Paul came to BUCFP after a mixed employment history was brought to a close by ill-health. He began using the computer facilities initially: ‘BUCFP is the only place in Brighton that gives access to up-to-date software at an affordable price’ he says. He began volunteering for the education project as a computer support volunteer, helping inexperienced computer users with scanning, setting up email accounts, etc. The experience was useful ‘for building up my people skills, dealing with nervous or computer-illiterate users’. From there, Paul started teaching 2-day courses on Adobe Photoshop and 1-day courses on DTP (Publisher and/or InDesign). He found this was a ‘really useful experience; it raised my confidence enormously and gave me the opportunity to develop and keep alive technical skills that I could easily have lost.’ Paul has now been accepted on to a part-time BTEC National Diploma in Art and Design at a local FE college, hopefully as a precursor to a university degree in Art and Design. He is also thinking about applying for an Open University Java programming course.

Together with a Social Worker student from Tarner Children’s Centre, we have supported a young mother around separation anxiety, worked with her on her parenting and play skills and helped the mother begin to socialise comfortably with her peer group. Mother and child have attended the playroom regularly over the past 3 months. We have helped both of them to develop relationships with the playroom workers and volunteers, which has made it gradually possible for the mother to leave the child for longer periods of time in the crèche. The child has become a confident and investigative learner and the mother is relaxed and happy. We celebrated the child’s second birthday towards the end of June; the mother said how happy she felt because the previous year they had spent the day alone and now they had friends to spend it with. She is now considering becoming a volunteer.

L, a 2 yr old using the crèche lives with his grandmother, S, as a result of his parent’s substance misuse, mental health issues and associated neglect. The little boy has had a very difficult start in life and as a result has severe behavioural difficulties; the grandmother finds it difficult to cope. The grandmother has been helped to access therapy for the child and a special needs place at nursery, they have accessed food, clothes, housing and benefits advice and the centre’s health visitor. They have both attended outings and celebrations and our recent residential weekend, which L’s father was given permission by his mental health unit to attend; this was wonderful for the child and took place in a safe and supported environment. At first the child’s behaviour was significantly disturbed and frequently violent, he was unfocussed, distressed and distressing, over the 9 months the family have been with the Families Project, crèche workers have worked closely with the grandmother and child on a programme of behaviour management, these one to one sessions have helped the child to feel safer, he is calmer and is starting to participate more in activities and is beginning to build relationships with other children and adults, the grandmother also feels more confident and supported in her parenting abilities. The grandmother recently finished volunteering in the office and L & S now use the centre occasionally for respite and support during school holidays.

We have supported a young woman to develop relationship and play skills with young children whilst preparing to become a long term foster parent for Brighton and Hove Fostering and Adoption Department. She has volunteered with us, attending a parenting group, completed in house Pre-school Learning Alliance Childcare and Development Course. She was assessed by her social worker whilst working in the playroom and did very well. She and her Lesbian partner have now had a child placed with them and she is continuing as a valuable volunteer in the playroom.

One single parent with a mixed race child first came to the centre over 3 years ago with multiple needs. She started volunteering in the playroom and participated in a wide range of in-house training. She has worked her way through NVQ Level 2 in childcare and has just completed her final assessment for NVQ Level 3.

P and her two children aged L, 7 years and K, 1 year, were referred by the Women’s Refuge Project, the family had been moved to Brighton after domestic violence and were living in temporary accommodation. Both children used the crèche and the older child, who was not in school, was given opportunities for play and learning at his own level. The Temporary Housing Project helped to find the child a school place and the family were re-housed. The family accessed all services at the centre; the mother took 2 free computer courses and started volunteering in the kitchen. The younger child has just celebrated her 2nd birthday and now has a nursery placement 2 days a week. The mother has just enrolled on a university access course.

T is a lone parent and has been using the facilities at the centre since September 2004. T and her 2 year old son live in rented accommodation and she is currently unemployed and receiving income support. In late September 2004, she felt extremely lonely and isolated and desperately needed to find help and support because her emotional, mental and physical health were delicate at that time; she also felt that her son, who was then 3 months old needed to be around more children and people. She was referred to the centre by her health visitor and initially booked on a 3 month ‘MIND’ stress management course. Since then she has participated in one of our 6-week Parent Support Groups, joined yoga and started volunteering once a week in the Playroom. She is starting a 5-week course, running at the centre, about child care and wants to go on to enrol at college too. She feels a lot more confident since attending the centre and feels very supported and accepted by everyone. Her son has built a wide range of valuable relationships with children and adults and she no longer feels alone.

