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Category: News

28 Sep, 2023News

The For Baby’s Sake Trust is looking for a driven Communications Manager (closing date 25 October)

by Kelly

The For Baby’s Sake Trust is looking to recruit a Communications Manager. We seek an individual who shares our vision to break cycles of domestic abuse and give babies the best start in life by working with the whole family. You will have the experience, skills and passion to lead our communications strategy, and help transform public awareness of The For Baby’s Sake Trust.

You will understand the requirement of charities to share their message with vision, purpose and sensitivity, working with colleagues across all teams to understand and share the incredible, life-changing work of The For Baby’s Sake Trust.   You will create and curate content, enjoy storytelling, and be confident in networking and forming relationships with others. 

You will create and share a range of lead content across different channels, managing our newsletter and e-bulletins, expanding reach to different audiences across our social media channels, updating the website, and developing our press and media strategy.  You will also support the team with public awareness campaigns, and fundraising appeals.

For an opportunity to discuss this vacancy informally, please contact Lauren Seager-Smith, CEO, on laurenseager-smith@forbabyssake.org.uk.

For further details and to apply please visit CharityJob

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27 Sep, 2023News

We are delighted to be recruiting two For Baby’s Sake Therapeutic Practitioners (closing 12 October)

by Kelly

We are recruiting two For Baby’s Sake Therapeutic Practitioners to deliver For Baby’s Sake, one in each of the well-established teams working across the Eastern region which includes Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire and the London & Southern team. The post will be home based with some elements of hybrid working.

The position is full-time on a permanent contract. Full details, including the job description, person specification and background briefing information can be found in the relevant attachments. There will be an expectation of occasional travel to Stevenage or London.

For an opportunity to discuss this vacancy informally, please contact either: Judith Rees, Director of Operations, The For Baby’s Sake Trust at judithrees@forbabyssake.org.uk 07718247663 or for the Eastern Region team Brenda Evans, Therapeutic Lead & Team Manager at brendaevans@forbabyssake.org.uk on 07702538068 or for the London & South team at ronniestockton@forbabyssake.org.uk on 07718578438.

For further details and to apply please visit CharityJob

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04 Jul, 2023NewsPartnershipsPublicity

Marriotts students raise ÂĢ1000 for The For Baby’s Sake Trust with First Give

by Vandana Alimchandani

First Give are a National Charity that works with supporters and partner schools to inspire young people to make a positive change in society. Together, they have empowered over 160,000 young people to make a difference to thousands of charities across England and Wales.

Marriots School in Stevenage recently held a First Give competition for the children to present their understanding of a chosen charity. Class 8A , Brianna, Gabriella, Lerya, Jamie & Maria under the leadership of their teacher Alice Sweeney chose For Baby’s Sake as their charity to represent.

The children met with Steve Gibbs, For Baby’s Sake Senior Practitioner and created their own presentation for the final in front of five independent judges. Prior to this they had researched the charity , held an event in school which raised over ÂĢ30 and gave an amazing verbal and PowerPoint presentation to the judges. So much so they won first prize and ÂĢ1000 for the For Baby’s Sake programme.

Steve from For Baby’s Sake visited the children after the event and congratulated them on their success and thanked them for the grateful donation of the ÂĢ1000.

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09 May, 2023NewsPartnershipsPublicity

Welcoming Lauren Seager-Smith as CEO of The For Baby’s Sake Trust

by Kelly

We are delighted to welcome Lauren Seager-Smith as our new CEO.  Lauren was previously Chief Executive at Kidscape, the charity that provides help with bullying.  She joined The For Baby’s Sake Trust on 9 May.  Lauren has a great range of skills and experience and a trauma-informed, whole-family ethos.  

Lauren Seager-Smith said:

“I am delighted to be taking up the role of CEO of The For Baby’s Sake Trust.  I’ve worked with children and families for over twenty years, and there is nothing more important than the relationships we have with others – whether at home, school, or in the wider community.

