Home
Family Group Work 
5s to 13s Project
News
Forthcoming Events
Volunteers
Donations
Contact Us
Home
What is "Friends of the Family"?
Friends of the Family is a charity for vulnerable families and their children who live in the Winchester district. It is managed by Trustees and run by professional staff and volunteers. It is a small, friendly organisation which was established in 1993, and is based at the Quaker Meeting House in the centre of Winchester.
Why was Friends of the Family Founded?
Friends of the Family was founded in 1993 by Ann Titman, at that time a social worker with families in Andover, and Dorothy Richardson, a magistrate who was Chair of the Bench of the Juvenile Panel in Andover. Both were concerned about vulnerable young families not getting the help and support they needed at an early stage in the life of their family. The children of these vulnerable families often then appeared in the courts for offending behaviour as they grew older.
Social services, the police, doctors and health visitors were consulted, and Friends of the Family came into existence after some local fund-raising and with the support of the Quaker Meeting House. We continue to receive generous hospitality and support from the Quakers.
Over the years, Friends of the Family has assisted more than 200 families.
Friends of the Family has two projects;
● a support group for vulnerable women and their pre school children that meets at the Quaker Meeting House throughout the year on Tuesday and Friday mornings. During school holidays, older children of these families are welcome to join us.
AND
● a volunteer befriending service for individual families and their children between the ages of 5 to 13 in their own home.
Families are referred to Friends of the Family from a number of different sources. These may include Health Visitors, GPs, the Refuge, mental health workers, schools and social workers from the Children’s Services Team as well as by the police team working with victims of domestic abuse. Group members sometimes make referrals to us, and people self-refer, having seen our leaflets.
Families are initially visited by the project leaders at home to see if we are the right organisation for them. It may take some time for them to decide whether to join us, but if they do, we do everything we can to make them feel welcome; if not; we may be able to suggest alternatives. We ask them to make a commitment to work with our staff and volunteers so that positive relationships can be established. When volunteers are working with families in their own homes they are carefully matched to the family’s unique needs.
For further information about the projects please telephone 01962 864466 or email: friendsofthefamily@btinternet.com