Many of the women receiving our support are also parents and are experiencing difficulties with their children as a result of their chaotic lifestyles and lack of parenting skills.

Little Links is a 6-week project that informs and supports children between the ages of 6 and 11 to cope with the effects of living in a household where substance or alcohol misuse occurs.  The project provides children with intensive therapeutic support through a range of interventions including one-to-one support, group sessions, activities and outings.  The aims of the project are to:

• Improve their ability to adopt positive coping skills in relation to emotional distress
• Provide the opportunity for children to have fun and be happy

Our twice-weekly coffee mornings provide an opportunity for the mums and children to come along and relax in our large living room area and receive support to address any difficulties they may be having, whilst summer picnics in the garden are great fun as well as improving the interaction between the children.

At our teatime club, the children can participate in a range of engaging activities, facilitated by our parenting expert, which allow them the opportunity to open up about any issues they may be experiencing. The highlight of the session is often being able to enjoy sitting around a table to eat and chat together in a warm and welcoming environment.

During these sessions our parenting support worker provides the mums and their children with various tools and techniques to help them recognise and manage emotions, to manage anger as well as to build self-esteem and strategies for coping with difficulties at home.