18 minute read
Kinship Carers Support Group
We run a Kinship Carers’ Support Group in partnership with BANES Council’s Family Placement Team.
Kinship care is ‘when a child lives full-time or most of the time with a relative or friend who isn’t their parent, usually because their parents aren’t able to care for them’. (source: Grandparents plus). There are around 200,000 children in the UK living in kinship care, and approximately 100 kinship carers in BANES.
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Research shows that around half of children (52%) are in kinship care as a result of parental drug or alcohol misuse, although other reasons include bereavement, imprisonment, parental abuse or neglect and parental ill health. Almost half of children in kinship care have some kind of special needs (49%), most commonly emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Despite these complex needs kinship carers often don’t receive the same level of support as foster carers, so our monthly support group provides an important service and enables kinship carers to access vital peer support, as well as being able to talk with social care and be signposted to relevant support and resources.
While some of our planned sessions have had to be cancelled or moved online due to Covid, we’ve managed to meet consistently throughout 2020 and have a regular group of 6 – 10 attendees.
During a typical session we have unstructured time for people to talk and share what’s going on for them, and we also invite speakers and guests to share their insights on various relevant topics such as attachment and social media.
During the first lockdown our volunteers were able to put together self-care packs for over 20 kinship carers in BANES and beyond.
“Thank you so much for the care package. It meant a great deal and made me feel that we are not alone”
(Shelley, Kinship Carer) It has been very good to know that I am part of a supportive group that understands the problems and issues that being a special guardian brings.
(Sophie, Kinship Carer)
Oasis’ involvement in running the group is essential not just because they have provided us with a safe space to run the group but also because their involvement in its running demonstrates its impartiality. Kinship carers have often endured extremely stressful experiences through the court process and many people are disillusioned with professionals and particularly social workers. Oasis have been able to offer a support group which is for carers with no other agenda. It enables us to continually give carers the choice over how the group is run, whether they want professionals there or not and supports people to rebuild trust in services.
(Hannah Simpson, Senior Practitioner, BANES Council Family Placement Team)
It was really good for my wife and I to have the chance to meet others with caring difficulties and to be able to talk about things.
(David, Kinship Carer)
The support group is invaluable, as it offers our carers a safe space to come together to give and receive support, discuss hot topics and access key training. The opportunity to work alongside Oasis has been key in creating the warm, informal and relaxed environment that help makes our carers feel so welcome.
(Alison Walker, Family Support Practitioner, BANES Council Family Placement Team)
Twelve Steps Fellowship
Through our partnerships with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Oasis Church Bath is home to six different addiction support groups.
AA and NA provide a range of peer led support for addicts at different stages of their recovery. We offer our building at a significantly discounted rate, without which many of the meetings we host would close down.
“The Oasis Project is kind enough to allow us to hold Narcotics Anonymous meetings. These meetings are a literal lifesaver for both people trying to get clean and those with multiple years trying to stay clean. We all massively appreciate the ability to have face-to-face meetings, particularly throughout the pandemic.”
“It has helped me face myself head on. I’ve improved my relationship with myself and others.”
6
Addiction support groups hosted weekly in our building Number of sessions
127
“Our group feels totally supported, listened to and encouraged at all times by the Oasis team.”
217
Attendees at our addiction support groups “Becoming and continuing as a member of AA has improved my life and that of those around me immeasurably.”
Quartet Community Foundation’s recent ‘Vital Signs’ report reveals a 25% increase in drug use in BANES, and the need to focus on early intervention and prevention.
Groups such as NA and AA help people who are recovering from addiction stay clean and sober, and provide them with the support they need to stop them from going back into active addiction.
come as you are More About Us
Oasis Hub Bath exists because of a partnership between Hay Hill Baptist Church and Oasis UK. Hay Hill Baptist Church was built in 1869 and has a long history of social action and community work in the city.
Alongside social action the church is committed to the inclusion of all and after a period of research and reflection, Hay Hill approached Oasis UK with the desire to join the charity, and become Oasis Hub Bath – a registered independent charity with the support and infrastructure of Oasis UK. We did this because of our strong alignment with the Oasis ethos and values, and our belief in the Oasis hub model as an exciting method of community transformation.
As part of this new partnership, Hay Hill Baptist Church changed to Oasis Church Bath and forms part of Oasis Hub Bath. Christian faith motivates us as a charity, and drives us to bring about justice and help those who are in need in our community, just like all charities and movements are inspired by a certain set of values or beliefs.
Our hub projects and services are governed separately, and Christian faith or church attendance is not a requirement for anyone accessing or volunteering at our projects, nor is it an intended outcome or strategic aim of the hub’s work. We want to be really clear about this.
As a church, we’re excited about a progressive and evolving faith, one that is growing, changing and asking good questions. We value dialogue over monologue – we know a healthy church community is one that is diverse and holds together lots of different experiences and beliefs. We want everyone to have a voice, and be completely free to ‘come as they are’ and ‘become fully who they are’.
