Eleven Jewish charities join forces to launch new family initiative
Led by Norwood, 'We Connect Families' will provide a single access point providing support across issues including emotional wellbeing, school and SEND concerns
Eleven leading Jewish charities have partnered to launch a new community-wide service providing a single access point for Jewish families seeking support for children, young people and family life.
Created in response to growing demand and the increasingly complex challenges families face, ‘We Connect Families’ is intended to make it easier to find the right help at the right time across issues including parenting challenges, emotional wellbeing, school or SEND concerns, serious childhood illness, family relationships, and difficult life events such as illness or bereavement.
Led by Norwood, the UK’s largest Jewish charity supporting children, families, and people with learning disabilities, the partnership includes Kisharon Langdon, Camp Simcha, Jami, Jewish Care’s mental health service, Jewish Women’s Aid, Jewish Family Centre, KEF Kids, Hand in Hand, Arts Therapies for Children, GIFT and Noa.
Together, the charities aim to bring expertise across health, welfare, social care and community support and create one clear route into support.
Rather than navigating multiple organisations to identify where to turn, the new scheme is intended to enable parents or carers to access a pathway to support with just one call. Advisors from the initiative will listen, understand their circumstances and connect them to the most appropriate support.
Naomi Dickson, chief executive of Norwood, said the partnership was “developed by community charities, for the community, in direct response to what families told us. Many shared how confusing and overwhelming it can be to find the right support, particularly when they are already dealing with challenging circumstances.”
She added that “our community is fortunate to have a wide range of outstanding organisations, but families told us they wanted a simpler way to access them. ‘We Connect Families’ means families only need to reach out for support once. From there, we can help them find the right support quickly, confidently and with the benefit of a joined-up approach from across the community.”
Daniel Gillis, chief executive of Camp Simcha said the initiative “is people-focused and driven by a shared purpose – serving the community’s needs. By working in partnership and combining our expertise, our community organisations can offer a much better experience for families and stronger outcomes for the community as a whole.”
He described ‘We Connect Families’ as “a powerful example of what can happen when the community works together – ensuring families can access the help they need when they need it.”