Community Support
PACT runs a number of independent groups which are not affiliated to particular services such as Children’s Centres or Family Centres.
The impetus for establishing these services comes from local communities, since it is local families and perhaps professionals working closely with them, who may identify a need for a local initiative to provide support in the community.
They are run in local community buildings and are shaped to meet diverse community needs, including cultural needs. For example, a young parents group in a small town in Oxfordshire which fills an identified gap in services.
PACT Specialist Support
We operate group support work and 1-2-1 support aimed at specific client groups – addressing the particular needs the group identifies in their community. This work can include elements of housing or parenting work alongside cultural issues or issues arising from exclusion or prejudice.
PACT works in local communities to meet local identified needs targeted to reach disadvantaged families where children may be living in poverty.
PACT aims to provide informal support within the outcome framework of Every Child Matters (ECM) in settings were parents and their children might otherwise feel isolated.
The purposes of these are many but include socialising parents and children, access to other services (both PACT’s and others) through signposting or referral, role modelling of best parenting practice, improved self esteem for adults and children to enable access to mainstream services, access to informal advice and information.
Community Engagement
One of the objectives of this work is to improve the accessibility of services to this client group. Mechanisms for doing this may include advocating on their behalf, working with other agencies to point out and address unseen barriers, developing a resource for the clients to assist them in knowing what services are available. This could involve developing site groups, or identifying link residents to facilitate communication
The purpose of this is to help the clients to link to their surroundings as well as creating surroundings that enable interaction.