We meet on Sundays but we also have various mid-week groups and activities, as well as groups for children and young people.
One of the things we’re most proud of as a church, is our affirmation and celebration of the LGBT+ community. Historically the church worldwide hasn’t exactly been known for that, and we’re determined to change the story when it comes to LGBT+ inclusion and the church.
Lydia’s Story
I’ve always felt a connection to God, but I found forging a relationship with a church to be much more difficult. Growing up as a gay Christian, I felt that I was walking on eggshells every time I entered a church.
When I came to Bath for university, I spent much of my first year trying out churches. I even ended up finding one that I loved, but I felt the same issue; though everyone seemed lovely, I could never gauge their opinion on the LGBTQ+ community. As a result, I felt I could never fully open up to anyone because I felt too scared to mention anything relating to my sexuality. Eventually, the process became so draining that I stopped trying to find a church. Then, in December 2019, I stumbled upon a poster advertising Oasis’ LGBT+ affirming Christmas carol service. I remember being shocked that such a thing even existed, and knew immediately I had to go.
I dragged one of my housemates along and, sitting at the side of the packed church, I almost immediately felt at home. As the service went on, I became more and more emotional. I realised that I had never sat in a church and heard queer people discussed, much less in a positive way. It had always felt like such a taboo subject, something that could maybe be okay so long as I didn’t bring it up. But here I was, surrounded by people who filled themselves with God’s love and openly poured it onto everyone, me included.
From that day onwards, Oasis has continued to amaze me. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that support for the LGBTQ+ community is a topic constantly discussed, rather than just reserved for a once-ayear token service. For the first time in my life, I feel completely comfortable discussing my sexuality with everyone in the church community. My favourite thing about Oasis is that I can be truly myself, surrounded by those who not just accept me, but celebrate the way God made me.
Thank you, Lydia, for sharing your story with us!
Sharing our Values
Changing the story when it comes to LGBT+ people and the church is something that requires practical action as well as cultural change. As well as working hard to make our church an inclusive space, we’ve been involved in conversations and collaborations with others to enable those beyond our own community to reflect on what inclusion might look like for LGBT+ people of faith. Here’s some of what we’ve been up to recently…
In December 2019 we held an LGBT+ affirming carol service in partnership with our friends at St Stephens Church and Christchurch. The church was absolutely full, and it was a deeply moving evening. Many of those who attended told us that it was the first time in a long time they’d felt safe and welcomed in a church setting. We hope to repeat the event in 2021.
Our Hub Leader, Jo Dolby, has been able to support local charity Off the Record’s LGBT+ youth groups ‘Space’ and ‘Outer Space’ by visiting to share a bit of her own story, and to talk about inclusion, faith and sexuality.
Young people who attend Outer Space worked with Jo to create a film with messages they wanted to pass on to churches. You can view that film by going to https://vimeo.com/oasisbath/lgbtmessagetothechurch or use the QR code here.
Jo also took an assembly at St Mark’s School in Bath as part of LGBT+ history month, again discussing inclusion and the church.
Our Building
In 2019 we received a grant from St Johns Foundation to conduct a feasibility study on our grade two listed, 150 year old building, Oasis Church Bath. This building is home to many of our projects and services, as well as those of other charities and community groups. The building is an incredible resource – it has three separate floors as well as a balcony office space, and is centrally located on the Paragon in the Walcot/Lansdown part of the city. However, it also provides some significant challenges, and is in need of a major refurbishment having not been upgraded since the 1980’s. It is our hope to complete this refurbishment in the next five years, turning Oasis Church Bath into ‘a home for the city’.
In 2019 we commissioned local architects Connolly Wellingham to complete the feasibility study, with the aim of providing us with a clear plan for development. The study took place throughout 2020, and with the help of structural and service engineers and a quantity surveyor project managed by Connolly Wellingham, we now have an exciting and ambitious set of plans for the future.
Our vision is simple – we want to be a home for the city. We want to be a thriving, bustling and busy community hub, where local people feel safe and at home, and can access a range of services and projects. We want our building to be welcoming, accessible, practical and exciting, and we’re committed to achieving this with as little impact on the environment as possible.
Our plans include;
• A new floor to host the counselling practice and offices of Focus Counselling
• Improved accessibility throughout with a new ramp/ entrance and a lift on every floor
• A new community kitchen to host our food pantry and holiday hunger project • An upgraded and refurbished community space to house all our support groups and meetings
• Modernised and eco-friendly systems and services
In 2021 we’ll be exploring the next steps needed to turn this dream into a reality, and we’ll be posting regular updates on social media and through our quarterly newsletter ‘Hub News’.
We’d like to offer our heartfelt thanks to St Johns – without whom we simply could not have completed the study.
It has put us in the best possible position to secure our building as a resource for the local community, and to give us a strong and secure future in the city.