As a parent myself, I understand how our history and our stories impact how we care and relate to others, and we all need support on the journey. It will be a privilege to lead a team providing innovative, trauma-informed support to families.  The services that The For Baby’s Sake Trust provides have the potential not only to transform the lives of the babies and families directly supported, but generations to follow. “

Dame Lin Homer, Chair of Trustees, said

“We are looking forward to welcoming Lauren Seager-Smith as CEO of The For Baby’s Sake Trust.  Lauren is a highly respected charity leader, bringing skills and experience for the next phase of our journey, including income generation and organisational growth, along with passionate commitment and transferrable experience of improving lives for children and families.

Dame Lin added,

“The appointment of Lauren Seager-Smith as CEO also enables Amanda McIntyre to move into a vital new role as Deputy CEO, focused on the next phase of building and sharing our evidence about what works, to support the expansion of For Baby’s Sake and influence wider practice, policy and systems.”

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02 May, 2023Publicity

Update on our work towards a common outcomes approach for all children

by Vandana Alimchandani

The Trust’s partnership work, including our joint report with Kindred Squared sits at the core of the Children’s Commissioner’s report on establishing a common outcomes set, as part of her recommendations in the Family Review, published in December 2022 – ‘Outcomes Framework: Annex to a positive approach to parenting: Part 2 of the Independent Family Review‘ HERE.

The CCo strengthened the work by bringing in the voice of children, young people and families gathered through The Big Ask in 2021 and the family review consultation in summer 2022, leading to the addition of a fifth high-level outcome (‘All children feel engaged in a community’).  Thanks to support from Kindred Squared, we’ve recently created a new circular graphic and updated the original high-level illustration of what a national outcomes framework might look like by including the fifth outcome (both attached).  We’re now working to create a graphic to help map out existing and planned projects and programmes, at national and more local levels, towards the common outcomes approach, alongside more technical processes and tools that would enable the work.

We’re continuing to work with the CCo team and lots of others to support implementation of the recommendations made in the outcomes annex, making the case for coordination and collaboration at national, strategic level including through the consultations on Stable Homes, Built on Love and Children’s Social Care National Framework and across wider (and linked) policy developments for children, families and communities.

At a more local level, we’re working with Essex County Council and their partners (as a Family Hubs exemplar) to explore how the common outcome approach could work at strategic policy and commissioning level, making links between the Integrated Care System, Supporting Families, Family Hubs, Start for Life, Levelling Up etc. and, at locality level, focusing on how the voice of children and families can be embedded at all levels and working to articulate the difference that a more consistent approach can make to their lives.  Plans and progress in Essex are being shared with the National Centre for Family Hubs and other local authorities, some of whom are using the common outcomes as a framework as they explore and agree the focus of their family hubs offer and how success will be defined and judged.

Thanks to support from The KPMG Foundation and Kindred Squared, we’re working with the Data for Children Collaborative to plan a one-day workshop session in September 2023 to be held in-person in London.  We’re aiming to bring together original and new partners and stakeholders in this work to help us define next steps and challenges in the further development of the common outcomes approach.  The primary outcome of the workshop will be a clear and agreed understanding of what success would look like and a delivery roadmap with identified challenge owners and defined next steps.  This will feed into one or more specific plans and business cases for the financial and other support we need to take the work forward. 

Please do get in touch by emailing elainefulton@forbabyssake.org.uk if you’re interested in being involved in our continuing collaborative work to drive system change for children and families through the establishment of common outcomes.

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29 Mar, 2023NewsPartnershipsPublicity

The For Baby’s Sake Trust is recruiting two new Fundraisers

by Kelly

The For Baby’s Sake Trust is looking to recruit two full time fundraisers, a Trust Fundraiser and a Corporate Partnerships Fundraiser, these fundraising roles will be pivotal to the next phase of our development as an innovative and evidence-based charity.

Our work enables parents to break cycles of domestic abuse and give their baby the best start in life, especially when the parents did not have that themselves. We work directly with families through our ground-breaking programme, For Baby’s Sake, and we share resources and learning from our ways of working. 

Corporate Partnerships Fundraiser

The successful candidate will have a proven track record of identifying, securing, and developing partnerships from businesses. 

