Trustees

Being a Trustee with Cumbria Family Support

Established in 1993, Cumbria Family Support works with families with children under the age of 18 in Carlisle, Allerdale and Eden.  A team of 60 volunteers and 14 employed staff offer regular support, friendship, and practical help to families who feel isolated and overwhelmed.  We believe the earlier we can help families who are struggling with the challenges facing them the less likely the family will breakdown or will need more intensive Children’s Services intervention. Our support is the lifeline which prevents crisis, breakdown, and separation.

Our approach is non-judgemental and practical. We work in the family home helping parents build their own support networks, develop strengths and coping strategies which will hold them in good stead for the future.  We support them for as long as we are needed.

The work we do involves:

• Providing a listening ear/befriending support.
• Providing general advice, practical support, emotional support and advocacy.
• Offering parenting support through general advice, role modelling, and use of evidence-based parenting programmes.

Families are referred to us by Social Services, Schools, GPs and from the families themselves. The challenges facing the families include:

• mental health problems
• domestic abuse
• emotional, behavioural, physical wellbeing concerns
• learning disability limitations
• children not attending school
• alcohol addiction or substance misuse
• the impact of rural and social isolation

And at the heart of our organisation are 3 core beliefs:

• A child’s wellbeing is at the centre of all we do.
• Everyone needs help sometimes – we approach all we do without judgement
• Tackling issues as early as possible is the best way to support a family.

We want to see children grow to be functioning, resilient adults who have healthy relationships and play a positive role in their communities.

Listening is second nature to us at CFS.  We recognise that it’s often the thing which gets overlooked the most when working with families with services quick to diagnose a problem and prescribe a solution based on professional opinion.

But listening, really listening, taking the time to be present, parking any opinions and preconceptions, really does make the most profound difference.  It’s a skill that all those who work for CFS whether staff or volunteers have in common, because when you give a parent, a carer, or a child the space to talk and open up and truly listen you stand a greater chance of building a relationship which can deal with situations in the most preventable way possible.

A parent spoke about her experience of support from CFS at our recent AGM.  To quote her:

“I was very reluctant and didn’t want the help but without the non-judgemental support from CFS I believe I wouldn’t have my children with me now, because I’m quite fiery and I would have backed myself into a corner.  I needed help with structures and routines.  I wasn’t technically a bad parent but the people around me weren’t ideal”

We also run 3 child contact centres in Carlisle, Penrith and Kendal, which provide non-resident parents with an opportunity for contact with their child. Our centres provide local children with safe spaces to meet the parents they don’t live with, ensuring relationships can continue with their parents even after the most complicated and acrimonious separations.

Our volunteers are essential to our service and come from a variety of backgrounds with different lived experiences so that we can match them to the needs of individual families.

We have an in-depth knowledge of our communities built up over many years, with established working relationships with statutory and other service providers in the locality.

We are financially secure but like all small charities are heavily reliant on voluntary funding from charitable trusts plus we have grants from the two new District Councils.

We aim to have 10 Trustees and currently have some vacancies.  Our current Trustees include retired social work managers, a community vicar, a family lawyer and a police representative.   We are shortly to be joined by one of our volunteers. We are keen to recruit Trustees with health service or education experience.

We don’t have a parent Trustee, this was a positive choice, as we want to hear from as many parents as possible.  One of our Trustees and a volunteer lead a Parents Forum which brings together parents from across all the localities where we work.  We seek their views on our services, our policies and our strategy and seek feedback when we have made changes.  They have provided invaluable feedback to us.

The Board of Trustees meet every 8 weeks from 5 to 7pm in Penrith, in addition we usually have one strategy or review day a year and staff give us presentations on their work 2 or 3 times a year.  Trustees might also become involved in time limited task groups working with the Chief Officer. Some Trustees take on a lead role in areas where they may have some experience, for example health and safety, safeguarding.

Our meetings focus on how our strategy is being delivered, supporting the Chief Officer, approving policies and ensuring our finances are in good order.  Twice a year we have presentations by staff so that we stay in touch with the work they are doing. New trustees also have an opportunity to spend a day with one of our staff to get a real feel for the support they provide and the challenges the families we support are facing.

For more information about being a trustee please contact Lynsey Buckle, our Chief Officer, by sending an email to lynsey@cumbriafamilysupport.org.uk.