One very young mother with a mild learning difficulty and a child of 20 months was referred by her Sure Start Family Support Worker; the mother needed a regular place to establish a social network for herself, play and social opportunities for her child and the opportunity to work on extreme separation anxiety. Parent and child have now attended regularly, twice a week for the past 4 months. Parent is making friends and enjoying the social environment. She takes great pride in her son’s progress and is now able to leave him for periods of up to ½ an hour. She has developed a routine of helping with various crèche tasks, which involve her in leaving the crèche and remaining in the main area for these ½ hour periods. The parent feels that she is ready to consider taking on a volunteer role and is currently working on this with the crèche coordinator. The child has now made relationships with 2 regular crèche volunteers and is confident, focused and happy in his play. We meet regularly with the family and their various support workers at the Children’s Centre and we are now considering issues of supervised contact with the child’s father.

A young mother H with child R aged 1, has been with the project for about a year and received much parenting support. During this time the mother has volunteered in the crèche and has completed a PLA Doorstep course, First Aid Appointed Persons Certificate and is now enrolled for PLA Cache Level 2 Certificate in Pre-School Practice, with a full bursary from EYDCP and the creche acting as the support placement.

One single mother has 2 children aged 3 and 4, we worked jointly with the local school to support the mother and both children in settling into nursery class. The elder child was exhibiting very challenging behaviour, so we agreed methods of working between the school and playroom. We were able to follow up the Health Visitor on issues of diet, sleep, allergy, etc. The child is now considerably calmer and happier and both children have settled well into nursery class. They both also attend the crèche for 2 booked and 2 drop-in sessions per week. The mother has attended our 6-week Parenting Support Group, 5-week Pre-School Learning Alliance course on child development and a 2-day Protective Behaviours training. She is now volunteering in the crèche, working alongside her children and volunteering for the Temporary Housing Project. In the past 3 months, the family has participated in a museum trip, allotment trip and residential weekend to Knowles Tooth.

P, who is in his 30’s began cooking at the centre over two years ago. P has a long history of substance misuse including heroin and ecstasy. He also has many problems relating to his family history and throughout his 6-years in Brighton he has never had any settled lifestyle, never having lived at any address for longer than six months. Whilst P still has major problems in finding a settled existence and is still experiencing psychological problems the centre has given him a focus and enabled him to use his motivation in a positive way. He regularly cooks food for the 50 or so people we feed a day and whilst he is still sometimes volatile, his outstanding contribution to the community at the centre has given him a sense of purpose and esteem that keeps him going through times when his psychological problems might otherwise overcome him.

One family with two children met a Trustee outside the centre and the trustee recommended that they visit the centre. The father is bi-polar, has drug problems and attends NA, the mother originally brought the family along with a view to finding a role for the father, perhaps volunteering at the centre. The youngest child attended the crèche regularly, the mother became a crèche volunteer and the father a kitchen volunteer. The crèche supported the family through a family breakup crisis, providing emotional support, support with the child’s behaviour management, referrals to Threshold Women’s mental health project and the Children’s Centre (the council’s Family Support Team) and the family sought advice from the Welfare Rights Group. The centre now also provides the family with a safe place to meet and for the father to gain safe access to the children.

M came to the centre having been dismissed from her job as a care manager on the grounds of ill health after a breakdown. She decided to find out about volunteering and came along to one of our monthly induction sessions. Initially M chose to work as an office volunteer, however, after discussion with the Participation Worker she chose to move to the less stressful areas of Arts and Crafts and Toy Library. She has volunteered at two Christmas parties and her regular attendance is helping to build a sense of belonging and provides structure for her week at a time when she is feeling vulnerable and isolated at home. Volunteering gives M a sense of purpose and of hope for her future, which she is keen to rebuild; she is a valued member of the volunteer group.

