​Richardson’s hope to make a difference to local charity.

Norfolk holiday company, Richardson’s, is hoping to make a difference to young vulnerable people and families across East Anglia with the announcement of its new charity partner, Break.

The holiday company, which owns Richardson’s Boating Holidays and Hemsby Beach Holiday Park and Richardson’s Family Entertainment Centre will over the next five years raise money for the charity as well as providing short breaks for young people throughout the year.

Greg Munford, Chief Executive of Richardson’s said: “We are delighted to be extending our partnership with Break and supporting the great work they do with children, young people and families.  Over the next five years we aim to raise as much money as possible for the charity, as well as providing children, who may ordinarily never be given the opportunity of a short break, the chance to enjoy the fun and relaxation of a holiday.”​

Photo: Greg Munford Chief Exec at Richardson's is joined by Break's Interim CEO, Rachel Cowdry.

Rachel Cowdry, Interim CEO at Break, said: “We are thrilled Richardson’s have chosen us as their charity partner and we look forward to working with them.  The support of organisations such as Richardson’s is vital to our work, not only in fundraising terms, but in providing vulnerable young people with unique opportunities that we would not be able to provide ourselves.”

Break has been changing young lives for over 50 years. The charity works tirelessly to support young people in care and moving on, children with disabilities, children at risk, and families who need support, finding a way through difficult times and opening the door to brighter tomorrows.

Source:
http://break-charity.org

We are currently recruiting for Foster Panel Members for the Break Fostering Service. The Panel Member will be part of a central list of people who we will call upon to attend Panel for the purpose of making recommendations about the approval of foster carers.

An understanding of the needs of looked after children is essential together with a good sense of the attributes and skills needed to provide children who are looked after with high quality nurturing care. Good practical judgement combined with the ability to read and analyse complex written reports is needed.

You will be making an important contribution to the fostering service as a Panel member and more generally to the work of the Break Children’s Charity whose purpose is to change children’s lives for the better.

Essential Information:
Salary: £77.00 per panel – approximately 4 panels are held every year.
Hours: As and when required
For more information regarding this position, please email the Fostering Operations Manager:  paul.corina@break-charity.org

Source: https://break-charity.current-vacancies.com/Jobs/

We are seeking a Support Worker to join our team at our Short Break Centre in Long Stratton for young people with learning disabilities.  This work includes personal care, some of the young people have complex needs and can exhibit challenging behaviour.  We aim to enable the young people to be as independent as possible in a fun and caring environment.

The successful candidate will need to be able to demonstrate commitment, flexibility and enthusiasm.  This challenging work requires energy, resilience and thought, but can be extremely rewarding.

This vacancy is open to men and women as we aim to provide a gender balance in caring for our young people.

The ability to work a rota/shift pattern is an essential requirement for this position, which will involve daytime, evening and weekend work including waking night shifts.

You will be required to complete a level 3 diploma in health and social care (if not already gained) which Break will fund, study for this is in your own time.

Break provides full training throughout employment to all staff.

Essential Job Details
Hours: 38 hours per week

Salary: The current full time salary scale for this position is £19,344 - £19,691 per annum, depending on experience and qualifications (maximum job rate potential is £20,430 which is performance related). 
 
At appointment, the actual salary will be £19,344 per annum depending on qualifications.

Interviews for this position will take place on the 20th and 22nd August 2019.

For more information about this position please contact Melanie Julier on 01508 536515.

Source:https://break-charity.current-vacancies.com

During #FCF19 we are exploring all things fostering.

Who can be a foster carer?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to fostering. The answer is simple. We welcome foster carers from many different backgrounds in terms of relationship status, ethnicity, age, sexuality and religious belief. 

You can become a foster carer regardless of whether you have had children of your own. We welcome people who have never been foster carers or who are experienced foster carers. 

Whatever your experience we will support and develop you. We always work hard to match foster carers and child very carefully.

Contact us
​If you want to find out more about becoming a Break Foster Carer in Norfolk get in touch today at fostering@break-charity.org, call 01603 670100 or download our Foster Carers' Guide. Find out who can be a Foster Carer here.

