Hello, pompeyboy-ga!
What a wonderful idea you have! You are going to bring a lot of joy
into some hearts this Christmas with your attitude. I am on the board
of a Children’s charity here in the US that provides Christmas gifts
for needy, mentally ill children at Christmas, as well as a
back-to-school program that provides backpacks, notebooks, pencils,
etc. These are children who normally fall through the cracks because
their parents are often in the mental health system themselves, and
are reluctant to ask for help. We get the names of the children
through the local mental health therapists, who identify the most
needy children and ask them for the two “needs” and two “wants” they
would like for Christmas.
Therefore, since I am unfamiliar with the UK, I will have to couple
some suggestions along with actual online resources.
1. How about contacting the local Mental Health agency in Hampshire,
and asking for a few names of children, preferably from the same
family? As long as the parents are willing, which they usually are,
you can do something like we do. We provide the gifts and the wrapping
paper, but leave the presents unwrapped so the parent(s) feel a sense
of fulfillment in seeing and wrapping their children’s presents. We
also usually provide a small gift basket for the parents, or mugs
filled with packets of cocoa. We also provide a Christmas stocking for
each child. Every year, we get letters from children saying this is
“the first time they have ever gotten presents!”
2. Contact “Childlife” 18 Dinorben Close. Fleet, Hampshire, GU13 9SL.
Tel: 01252 628 072, and ask for some specific names or places you can
drop off some gifts for children.
“Childlife raises funds for 4 children's charities: Acorns
Children's Hospice Trust, National Children's Bureau, Friedreich's
Ataxia Group and the National Deaf Children's Society.
Every day these four charities help children and their families cope
with the difficulties and problems they face, whether it is helping a
family deal with the terminal illness of a child or learning to live
and thrive with a disability. It is your support that makes a positive
difference to thousands of children throughout the country. Please
help us to continue to offer love and care to these young people.”
http://www.payrollgiving.co.uk/child.htm
3. The Children’s Hospice, Naomi House
http://www.naomihouse.org.uk/whatis.htm
Children and their families who utilize hospice care are often
extremely thankful for any help and support available. Emotions are
extremely raw, and time and energy to shop for Christmas gifts, not
only for the sick child but other children in the family, is scarce.
It could be a wonderful opportunity for you to provide much needed
help by contacting the hospice and asking for the name of a family
that cannot afford or even contemplate gifts for their sick child and
siblings due to the enormous financial and emotional strain they are
enduring.
Contact information for the hospice in Hampshire is at
http://www.naomihouse.org.uk/contact.htm
4. Residential Children’s Homes
http://www.applyeasily.co.uk/hampshire/pages/children.htm
There are 13 children's homes in Hampshire all of which look after
some of the most vulnerable children and young people in our society.
The level of support these young people need is high, which is why we
are investing heavily into the service. Our aim is to help these young
people to either move back home, move on to foster careers or to
support them in their transition to independence.
Three of our homes look after disabled children and young people on a
respite care basis. Most of our homes look after young people in their
local community so that we can work actively with parents as part of a
family support service. We aim to focus on providing shared care
package s so that families do not break up, but the support in
provision of some overnight care enables them to manage and look
towards the future.
Some homes look after children and young people on a longer-term basis
as their needs are so complex and it will take time for the support
process to enable them to move on. In all cases, we work closely with
colleagues in health and education to meet the needs of this
vulnerable group of young people and ensure they fulfil their
potential.
For more information on Residential Care, please contact Sue Hough,
Service Manager, 01794 526000, sue.hough@hants.gov.uk or Gill
Horrobin, Service Manager, 01962 847091 gill.horrobin@hants.gov.uk.
(This is very similar to some of the children we cater to in our
organization, who are in temporary “orphanage-type” foster care homes
and often only arrive with a plastic bag. We often provide these
children with a stuffed animal, little suitcase, toothbrush and
personal items. Believe it or not, they are most excited by the little
suitcase to carry their items in!)
5. Children and Adolescent Mental Hospitals
Some of the most neglected and lonely children are those in mental
hospitals, who are often forgotten by their families. I’ve come across
a very sad article relating to the Woodside facility which serves
patients from Hampshire, and which is slated to close. If you can find
a mental hospital that caters to patients from the Hampshire area, it
would be an incredible act of kindness to send a card and small
present to a few patients. A stuffed animal, even for an adolescent,
is extremely treasured and let’s them know that someone cares.
Read “In Harm’s Way,” by Julie Nightingale. The Gaurdian. June 12,
2002 at http://society.guardian.co.uk/mentalhealth/story/0,8150,735541,00.html
**The facility hopes to continue to treat these children as
outpatients. However, “Michael Sevitt, senior consultant psychiatrist
at Woodside, is going public with his objections. He believes that
seeing community services as a substitute for hospital care is a
mistake.”
(Is there some way you can contact Micheal Sevitt directly, or find
contact names for therapists associated with the facility, which may
now be closed?)
Contact information for the Surrey Oaklands NHS Trust, which is
mentioned as the organization responsible for the decision to close
the facility
6. Shelterline
http://www.shelter.org.uk/about/press/viewpressrelease.asp?PressReleaseID=82
CONTACT: STEVE BALLINGER OR LORAINE SWEENEY 020 7505 2162
Shelterline works with poor families who live in appalling conditions
throughout England. I am sure the directors of the program would
welcome any contribution of gifts to children they help.
“Children in run-down housing are suffering from serious and
prolonged illnesses exacerbated by the appalling conditions in which
they live, according to a report published today by Shelter. Analysis
of calls to their Shelterline service shows the scope of the problem:
more people ring Shelter’s housing helpline with health problems than
any other problem after homelessness itself and threatened eviction
(1)
The report, Home Sick: Shelter and Bradford & Bingley’s Campaign for
Healthy Homes reveals that over 6,000 homeless and badly-housed people
have called Shelterline with health problems in England in its first
three years. They include some of the most vulnerable members of
society: homeless people, people with serious mental and physical
health needs and families with children.
Read “Shelter Press Release.” (12/3/2002) at
http://www.shelter.org.uk/about/press/viewpressrelease.asp?PressReleaseID=82
7. Daylight Project for Homeless Youth
Often homeless teens are in the most lonely and vulnerable position,
because they are in such a transition and often fall in between
services. What nicer way to remember a teenager who is in trouble and
letting them know that someone cares than by providing a gift they can
really use?
“Drop in centre for homeless/unemployed young people is managed by a
consortium of local agencies including Emmaus Projects and the
Hampshire County Youth Service. The project engages young people in a
variety of educational programmes, including New Start, to support
them in taking control of their lives.”
http://www.hants.gov.uk/millennium/
Daylight Project
2nd floor, Aldershot Institute
Station Road
Aldershot
GU11 1BA
Phone 01252 324499
Fax (01252) 341717
e-mail office@emmaus.k-web.co.uk
I sincerely hope these references and thoughts provide you with some
avenues to consider for remembering children during the Christmas
holiday. You are a true gem!
umiat-ga
Google search strategy
+Hampshire UK +children's charities
+Hampshire england children's mental hospitals
+Hampshire +UK +homeless children |
