Latest news with #AberlourChildren'sCharity
Daily Record
6 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Parents unable to care for their children hail lifeline support in Ayrshire
Aberlour Children's Charity offers parents help to cope after a child is taken into permanent care. Ayrshire parents whose children have been taken into care have hailed lifeline support helping them cope with their loss. They praised expert support helping ease feelings of despair and isolation after being affected by child protection proceedings and unable to parent full-time. Aberlour Children's Charity delivers Family Matters, a pioneering support scheme in Ayrshire, offering parents help to cope after a child is taken into permanent care. Assistant director Deborah Grant said the loss of a child can be devastating for parents often already dealing with issues ranging from domestic abuse and substance misuse to poor housing, mental health issues and learning needs. Deborah said: "A child being taken into permanent care can have an enduring and wide-ranging impact on their families. "Birth parents can become crushed by the loss and feelings of despair, and, without expert help, those powerful emotions can sabotage their future and that of their families. "It is about allowing them space to reflect on their absent children and better understand their family's experience and come to terms with it." She continued: "We support people to break habits of self-sabotaging behaviour often rooted in fear and low self-esteem, to talk about the sadness of missing their child, their childhood milestones and birthdays. "We offer a space for parents to talk and begin to understand what has happened and how they can help influence what happens next." One to one and group sessions held at a range of community venues across South Ayrshire allow parents to talk about children taken into permanent care or adoption. The Aberlour support team also offers practical help on a range of issues, from managing household budgets and housing to substance misuse and mental health. Family Matters, funded by the Scottish Government through the Corra Foundation, helps parents understand the change needed to provide safe homes for their other children and avoid further social work intervention. The experience of birth parents can also help improve the process and ease the impact of children entering care, according to Aberlour, which hopes to strengthen and expand the service in the years ahead. A child being taken into care can also trigger feelings of confusion and guilt among siblings remaining at home and the charity's expert support protects their wellbeing as well as their parents. One mum said the service became a lifeline when she was at risk of floundering after her daughter was taken into care. She said: "I started working with Aberlour around three years ago and for me it was a lifeline. "It gave me hope that things could get better after my daughter was adopted and I lost all contact. "When it became final my mental health deteriorated. I was grieving a child who was still alive, and I felt so alone. "Things were bad for a while, but Aberlour understood how I was feeling and, although I couldn't fix the situation, I began to understand that I could make it better and properly focus on my other kids. "I have bad days like everyone but I can cope now and deal with things. "I was definitely in a downward spiral but feel like I was given another chance." Fleur Steven, who leads the Family Matters team, said group sessions are particularly important to help parents share their experience and understand their feelings of loss. Fleur said: "The experience of a child being taken into care can be hugely destabilising for parents and their families. "After birth parents realise they will no longer have any involvement in their child's lives, they can feel terribly isolated and believe no one understands how they are feeling or sympathise with them. "Our groups allow them to speak to others who have experienced the same loss and talk about what happened and what happens next. "There is a lot of sadness but hope too."
Daily Record
29-07-2025
- Daily Record
Leading charity claims proceeds of crime helping steer Dumfries and Galloway teenagers towards brighter futures
Aberlour Children's Charity has detailed the success of Alternative Routes, a lifeline support service funded by money seized from criminals. A leading charity claims the proceeds of crime are helping steer teenagers in Dumfries and Galloway towards brighter futures. Aberlour Children's Charity has detailed the success of Alternative Routes, a lifeline support service funded by money seized from criminals. The expert support helps children and young people at risk of offending find a new way forward. Deborah Grant, Aberlour assistant director, said the five-strong team is on track to support 330 young people, mostly boys aged between 10 and 15, in the region over three years. She said: 'The service has changed the lives of many young people and their stories are inspiring. They are finding new confidence in their abilities and new hope for their futures.' Data collected by the charity revealed four-fifths of the 79 children supported last year said they were less likely to take part in anti-social behaviour and 72 per cent said their behaviour had improved. Around 80 per cent said they had a better relationship with teachers and were attending school more regularly. Three in five said they had more self-belief while 65 per cent said they were stronger mentally. Deborah also highlighted the 'ripple effect' seen when the support for one member of a family helps improve the health and lives of parents, grandparents or siblings. She said: 'We have also seen a significant increase in demand for emotional and practical support from parents of the young people we work with. 'Supporting parents in turn strengthens our work with their children and improves their chances of long-term success.' Many of the young people, aged between 10 and 25, have complex social and emotional needs, while some are neurodivergent or are waiting for medical assessments. Many already have experience of the criminal justice system. The charity's team, based at family support hubs at Dumfries, Annan and Stranraer and working with partners Inspiring Scotland, delivers support in group, family and individual sessions, designed to build young people's skills, confidence and ambition. Young people are encouraged to understand their previous behaviour and encouraged to address the underlying causes, such as difficult relationships with their parents or problematic use of alcohol and drugs. Around 26 per cent of children in Dumfries and Galloway are growing up in low-income homes and the Aberlour support is centred on five of the poorest areas: North -West Dumfries, Stranraer and the Rhins, Mid and Upper Nithsdale, Annandale South, and Nith. Jonathan's story: Jonathan, not his real name, was using cannabis regularly and at risk of falling out of education before finding support with Alternative Routes. Through one-to-one support, the Aberlour service helped him reduce his drugs and re-engage with school after missing almost a full year. After changing school and being offered extra tuition to catch-up, he began studying at home for the first time and is now exploring college options. The positive impact of that help and support has extended further with his girlfriend, who had also been out of education due to challenges at school, finding a work placement in a café. She says Jonathan's progress made her want to try again. Asked how working with the charity has helped turn things around, Jonathan, now 17, said, 'You've been good to talk to. You talk sense into me.'
