Newsletter
Father and Child Open Day – This Saturday 8th June 2013.
This Saturday 8th June 2013 during Father’s Story Week, Birmingham Settlement are holding an event at the Centre for the Aston Family to encourage father’s to read to their children everyday. Being read to from a young age helps to improve literacy in children as well as strengthens relationships. We encourage all fathers and families to come along to the Centre between 11am-3pm and take part in the activities available, including storytelling, table tennis and access to our cyber suite. We will also have a shop set up where visitors can buy books for their children. Staff members from all of our services will be present, so this is also a good opportunity to find out about services such as money advice, our range of children’s services or volunteering.
For further information please download our flyer below.
New father engagement service.
Birmingham Settlement have recently appointed a Father Engagement Worker to deliver a new service from our Children’s Centre at the Centre for the Aston Family. The service will provide family support services for men in the Aston area and will be able to help fathers on issues including:
- Helping fathers develop their parenting skills.
- Advocacy – Liaising with agencies on behalf of fathers.
- Finance – Including child support.
- Access issues.
- Paternity issues.
- Health.
- Disaffected youth and young parents.
- Probation – Support for young fathers coming out of prison.
For more information about services for children and families please contact us.
Children’s Centre activities.
Birmingham Settlement’s Children’s Centre deliver a range of activities and services for families in Birmingham. Some of the current activities available include:
- Stay and Play – Every Monday 1pm-3pm and Tuesday 9:30am-11:30am – Click here for further information.
- Coffee Morning – Family Support Drop-In – Every Wednesday 9:30am-12noon - Click here for further information.
- Tiny Settlers for babies under 1 year old – Every Wednesday 1pm-2:30pm – Click here for further information.
- Free vitamins – Click here for further information.
For more information about services for children and families please contact us.
Tashala’s story: A life with Birmingham Settlement.
Tashala has been involved with Birmingham Settlement for over a decade and has used multiple services provided by us. “I got to know Birmingham Settlement originally when I took a course to develop basic skills. I later began using the Nursery to help with raising my daughter. I had been using the shop in Erdington for a while but at the time I didn’t realise they were part of the same thing. I went in after completing my course and began volunteering.” Tashala volunteered in our shops in Erdington, Wylde Green and occasionally Sutton Coldfield.
From there Tashala’s experience grew and she started to get more involved, she told us. “The shop was a great way to buy affordable things for my daughter. She was the best dressed child in school! Going into the shop allowed me to get away from things and was and is a great place to take my kids.”
“I later encountered financial issues and sought money advice from Birmingham Settlement too. The help they gave me was fantastic. Thirty minutes of advice did so much compared to other help I’ve received. It was a lot of stress because it’s difficult when looking for help. They sorted it all out and made me like I didn’t need to worry.”
“I’ve been involved with Birmingham Settlement since before my daughter could walk, and now she loves it too.” Having recently turned fourteen, Tashala’s daughter now volunteers with us in our shop in Erdington too.
Tashala found a job whilst volunteering with us and has since stopped volunteering , but she still help out when she can.
“Birmingham Settlement helped me a lot. The charity is very dear to me and my daughter and helped me to believe in myself.”
Little Settlers Day Nursery seeks new staff.
The Little Settlers Day Nursery – Birmingham Settlement’s community nursery at the Centre for the Aston Family – are seeking to hire qualified nursery practitioners. The vacancy is for banked staff to provide cover in the Nursery when needed. The Nursery is available for children from 2-5 years old and provides a stimulating learning environment for pre-school children. For further information please see the advertisement for this vacancy.
Make do and Mend with Women & Theatre
We’re joining forces with Women & Theatre on 29th February to perform a unique piece of community theatre full of fantastic stories and tips, all designed to help people make their money go further.
As a charity, debt management is something at the very heart of our work so the 29th is planned as an Open Day, featuring money surgeries and advice, as well as a chance for potential volunteers to visit and find out more about what we do. It will then culminate in the performance, entitled ‘Make, Do & Mend.’
Make, Do & Mend is a project Women & Theatre have been developing across Birmingham over the last 5 months. The company has been researching with a variety of community groups to understand the issues people face, and collect advice and information to resolve any problems. They have had informal sessions and conversations, as well as running a series of intergenerational workshops to develop the project. The performances have been designed so that community members can join the company in the morning to be ‘reheased into’ the performance to share with audiences in the afternoon. This will create an exciting mix of professional and community performers – a participation technique Women & Theatre have delivered successfully a number of times.
Terina Talbot, Women & Theatre’s Associate Director said; “We’ve been working for several months with community members, and it’s looking very exciting. With stories and songs, and contributions from all generations, ultimately, it’s a feel-good piece of theatre that everyone can enjoy. So if anybody wants to get involved, or needs debt advice, or simply a good afternoon out – we’d encourage them to get in touch.”
All activities will be happening from 11am at the Centre for the Aston Family, 359-361Witton Road, B6 6NS. For more information or to book free tickets to the performance (which starts at 1.15pm) call 0121 250 0777 or email info@bsettlement.org.uk