Funding
Like many charities, all the activities of Oasis Hub Bath are completely dependent on the generosity of our supporters and grant funders.
In 2020 we have seen an encouraging increase in the amount of people who have committed to supporting us through monthly standing orders, and we’ve also had a 95% success rate with the grant applications we’ve submitted. We’ve held two successful Crowdfunder campaigns and we’ve also enabled online giving through our new Just Giving page.
We would like to thank everyone who has supported us financially this year. We hope that reading this report helps to communicate the amazing difference your donations and grants have made.
THANK YOU!
Our grant funders in 2020;
With heartfelt thanks also to;
The members of Oasis Church Bath Waitrose Sovereign Housing 3SG Wera Hobhouse MP BANES Council Radstock and Midsomer Norton Lions Club Crowdfunder
Partnerships
Focus Counselling
In November 2020 we were thrilled to welcome Focus Counselling to our ‘hosted delivery’ tier, as they relocated their office and counselling practice into our building at Oasis Church Bath.
Focus have been providing affordable, professional counselling to the city for over 20 years, and we’re so excited to be partnering with them in this way.
As well as having relocated to Oasis Church Bath in the shortterm, they’ll also be a key part of our building refurbishment project, which will now include a bespoke floor designed just for them to ensure they have everything they need - for now and well into the future.
To find out more about Focus you can visit their website at www.focusbath.com
Bath Mind
Bath Mind will be launching their ‘Breathing Space’ project from our basement community space in 2021.
Breathing Space will aim to reduce emotional and psychological distress and offer an alternative to attending Accident & Emergency (A&E) or the Intensive / Crisis Team when people are experiencing or at risk of escalating to a mental health crisis. It will be open every evening of the year without exception, from 5.30 – 11.30pm.
Breathing Space will be staffed with skill-mixed, appropriately trained mental health professionals with capacity to work with people in emotional / mental health distress. It will act as a safe haven, with social care and peer support available, within a safe, comfortable and sociable environment, which encourages informal buddying and peer support, and with an emphasis on social prescribing or signposting. The aim is that through early intervention in people’s pre-crisis conditions and emotional distress, people will be better empowered to regain control and minimise the impact of a crisis on their own functioning, quality of life and impact on their families and friends.
We’re so excited to be hosting such a ground-breaking and important service! Visit www.bathmind.org.uk for more information.
Join In
Oasis Hub Bath projects are only possible because of the support of individuals and organisations who partner with us in various ways. From volunteering at one of our hub projects, to giving regularly through a standing order, there are loads of ways you can help us do what we do.
The invitation is open to everyone to join in!
Join in by giving financially
To enable our projects to run, ongoing financial support is essential. Giving regularly to us means you are helping us provide practically for people in need such as food for our pantry, as well as funding staff roles such as our hub leader to enable projects to be developed and managed.
You can support the work of Oasis Hub Bath in the following ways;
1) You can fill in a standing order form to give a regular amount of your choice from your bank account each month. This is the best way to help us as it means we can plan ahead, and claim gift aid on donations given.
To download a form visit www.oasisbath.org/donate. You can also sign up to give regularly online through our Just Giving Page: www.justgiving.com/oasishubbath 2) You can give a one-off donation online by visiting www.justgiving.com/oasishubbath 3) You can give a one-off donation of up to £20 by texting ‘OASISHUBBATH’ and the amount you’d like to give to 70450.
For example to give £20 you would text ‘OASISHUBBATH 20’ to 70450.
Join in by volunteering
Our projects rely on volunteers and we always have roles available for those who want to give some of their time. You could volunteer at our weekly food pantry, help out in the school holidays at our Make Lunch sessions, or offer your own specialist skills such as design or fundraising.
One of our volunteers recently described what being involved meant for them…
“It’s a privilege to volunteer with Make Lunch and to be part of such a great team. It has helped me throughout the pandemic to be able to do something that helps others in a very practical, direct way.”
(Lea, steering group member)
Join in by fundraising
If you are looking for a challenge then fundraising for us is a good way to support us, raise awareness of the work we do and motivate yourself. You might want to involve friends or colleagues in doing so too.
Contact us for ideas and information, this could include running the Bath Half, nominating us with your employer as ‘charity of the year’, or setting up a business partnership. Email welcome@oasisbath.org to find out more.
Join in by telling others about us
Alongside supporting practically or financially we want others to know about the work that we do. Through communicating the work of Oasis Hub Bath to others you can help ensure that those who may benefit from accessing our projects or organisations who work with individuals who need support know about us. It also helps us to develop partnerships and identify those who can support us in the ways outlined above. There are a number of ways that you can help let others know about us. You could follow us on our social media pages and share what we do.
Alongside this we produce a quarterly newsletter called Hub News which gives an update of what we have been doing. Why not have a read and share with others?
Fountain Buildings, The Paragon, Bath, BA1 5DU 01225 422604 welcome@oasisbath.org