  • Ability to identify, secure and develop the support of key prospects generating new business through researching and prospecting new business supporters 
  • Able to maximise the potential for relationships by using the full range of fundraising mechanisms available, including developing the charity’s use of sponsorship and cause-related marketing 
  • Understand importance of accurate budgeting, forecasting and analysis and ensure targets are achieved, monitoring activity and progress against KPIs. 
  • Maintain and develop good relationships with staff, fundraising volunteers, and other key stakeholder groups in order to increase the success of fundraising initiatives 

Trust Fundraiser

The successful candidate will have a proven track record of successful applications to Trusts and the ability to prepare a compelling case for support matched to the criteria of the awarding Trust. 

  • Able to write persuasive reports with strong story telling elements 
  • Understanding of importance of building relationships with potential funders 
  • Ability to work to financial targets, forecasting and budgets 
  • Understanding of and ability to work with target driven outcomes 
  • Excellent research and analytical skills 

For more details on these roles and how to apply please visit CharityJob

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27 Mar, 2023NewsPublicity

Vacancy- For Baby’s Sake Practitioner, Blackpool (closing 16 April)

by Kelly

We are recruiting a practitioner to deliver For Baby’s Sake in our UK-wide CONNECT team. In response to COVID-19, The For Baby’s Sake Trust launched For Baby’s Sake CONNECT in March 2021, delivering the For Baby’s Sake programme through 1:1 sessions conducted remotely via video and phone calls. The Practitioners are home-based but must be able to travel to Stevenage for occasional meetings and training. They will have the opportunity to support the continued evolution of For Baby’s Sake and its remote delivery, whilst ensuring fidelity to the For Baby’s Sake programme and sustaining the ethos and values of The For Baby’s Sake Trust.

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09 Jan, 2023NewsPartnershipsPublicity

Safer Beginnings films feature For Baby’s Sake and our Emotional Safety Plan tool to improve maternal and birth outcomes

by Kelly

The For Baby’s Sake Trust is launching a tool, called an Emotional Safety Plan, which expectant parents (and family, friends and birth companions) can use to record what they need to feel emotionally safe before, during and after birth.  We created this in partnership with Safer Beginnings, a programme of work to enable, educate and support people on birth journeys. 

Safer Beginnings, led by Best Beginnings and White Ribbon Alliance UK and supported by The For Baby’s Sake Trust and 17 other delivery partners, aims to enable healthcare workers to deliver trauma-informed care and to educate and empower expectant parents to have self-agency and receive the support they want and need.

Judith Rees, Director of Operations at The For Baby’s Sake Trust, said

“The For Baby’s Sake Trust is delighted to have played a major role within Safer Beginnings and to have worked closely with Best Beginnings, White Ribbon Alliance UK and the other partners in the creation of new trauma-informed materials, including films.”

One of the films is an animation explaining the Emotional Safety Plan. Judith Rees, Director of Operations at the For Baby’s Sake Trust, said:

‘The Emotional Safety Plan tool is for anyone preparing for the birth of a baby. You can use it to record what you may need to feel safe emotionally and how midwives and other professionals can be supportive by their words, actions and making sure you feel heard.  It is especially useful for those who have had difficult or traumatic experiences in the past, or on the way to becoming a parent.’

A further suite of Safer Beginnings films encourage expectant and new parents to reach out for support if they are experiencing domestic abuse or using abusive behaviour. 

As the domestic abuse lead partner in Safer Beginnings, The For Baby’s Sake Trust has played a major role in these films. They include Nicole Thangarajah, For Baby’s Sake Practitioner, alongside Judith Rees, explaining the signs of domestic abuse, the motivations for mothers and fathers to seek support and how services can respond to help them make changes for themselves and their baby and keep everyone safe. 

The films are especially powerful through the contributions of parents who have reached out for support. Judith Rees said: 

“We are grateful to the parents who have shared their inspirational personal stories of reaching out to For Baby’s Sake, in order to encourage other expectant parents to seek support if they are experiencing domestic abuse or using abusive behaviours.” 

One mother who had experienced controlling behaviours through domestic abuse describes how she felt empowered and in control in her birth journey through the support she received. 

