Brighter Futures launches major fundraising campaign

Brighter Futures has launched ‘22 Families in 2022’ a major fundraising campaign, with the target of raising almost £100,000 this year.

You can donate here.

Since our foundation in 2008, Brighter Futures has supported more than 2,800 families, benefitting over 11,200 Islanders. We provide programmes facilitated by dedicated key workers, which focus on creating the best relationship possible between children and their main carers. we also focus on providing family support and second chance learning skills, as well as a creche facility. However, during 2021, the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic meant that we had to start a waiting list for our services, as the number of families referred rose beyond our capacity.

Brighter Futures supports 170 families at any one time. It costs £4,400 per year to support one family, and to continue to provide this level of support, employ more key staff and open additional premises, we will need to raise approximately £1m in 2022. We do not charge for our services to ensure that the help we provide is as accessible as possible.

Our CEO, Fiona Brennan, explains more: “Placing clients on a waiting list is not a position that any charity wishes to be in, and we do not want to turn anyone away. We are therefore asking the community for its support to raise £96,800 during 2022, to help meet the needs of a further 22 families accessing our vital support services. This campaign will enable us to reach up to two more families per month who are facing challenges and require our support.”

Brighter Futures was founded in 2008 by Wendy Hurford MBE, a former headteacher. The charity offers a range of programmes which address three crucial key areas of family life; parent and child relationships, wellbeing and positive mental health, personal development and second chance learning.

Our mission is to support families when they need us. We are non-judgemental and actively support the families who have been referred to us by focusing on the three key areas, above. We measure the impact of our programmes so that we know what we do, works. Each client is first referred into the ‘Transition Team’, and then allocated a dedicated key worker (and co-keyworker) to work alongside and to set their individual goals with.

We aim to build the main carer’s confidence, sense of self-esteem and skills such as listening to and working with their children, to improving areas such as their own literacy and numeracy. Our services are provided free of charge so that funding is not a barrier to accessing our support. Finally, our support is given on a sustained basis. We will often work with a carer for up to three years, if they need us to.

To find out more about supporting a Brighter Futures family, please contact our Community Engagement Officer, Sharon Betts, via s.betts@brighterfutures.org.je.

Thank you for your support.

#22Families