Meet Eddie's foster parents - Case Study

My partner and I have been caring for 10-year-old Eddie since 2018. He has really started to grow in confidence and is even learning to make friends since he has been part of our family. 

Eddie was confused and anxious when he came to us. He had been through terrible trauma, which shaped his behaviour. It was hard for us to see him become upset and angry and hard to be the target of his angry behaviour. But things are getting better now as he settles in.

Eddie’s sense of humour is coming to the fore and we have great fun together. We enjoy taking him out on his bike, to the beach, trampolining... Recently we all went on holiday to Dorset. He is doing better at school and loves his maths, reading and writing. He is more able to talk about his feelings and to cope with life’s ups and downs.

We take Eddie to see his parents, brother and sister and the rest of his family, who live a long way away. We feel glad that his mum and dad are happy with the care we are giving their son.

The Break Fostering service has been very supportive. It’s extremely useful getting together with other foster carers to share experiences at the monthly support groups. We have a supervising social worker who meets with us regularly and there is training and support covering all aspects of caring for children in a therapeutic way. We find all of this invaluable and we have learnt a lot about parenting children who have experienced trauma.

We are really glad we decided to foster and we would recommend anyone applying to Break to be a foster carer. The assessment process is very thorough and we cannot tell you that caring for a child is all plain sailing, because it can be tough and it’s important people know this. But we can tell you that the personal rewards are great, and when we see Eddie’s progress it’s a wonderful feeling. 

We feel Eddie is beginning to understand our commitment to his learning and growth. He has begun to talk about the future, planning for his secondary school and, most importantly, he is enjoying being a young boy again.​

Could you become a foster carer?
If you care about children and believe you can help us to change young lives. Fostering can play a huge part in transforming a young life, helping them to become happy, secure and successful young people.

Foster carers need to be able to value young people and to be able to commit to care for young people with sometimes complex needs and all this entails. We want foster carers who are aware there will be challenging times, and also rewarding ones, and who are able to work with the child at the child’s own pace and, above all, be able to provide a loving and caring home.

Find out more today by emailing fostering@break-charity.org call 01603 670100 or download our Foster Carers' Guide.

Source:
http://break-charity.org

We are very pleased to announce that MJR Events have chosen Break as their charity of the year for 2019/20.

Break will be at the Norfolk Bump & Beyond Baby and Toddler Fair on 29th March 2020 at The Norfolk Showground.

Sarah Bunn, Break's Events Manager said, "We are very excited to be working closely with MJR Events in the run up to the event. The funds raised will enable Break to continue to make life better for vulnerable young people and families living in our local communities".

Over the past 5 years, MJR events have raised over £3,500 for local baby & child related charities in Norfolk.

There will be lots of fantastic prizes up for grabs in a raffle held on the day in aid of Break. The raffle will be drawn in our Live Stage area.

Watch this space for details of what's happening at the fair.

For exhibitor information, please email hello@mjr-events.co.uk or click here to BOOK TICKETS!

This #CareDay19 we talk about our Staying on Track service

At Break, we make life better for vulnerable young people across East Anglia. We provide a range of services to help young people in care and moving on, children with disabilities and families who need support.

Today is #CareDay19 a celebrtion of care-experienced young people. We would like to showcase Break’s Staying on Track service. This service is available to young people who have left or are about to leave the care system. It aims to help young people to have more stability and support at what can be a scary time. Thanks to funding through the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Break is able to offer this free service to care leavers in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.

The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation aims to improve the quality of life for people and communities throughout the UK by funding the charitable work of organisations that are building an inclusive, creative and sustainable society.

Break is delighted to have received funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and it helps the charity to continue to improve its provision for care leavers. Rachel Leslie, project manager, said “Care leavers were telling us that they needed more help in feeling prepared for independent living. They wanted to feel more emotionally ready and have links with other care experienced young people to help them. Thanks to Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Break is now delivering this vital support. It will help them to feel more confident going forward and help them move to independent living successfully.”