One father describes how he broke an entrenched intergenerational cycle of abusive behaviour and childhood trauma, built strong bonds with his babies and rebuilt a positive co-parenting relationship with his ex-partner through him and his co-parent both being supported by For Baby’s Sake.

The Emotional Safety Plan tool and the domestic abuse films can be accessed through the ‘tools and resources that can support you’ section of our website. They are also available through the Baby Buddy app and the The Safer Beginnings section of the Best Beginnings website has more information about initiative. This includes further resources and information about events in March for people on maternity journeys, charities, health care professionals and educators.

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15 Dec, 2022NewsPartnershipsPublicity

Children’s Commissioner calls for outcomes framework for children and families, citing joint work by Kindred Squared and The For Baby’s Sake Trust

by Kelly

On 15 December 2022, Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner, published ‘A positive approach to parenting: Part 2 of the Independent Family Review’.  The Children’s Commissioner wants the review to achieve a ‘paradigm shift’ which would ‘put strong and loving families front and centre of our politics and policy making’ and help to change attitudes and overcome barriers to parents receiving the support they want and need.

Alongside the review, the Children’s Commissioner published three reform guides ‘addressing some of the thorniest issues when it comes to reforming and integrating different public services.’

One of these guides is the ‘Outcomes framework: Annex to a positive approach to parenting: Part 2 of the independent Family Review’.

To inform this work, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner drew heavily on the joint report by Kindred Squared and The For Baby’s Sake Trust, ‘Children and families: towards a core outcome framework’ and the discussions that The For Baby’s Sake Trust, Kindred Squared and the Early Intervention Foundation had been convening with multi-agency and multi-disciplinary professionals on this theme of common outcomes.

Building on this work to produce their report, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner (CCo) convened a workshop with over 50 professionals from different services to hear presentations (including from the Trust’s Director of Strategic Partnerships), share challenges, expertise and best practice.  The CCo also drew on best practice in how to go about creating an outcomes framework, including the learning from creating the Core Outcome Set for domestic abuse services for children and families (where The For Baby’s Sake Trust had been a co-instigator and remains on the steering group).

The CCo ‘Outcomes Framework’ guide explains: ‘A high-level outcomes framework which is seeking positive outcomes for children and families is vital. Too often, services are working in siloes, working to different objectives based on their work with an individual, rather than seeing the family as a whole. This can mean too many families and children fall through the gaps in provision and struggle to support each other effectively.’

In response, the CCO propose the creation of a high-level outcomes framework, set out in the diagram below, which can be adopted by all services at a national, local and individual level.

This framework resonates with what children, parents and families have been telling the Children’s Commissioner, including through ‘The Big Ask’ and contributions to the Independent Family Review.

The Outcomes Framework guide includes important findings from correlating the data that the CCo gathered from The Big Ask, about children’s happiness with different aspects of life.  This included the finding that children who were happy with their family life were three times more likely to say they were happy with their mental health.

The CCO recommends that the outcomes framework should be easily accessible with the detail of how the outcomes might be achieved – possible indicators and metrics – sitting below the outcomes.

The Children’s Commissioner recommends a task-and-finish group to provide high level guidance on the application of outcomes frameworks across the public sector, suggesting that this group’s considerations should include:

  • A common set of definitions
  • Clarity that an outcome should be a positive and tangible difference to the lives of a person or group of people
  • A plan to improve the use of outcome metrics which can accurately capture tangible improvements in the situation of children and families, drawing on existing work to develop metrics around child wellbeing, domestic violence, reducing parental conflict, and consider how their take-up could be encouraged in relation to the Supporting Families outcomes framework, the Start for Life outcomes framework and children’s social care outcomes.

 The For Baby’s Sake Trust warmly welcomes the report and recommendations of the Children’s Commissioner, which recognises how an effective outcomes framework can drive system change. It is positive to see the joint emphasis on family outcomes and children’s outcomes, alongside recognition of the role of parents and the importance of empowering them.  We particularly encourage a whole-family approach, recognising of course, as articulated by the Children’s Commissioner, that ‘family comes in many forms’ and  ‘while the composition of families may change, their importance does not’.

 

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