One mother and child have been attending the centre for around a year, the playroom have been working closely with Presens (a charity supporting children with learning and behaviour difficulties) to develop shared behaviour strategies and to support the child aged three, into taking up a place at Tarnerland Nursery. This joint working has continued and the child now attends both the nursery and crèche and benefits from a continuity of approach regarding behaviour management. The mother became a crèche volunteer, a toy library volunteer and has recently become a Trustee and valued member of the Buildings and Premises Sub Committee.

Alcohol and depression led to C losing his job and home, he was street homeless for a year and a half sleeping when he could, in multi-storey car parks. C started to become linked into homeless services and AA and gained hostel accommodation, before being housed in Brighton in an attempt to start a new life. He was referred to BUCFP and soon started volunteering with the Education Project providing computer access support and running a computer course. C participated in a range of centre activities and was soon approached about becoming a Trustee. Having taken a wide range of training courses, C became Treasurer and then Secretary and C has recently moved on to another large voluntary organisation to become a full time volunteer in charge of staff computer training. C has recently moved into his own self contained flat and is applying for paid employment.

S is a single mother with 2 school age children and lives in one of the remoter districts of East Sussex. She has had a history of alcohol dependency, which she has recently begun to address and the office work she does at the centre allows her to get out of the house and come into town to socialise and be with people, whilst her children are at school. She was initially very unconfident while volunteering, but after several weeks training with two of our established volunteers, she has now become one of our best office workers and is actively seeking work for the first time in many years.

F has been in Britain for five years. Up until two months ago he was completely unaware of whether he would be able to remain in Britain, or whether he would have to return to the Sudan where he suffered persecution for being a Christian. Since F was an asylum seeker he was not permitted to do paid work and therefore the centre was an ideal place for him to come and contribute his culinary skills to the community. Since he has two young children and a wife, who has suffered from severe depression since arriving in England, the centre also provides him with a welcome break from the pressures of family life and a chance to feel independent and valued. F has been volunteering for over two years, during that time the centre has helped him to settle himself and his family into the Brighton community; F has recently gained leave to remain and has just opened a café in Portslade.

Family C is a single parent family who were housed in temporary accommodation. The mother is disabled and was extremely anxious over her relationship with her child, who had poor development and slow speech. The mother started to use the crèche regularly and required a high level of support; the child was found a place at Puffin nursery by the Temporary Housing Worker. Mother became involved in Children are Unbeatable campaign and attended the 12 week Parenting Support Group. Her confidence grew, the child’s speech improved with the help of the health visitor and speech therapist and she accessed MIND sessions to improve her personal emotional well being. User C accessed part-time sessional paid employment as a youth worker and began to volunteer at the centre on environmental issues and has just become a Trustee.

Three traveller parents and their three children were referred through East Sussex Travellers Education Service’s, Early Years Teacher. Families have been supported to access the playroom, laundry, lunch, free clothing and free food. Two parents are currently accessing centre courses and one is volunteering with the arts and crafts group and the wholefood coop. All three children are regular crèche users and have attended creche outings.

One male user started using the centre after be became redundant. He became an office volunteer and took some IT courses at the centre. He then became a volunteer IT tutor himself and has recently been accepted onto a Microsoft certificated course to learn about hardware and networking.

“I first came to the Centre because I felt totally alienated and I didn’t know what to do. I saw a flyer about the Centre at the DSS office and on my first visit I was immediately grabbed as an Art Group volunteer. It seems as though the needs of the Centre and my own personal needs were combined to complement each other perfectly. The whole process was handled very well and this kept me coming back. Volunteering at the Centre has always been a two way thing for me, what I like is that it is not authoritarian; there is trust to make your own decisions and also ongoing support from the workers. Volunteers are respected for what they are and the workers speak a language which I understand. I have now been approached to do an Arts project outside of the Centre, the vision came from the Centre and I would not have had the opportunity without BUCFP. I have just started to volunteer on the Allotment Project, we have lots of exciting plans and I’m looking forward to watching the project grow.”

“I am living in a small bedsit near to the centre. I have recently had a relationship break up, which left me feeling depressed and uncertain. I am now volunteering 3 days a week at the centre and have been given trust and responsibility in the kitchen. I was well supported by the staff when I started and am now able to cook for 50 people and to cook vegan food which I have never been able to do before. My children were able to attend the centre’s Christmas party and I have benefited greatly from working as part of a team in the kitchen.”