​The Emotional Wellbeing Service, delivered by Break Family Centre, is available to care leavers aged 16 and over. This support is to help care leavers prepare for transitions, such as moving into independent living, becoming a parent, or starting employment. Sessions will provide them with a safe and confidential space, tailored to meet the young person’s individual needs and preferences; this might be to help them understand and manage their emotions, process past experiences or develop positive coping strategies. This will enable them to feel more positive on a day-to-day basis, maintain healthy relationships, and successfully engage with education, employment or training. 

Break are delighted to announce that MENTA has chosen Break as its charity partner for 2019.

MENTA is a multi-award winning not-for-profit company – not a membership
organisation. They provide business advice, business skills training, bespoke business courses and networking opportunities. Their services help grow your business.

MENTA has invited Break to its networking events, Coffee Means Business in Woodbridge, Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill during the year and the charity will exhibit at the MENTA Business Show on Tuesday 1st October at The Apex, Bury St Edmunds.

CEO of MENTA, Alex Till said, “I’m delighted MENTA will be partnering with Break during 2019. They are providing vital services and support to those who really need it.”

Michael Rooney, Head of Commercial Services at Break said, “We are thrilled to be working with MENTA as their charity partner for 2019. We look forward to raising awareness of how businesses, their staff and individuals can make a difference to vulnerable children’s lives by volunteering and fundraising for Break.”

Source:
http://break-charity.org

For over 50 years Break has been working tirelessly to help young people in care and moving on, children with disabilities, families in need of support and children at risk. 

Hilary Richards Break’s CEO said “As Break continues to grow and diversify to meet changing needs, this is the perfect time for us to recruit. We are looking for a variety of Trustees that want to help improve the lives of young people in our community. We look forward to welcoming our new Trustees who will join our experienced skilled managers and longstanding Board.” 

Frank Shippam, one of Break’s Trustees said “Being a Break Trustee has been a fascinating, challenging and hugely rewarding experience for me.  I have learnt many lessons from the charity’s employees and fellow Trustees and am proud that I have made a contribution to the brilliant work Break undertakes in changing young lives.” 

Apply now!
Break welcomes CV applications from individuals with strategic and clear thinking skills, the ambition and dedication to drive Break forward, and ability to contribute effectively as part of a team and with innovative ideas.

The Trustee positions are on a voluntary basis with appropriate expenses reimbursed. For further details or to view the full job description visit 
www.break-charity.org/join-us/become-a-trustee/

To find out more about becoming a Trustee email Sally Butler for an applicant pack sally.butler@break-charity.org

The closing date for applications is midnight on Monday 18th February 2019. Interviews will take place on Thursday 7th March 2019. 

Source:
http://break-charity.org

Staff and members of the public were invited to pop into one of the Hays Travel branches to donate new toys, gift sets, toiletries, household goods, stationery items and books.

It was the firm’s sixth annual Santa’s Sleigh appeal to help vulnerable children, young people and families supported by the charity across East Anglia.

Break’s CEO, Hilary Richards said: “It is overwhelming to see so many kind gifts and toys donated. These gifts will be wrapped and given to so many deserving families, children and young people who have moved on from care.”

Branch manager of Hays Travel Aylsham and appeal coordinator, Jo Dobbie said: “All of us at Hays Travel are so appreciative of everyone who supported us with this appeal and would like to say thank you.”

Source:
http://break-charity.org

We've put together 50 stories for 50 years!

On Wednesday 28th November, Break celebreates 50 years of changing young lives. We've put together 50 stories of young people and families who have come though Break's doors.

We hope that you enjoy reading and discovering more about Break and the young people we've supported over the past 50 years. 

From supporting children from Chernobyl in Ukraine, who came for a health-restoring break in Sheringham in the 1990s to stories from parents who have enjoyed a welcoming break from the 24/7 demands of caring for a child with complex needs. 

All of these are true stories and many of them are in the contributors' own words. Some names have been changed to protect our young people's identities. 

Source:
http://break-charity.org