACP qualified counsellor. The sessions are tailored to the needs of the individual with common presenting issues including anxiety, low self-esteem, trauma and low mood.
Alongside the counselling, we offer a life skill and resilience programme, delivered though our BFF Family Activity Group. This is held once a week throughout the year (including school holidays) and brings families together to spend time together doing the craft, sporting, outdoor and cultural activities they enjoy as well as giving them the opportunity to try new activities together, learn
new skills, build stronger relationships within the family and with people outside their family who can provide a support structure when times are tough. A life skill element will continue for each child as they age and pass through primary and secondary school.
The activities and opportunities and format will adapt to the needs of the children as they age. Always providing the opportunity for participating in activities they would struggle to have access to, often due to limited financial means, logistics and a reduced
social network.