“After my relationship broke down, I was living in temporary accommodation with my 8 month old twin boys, my health visitor brought me to the centre and I started off putting the boys in the creche while I volunteered in the office. I took over responsibility for cashing up and have recently been asked to become Treasurer on the Board of Trustees. Volunteering has enabled me to work with so many different people, I’ve learnt loads and feel more confident about things. The boys have really thrived in the crèche”.

“I first started coming to the crèche when my son was 1 years old, he is now 5. Early on we went on a weekend trip to Knowles Tooth which was a relaxed way of getting to know other parents and children who use the crèche. Through volunteering in the Playroom, I have been on a number of courses: Protective Behaviours, Parenting classes, PLA courses and First Aid. I have made use of the computer facilities and the welfare rights advice service. Through coming to the crèche my parenting skills are much more developed than they might have been. My son and I have been supported by the staff through periods of stress and been given invaluable help and advice. Being around other single parents and people on low incomes helps my son and I feel less isolated. We can participate in trips and activities that we wouldn’t be able to do because of lack of money - i.e. trips to the crèche allotment; the Reading is Fundamental scheme and the Knowles Tooth Weekend away. Without the crèche I would not have had the skills to develop such a positive relationship with my son, we would be much more isolated and we wouldn’t have such a strong network of support. It is a vital part of our extended family.”

“I moved to Brighton from Wigan a year ago. I have two young children and am a single parent, which means that I am not able to get out much, at times I feel very alone. Volunteering at the centre has meant that I have been able to meet people and use my cooking skills in a useful way. The fact that the centre also provides support with benefits has enabled me to sort out a lot of my financial problems. The kitchen operates well as a team and I feel there is a good sense of community here.”

“I have been volunteering at Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project for 7 months. I heard about the Centre through my psychologist who encouraged me to be more active during a period of depression. I have made new friends and found skills and creativity I never realised I had through helping out at the Arts and Crafts class. The informal atmosphere of the Centre helped me feel relaxed and comfortable in the early, more vulnerable days. I felt it to be a safe and stress-free place to get myself back in touch with society after a long period of unemployment and isolation. Receiving a free meal as a volunteer helped when I could barely cook for myself and travel refunds ensured I could manage to travel to Brighton from Portslade at least once a week. I enjoy the atmosphere of creativity and acceptance which allows me to be myself even on the bad days. As the weeks have gone by, my confidence and self-esteem have grown. Facilitating the Art class gave me feelings of self-worth, and I enjoyed passing my developing knowledge on to others and being around people as I grew more comfortable. The therapeutic value of getting absorbed in creative activity for a couple of hours a week was an enormous help. I have started to use my skills at home too.

Volunteering at BUCFP has helped me get started again after a dark period in life. I have benefited a lot from being a volunteer – I interact well with others now and am not so fearful. I have gone on to study for an A-Level in psychology at City College – something I thought I could never do because I couldn’t face people. I am leaving the Centre as a volunteer because my life has become so full with study and other activities that I can’t fit it in! All this started with volunteering just one afternoon a week at the Centre. I will miss the friends I have made, but will make sure that I meet them socially, thanks to my new-found confidence and self-esteem. I am grateful for the opportunity to volunteer and would recommend it to anyone who needs to gain more confidence and introduce some activity into their lives.
BUCFP is a great place, it’s a friendly, supportive place to volunteer, try new courses or simply attend as a service user.”

“I’ve had to put things back together since drugs affected my life badly. My NA group meets at the centre, so I started coming along for the regular hot meals and was invited to join the arts and crafts group. The centre has really helped me out with housing and benefits advice so when I was asked to think about becoming a Trustee, I thought I could put something back. I’ve taken computer courses, started learning Thai Chi at the centre, attended Trustee training courses and gained a sense of purpose as well as ideas and enthusiasm about my future. I am now in a band and have just started a painting and decorating business.”

“Before I started coming to Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project I was a hermit, sitting at home in the corner of my chair, like a frightened rabbit. I was a mess, drinking to ease the pain, each night I prayed not to wake up, and when I did wake up, I felt depressed. My support worker from Brighton Housing Trust introduced me to BUCFP, at first I came to spend time here and play board games, just to get me out of the house. Then as I began to feel more comfortable I thought about volunteering, as soon as I mentioned it the ball started rolling and suddenly I WAS a volunteer.
I now have something to get up for, people to chat to and I’ve made a couple of friends; I feel so much more confident. If a personal problem arises, I book in for one of the weekly MIND advice sessions, talking to a MIND worker helps me keep things in perspective. Now, I feel I have something to look forward to, I now seem able to do more generally, for example around my own home.
I enjoy the volunteer work I do in the office and hope to be able to help with finance work in the future. Thank you for all the help and support the Centre offers me. It’s been a lifesaver – literally.”

