Working to
address the issues of vulnerable children in inner city east
Belfast
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Providing a safe and caring environment
• Providing quality learning opportunities
• Addressing issues of neglect and abuse
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Willowfield Parish Community
Association in east Belfast was set up at the end of 2002 to
try to address some of the many complex social, physical and
spiritual needs of the people in the local area. We are a voluntary
community association, recognised as a charity by the Inland
Revenue (Reference Number XR64196), and operating in association
with Willowfield Church of Ireland.
Spanning two electoral wards, Woodstock and the Mount, Willowfield
Parish includes many of the most deprived people in Northern
Ireland. Research, which divides the whole of Northern Ireland
into 566 wards, identifies the Mount as the 9th most deprived
ward in Northern Ireland and Woodstock as the 26th most deprived.
According to the Noble Index and Robson Indicators that measure
deprivation, the Mount has the worst ranking in the social environment
domain, with Woodstock also in the top 10% of the most disadvantaged.
There is simply no doubt as to the needs of the area.
About the Willowfield
area
Willowfield is a working class
area that borders the sectarian flashpoint at Short Strand.
It includes many of the streets where the unionist paramilitary
feuds are played out. What was a highly populated community,
fully employed at the height of the shipyard years, is now
deteriorated and facing many of the worst problems of any
inner city area. There have been many serious attacks and
two murders in the local streets in the past two years.
Some renovation work has gone on in the local community, with
the demolition of some streets of terraced housing. The replacements
that have been built are modern but fewer. The new style provides
small groups of houses, but the children are left without
anywhere but the street to play in, so they congregate in
small gangs without any boundaries or purpose. The old folk
are often isolated in their homes, kept inside by fear, and
have lost the sense of community that existed in the old environment.
What was once an area with the
highest proportion of older people, now also includes a growing
proportion of lone parent and problem families. One of the
local primary schools reports 50% of its children on the Special
Needs Register. Single mothers, teenagers mothers, children
suffering behaviour problems, high unemployment, low income,
poor health, low levels of achievement, and a strong paramilitary
presence, creating an atmosphere of fear, despair and anger,
are all symptoms of moral, social, spiritual and personal
decay in the area.
The children of each succeeding
generation are growing up without any sense of respect for
authority, education, property or people, and they are prime
targets to be swept in as the new recruits in the paramilitary
organisations.
Project background
We have embarked upon a programme
of research into the needs of the local area, what other agencies
are already providing, and what we could do to impact the
lives of those around. Most importantly, we have talked to
many people in the area to seek their perspective on the needs
of the area, and how we can make a demonstrable difference
to our community.
We have gathered together existing
statistics of the area and added to these the results of our
own research. Having undertaken door-to-door surveys, interviews
with professionals working in the area (including school principals,
probation board and community service workers and a local
GP) and informal conversations with those who have lived,
worked and worshipped within the Willowfield Area for many
years, a clear picture has emerged.
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Of the hundreds of local households
we surveyed, 85% described the existing facilities for children
in the area as very poor. They identified that what is most
needed for children is after school activities and clubs as
well as a drop-in facility open evenings and weekends. An
encouraging 75% said that a member of their household would
use these facilities if they were available. The same survey
identified that what families in the area needed most is a
Pre-school nursery or Day Care facility for pre-school children.
Again, out of those surveyed in households with children,
75% indicated they would use such a facility.
Our objectives
We aim to create a safe and
caring environment that addresses the needs of vulnerable
children in the Willowfield area and work with outside agencies
to provide quality learning opportunities and address issues
of neglect and abuse.
How will we do this?
Working with other groups as
appropriate, we will:
• Run an after school
club 2 sessions per week, with a target of 20 kids per session
• Run 2 homework clubs (in two venues on Woodstock
Road and Ravenhill Avenue), each offering 2 sessions per
week, with a maximum of 10-12 kids per session
• Run a weekly club and/or sports club for children
• Work with SureStart or another agency to provide
a respite crèche facility
• Set up a Pre-School Play Group
What Difference will
this make?
Kids Klub will:
• Provide children with
a safe and stimulating environment
• Provide homework supervision and controlled computer
assistance, including internet access for project purposes
• Provide children with stimulating play in a safe
environment to reach respect, team-work, co-operation and
their underlying need for discipline
• Provide temporary child care for parents who are
under pressure or have medical appointments, where children
are safe, well cared for, and parents and children benefit
from excellent care and facilities
• Focus on the personal, spiritual and emotional development
of children, covering the seven areas of learning, by building
a good foundation in the early years and providing a positive
impression of education
How will we know the
Kids Klub project is effective?
The quantifiable objectives
are:
• Target numbers of
children achieved and held, with children regular in attendance
• Children keen to take part, and learning to integrate
and develop relationships
• Quantifiable improvement in standards of behaviour
and educational achievements
• Positive feedback from primary schools and parents
regarding benefits of the programme
• Children playing and competing constructively, responding
to team discipline and taking pride in belonging to the
club
• Positive feedback from parents who will use the
respite crèche facility on a regular basis
• Positive feedback from parents, social services,
and nursery schools on previous attendees of the Pre-School
Play Group.
How can you help us?
In order to develop the work
we have outlined above we need to invest in a building with
suitable facilities (including a purpose built nursery, computer
suite, classrooms, etc), and employ a Children’s Worker
on a three-year contract. Capital costs (building and equipment)
are set at over £300,000, of which we have raised or
been pledged nearly £100,000. Salary, recruitment, and
running costs for the project total over £19,000 each
year, which is a significant amount, but also a significant
investment in the lives of really disadvantaged children.
The budget is outlined below, and any contribution you can
help us with will make a real difference to these children.
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Willowfield
Parish Community Association
149 My Lady's Road, Belfast BT6 8FE
Tel 028
9046 0105 - Contact
WPCA
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