The Community House

We are a community- based project working with families and children using community development principles.

We Believe in Supporting Our Community

Our Current Projects include:

Dads R Us

Dads R Us are Dads, Grand Dads, New Fathers, Step-Dads, Uncles, Dads separated from their children and any man who has a caring role with children.

Children get so much from their father figure. Dads R Us recognises the importance of a father figure in the lives of children and we are here to celebrate, support and encourage those men. There are so many messages about what a Dad is supposed to do that sometimes it's just good to talk to other Dads.

So what do we do? Almost anything that encourages men on the sometimes complicated and difficult job of being a father:

• Supporting dads to become more involved in school through Dads and Children Football sessions.
• Formal parenting courses e.g. Webster-Stratton's Incredible Years parenting course.
• One to one support for fathers who need a friendly ear and an opportunity to meet other fathers.
• Football sessions with Derby County Football in the Community for Dads and thier children.
• Fun Dads and Kids Sessions at a variety of community venues in Boulton, Sinfin and Osmaston/Allenton.
• Trips, outings and fun holiday activities for Dads to enjoy with their children.

For children growing up today it is difficult. Fathers play a vital part in helping children get as much out of life as possible, including encouraging positive behaviour, Learning new skills, fatherly advice to make the right choices, keeping safe and of course playing and having fun.

Volunteering

We have a variety of opportunities in the Osmaston/Allenton area for dedicated, caring volunteers. All volunteers receive induction training, regular support, expenses and supervision.

Many people are looking for a work/life balance within today's busy society. Volunteering helps you gain a real feel good factor in your life. It is small wonder then that volunteering is becoming more and more popular. There are as many reasons people volunteer as there are volunteers:

• It could be a way to access training or test out a career change.
• Maybe you are a student needing experience or a reference to land that job?
• Perhaps you have had problems to deal with in the past and now want to help others in a similar situation because you really understand what it is like?
• You might want to give something back to your community.
• You could have moved into a new area and want to meet new people or make new friends.
• Maybe you now have more time on your hands with the children at school or retirement and you are looking for something better than daytime TV?

At Connecting Communities, as well as volunteering in our own projects, we place volunteers all across SureStart in Osmaston/Allenton which gives a good range of volunteering opportunities to try:

• Interesting in cooking? There is the Community Cafe
• Do you have green fingers? The caretaker at First steps would love your help in the garden.
• Want to help with children? We need play volunteers in out after school clubs and holiday play schemes.
• Interested in supporting families in difficulty? Ask about befriending
• Enjoy fundraising and organising events for the whole community to enjoy? Both Dads R Us and the Community Forum always need new blood to help with their projects.
• Do you have experience on committees/business or even are you willing to give it a go and learn as you go along? Almost all of our groups desperately need local people and parents willing to sit on their committees and help direct the services they provide.

For more information on Volunteering with us contact Carla Mathurin on 01332 715620

Support for Families with Domestic Violence Issues

The Community House has a number of projects aimed at helping families living with or recovering from Domestic Violence. For more information please contact us. on 01332 204895 or community.house@barnardos.org.uk

Assistance for Community Groups we helped set up.

As we work with the principles of Community Development, we help develop the community we serve. This means we have helped set up a number of community groups over the years who we still support and assist. These include:

- Play At The Community House who provide inclusive play opportunities for children around Osmaston/ Allenton.

- This is a toy library which operates out of First Steps on Cockayne Street and encourages families to play and learn together.

- Who are a group of local parent volunteers who fund raise and arrange activities for local families.

Where do we work?

Most of the work of The Community House is carried out in the Osmaston/ Allenton area of Derby. However our work with fathers covers the whole of Area panel two including Sinfin, Chellaston, Boulton and Alvaston. We also do some outreach playwork in other areas of the city.

How are we funded?

The money to support our work comes from a variety of sources:-

• Our "parent" organisations like Surestart  and Barnardo's.
• Applying for grants for specific large pieces of work, like the Parenting fund and Big Lottery
• Our own fund raising for specific events or trips e.g. the Dads groups market stalls or discos.

Using our facilities

We have two meeting rooms and a crèche room on site. The building has been used very successfully to put on courses and events for local people. If you would like to use the building for a similar activity, please contact us.

As a childcare agency, we support and work within the value of child protection. We are committed to providing the equality of opportunities for all the families and children we work with.

If you would like further information on any of our services or have any ideas for related activities please do get in touch. You can usually contact somebody from the project Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm on 01332 204895.