“In 2004 I started attending Tomorrow’s People, a government scheme to help people get back to work. As part of this scheme I was asked to find voluntary work and found out about Brighton Unemployed Families Centre Project. From the moment I arrived I enjoyed it here, there’s so much going on, including lots of courses like Ta’i Chi, Japanese, the list seems endless. I have attended the Yoga class and find the classes very therapeutic. I really love coming here and as an Office Volunteer I feel part of the team. Centre users have very diverse needs and come from all ages and backgrounds. We aim to treat them all equally and fairly. Working in the office is fun. It can be very hectic and I find it really rewarding.”

“I came to the Brighton area nearly 3 years ago. I had been living in Yorkshire but decided I had to leave because I wasn’t getting support for my recovery and because the local youth were out of control and regularly intruding into my healing process.
Since 1991 I had been suffering post-trauma symptoms when memories of being sexually abused began to surface. I moved to Brighton to make a break with the past and found a therapist through Mankind UK. I started coming to Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project when I was looking for ways to exploit time and energy that had previously been taken up in recovery. I can’t remember exactly how I became aware of it, but at some stage I came across a brochure. It was the arts and crafts group that attracted me the most. Just before Christmas 2004 I went to my first session, the morning after a particularly cathartic meeting with my therapist. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, kind of stunned. But people were so friendly and there was a kind of focus which I soon found myself sharing, painting stripes onto wooden fish. The next project was also suggested to me, but now I’m working on something entirely out of my own imagination. This means a lot to me, as I would say that above all else it is my imaginative faculties that were damaged by the abuse and its legacy of self destruction.
Now that there is a creative writing project ongoing at the centre, I’m coming to the centre 2 days a week, feeling very much part of the ‘family’. Again this means a lot to me, because to me home is where the hurt is. I’m meeting extraordinarily interesting people, getting help with benefits, getting fed and feeling confident enough to want to be more involved.”

“I first discovered the Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project when I picked up an information leaflet at my local library in Portslade. I was actively looking for a computer course. However, all I could find at my local job centre were courses aimed at admin and/or data entry work. I was disappointed that the focus was so narrow because I knew I was never going to acquire the speed or proficiency that someone 20 years my junior would achieve, and they didn’t seem to build on the skills I already had (I’m a trained journalist just completing a Masters degree).
The BUCFP leaflet was a very welcome change. It offered a range of interesting courses that appeared to be both imaginative and carefully considered. I was too late to get a place on those that appealed but the response I received was so friendly and supportive (and so far from a straight no, we’re full up) that a week later I found the courage to ring again. This time I nervously suggested that perhaps I could tutor a course myself in creative writing. I wanted to apply for a further education course that would qualify me to tutor adults but I was advised that before my application would even be considered I needed to have a teaching placement. Yet without this qualification I couldn’t be considered for such a position…. It seemed a classic Catch 22 situation.
I’m so glad I made that call. Staff immediately wanted to explore just how I could fit in with their on going programme: what I could bring to the centre and what the centre could give to me. Since then I’ve participated in writing workshops with a paid staff member and am about to run my own creative writing classes. The support and encouragement I’ve been given has been very empowering. I felt part of something very special as soon as I walked through the Centre’s doors. I’ve learnt a lot since I’ve been here. In the Centre’s mission statement emphasis is put on everyone accepting personal responsibility for what happens at the centre and showing respect for other users. That general attitude seems to be a thread that runs through every activity and I have been tremendously impressed by the way the centre is run and by the way staff, volunteers and centre users relate to one another.
I was made redundant (I had been with the same company for 28 years!) last autumn. It occurred on almost the same day that I heard that I was definitely moving to Portslade. This was the first time I’ve been unemployed and the first time I’ve lived outside the London area – so I had a lot of changes to deal with and experienced a lot of uncertainty in a short time scale. I didn’t have a support system to fall back on - now I have”.