What we offer…

We offer various supported residential programmes including parenting workshops, learning based activities, creative activities, children’s workshops, crèche facilities, individual therapies and social gatherings:

• for families who are in need of expert help because of serious parenting concerns or who have complex issues regarding their family background and their ability to cope with their children’s needs.
• for those families who may be experiencing temporary/ongoing difficulties due to bereavement, illness, anti-social behaviour or any other issue that may isolate or place them in danger of social exclusion.

The family support programmes are flexible and may vary in length from a weekend respite package to a week long residential experience.

Our Extended Programmes

We also offer a three tier programme in the form of week long modules for children and families who would benefit from extended input. This programme emphasises training with specific learning outcomes in parenting skills, effective communication, mutual respect, building self-esteem, confidence, and so forth. There will be continual community support for the families in between this programme which will be in agreement with the family and involved agencies.

Extended parenting and family intervention programmes are designed to meet the needs of the family, for example; those who are undergoing parenting assessments the outcome may be for an extended family intervention programme to be offered to include the whole family group involving both a residential and community experience.

All programmes will be monitored and evaluated by our Research team and feedback from the children and families will be collated and reviewed within the ‘desired outcomes’ framework.

The essence of the residential programme is to learn through personal experience of sharing stories, being together in a group situation, positive feedback, reframing, interaction with the team (modelling) and having fun with other members of their family as well as a wider community. These breaks are created so that each individual in the family can experience something meaningful to take back home.

“Humour is the best medicine”…

We facilitate community meetings during the break and gather every morning to begin the day with inspirational songs, music and games. The morning gathering is a platform for sharing issues that arise throughout the programme and to enjoy sharing of ourselves. We also discuss the daily programme and actively involve the families in deciding how the day will be structured, taking into account their personal requests. Each family will have their own link worker/buddy for the time they are on the Veritas programme who will offer them practical assistance as well as an attentive ear for any issues that arise.

Workshops on:

• positive parenting including personal play and playing with their children
• techniques for managing stress i.e. by using creative visualisation, using the breath, meditation techniques, the importance of physical exercise, (yoga, tai chi) movement/dance etc.
• life-skills, which include cooking/baking, budgeting, socialising, effective communication etc.

Individual and group therapies:

• individual therapies, including personal development, counselling, baby massage, holistic massage, reflexology, indian head massage, healing, and so on …..
• conflict resolution mediation within the families and between group members (learning how to negotiate)
• family constellation sessions; this has been recently introduced as a powerful learning experience about family dynamics introduced in this country by Dr Bert Hellinger, family therapist from Germany

Learning based activities:

• organised nature walks, as well as woodland tracking and survival skills training to develop an awareness of nature and develop a sense of achievement.
• story-telling and fire-making
• trips out to model appropriate social behaviour, e.g. to the local leisure centre, to see a castle, visit the seaside, to a farm and/or to the theatre / cinema etc.
• creative arts including: painting, pottery, lantern-making, clothes recycling, drama, dance and music

Social gatherings:

• participation in circle time, community meetings, morning gatherings when there is the opportunity for everyone to speak in a group whilst being respected and actively listened to
• pampering sessions for the whole group including babies and children and their parents
• evening gatherings to share stories, chill out; a disco evening, pamper night, quiz night, evening story-telling by the fire, playing and singing music together and the tremendous finale of the week: the cabaret evening which is produced and practised during the week. All the families and team members are encouraged to participate (as an act) or at least turn up in fancy dress (clothes are provided). The cabaret evening is always a huge success and a very moving experience.

Other Services:

Alongside the structured parenting workshops we organise and facilitate:-

• a crèche facility for the under fives
• workshops for older children in outdoor activities and creative play
• interactive play sessions with both children and their parents
• each family is allocated a personal keyworker / buddy throughout their stay