Category

• Fully Validated Effective Local Practice

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Poverty impact

• Mitigation
• Reduction
• Awareness

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Poverty driver

• Provide benefit in-kind (material)
• Provide benefit in-kind (experience)

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Keywords

• Community Engagement
• Empowerment
• Education
• Stigma
• Lived Experience

Aim

TGIT aims to build self-esteem, confidence, and personal development while building positive and healthy futures for their children. This is done through:
• Information and advice, and access to services.
• Family support and promotion of attachment.
• Learning/accreditation opportunities.
• Family learning.
• Support towards healthier lifestyles.
• Positive economic outcomes.
• Increased self-esteem and community inclusion.

Summary

The ‘Thank Goodness it’s Thursday’ project is a community initiative in the Shetland Isles directed at parents, carers and toddlers. The group meets every Thursday with a welcoming and positive environment to create networks and share experiences, while children participate in activities. The project often welcomes professionals to offer advice to families on topics such as employment, housing, saving, and education. The project focuses on tackling poverty in Shetland by providing parents and carers with learning opportunities to enhance employability. By fostering social interactions and community support, the project plays a vital role in enhancing the well-being of families in the area. The project creates a support system for many who are vulnerable, isolated, and distant from support, and who might like to meet others in similar situations.

What difference does it make?

In addition to developing a highly regarded parent and toddler group, the project has involved 31 parents since 2022, providing a variety of support.
With positive outcomes in employability and provision of in-kind and financial support, some participants have received support that has contributed to tackling poverty.

Key take-aways

• The parents who have attended TGIT and received support towards employment, would have been very unlikely to have found their way to the support without TGIT acting as a portal. If as a practitioner, you are invested in supporting parents and families, a parent, carer and toddler group is the very definition of meeting the target group where they are.
• The empathy, care and support employed and displayed in running a group such as this mirror that which the parents will receive in their employability journey, should they require it. This demystifies and destigmatises the process of Employability Support, as well as embedding trust.
• The effort put into building a connection with the client goes a long way to ensuring better quality interventions and outcomes.
• Forging an alliance with a relevant sister organisation brings real value to a parent, carer and toddler group: Daniel brought Anchor for Families onboard, who are a Shetland Island Council service offering a wide-ranging, person-centred early intervention service for families facing a variety of struggles.
• A partnership with a service or individual with expertise in mental health or active play would be an obvious example of useful confederates.

 

Organisations

Shetland Islands Council, Youth and Employability Services, Shetland College UHI, Active Schools, NHS Shetland Isles. Shetland Island Council, Youth and Employability Services. Shetland Island Council, Youth and Employability Services.

Location

The project is delivered in Sandveien Neighbourhood Centre on Shetland Island. The project has no geographical limit, meaning anyone from any area in Shetland can participate.

Contact