What we do
Knowsley Services
Children’s Rights Service
The Children’s Rights Service is run in partnership with Knowsley Social Services Department. The service aims to offer independent advocacy for looked after children and young people, including those with disabilities whenever they may require it. The individual advocacy offered is largely young person led and aims to be flexible enough to meet a very wide range of young people’s needs.
The service also works with agencies across the borough to develop and promote opportunities for the real participation of children and young people in areas of interest and relevance to them and in addition to raise awareness through training and consultation about Children’s Rights issues and the UN Convention on the rights of the child.
Knowsley Independent Parental Support (KIPS)
KIPS provides support and advice to parents of children with special educational needs in Knowsley. It is a partnership between Knowsley Education and Life Long Learning Departments and Barnardo’s, Wider Horizons Project.
KIPS staff train and support volunteers to work with parents. Referrals are allocated to project worker or volunteer dependent on the complexity of referral.
Family Group Meetings
This is a new area of work for Wider Horizons, and is a service partnership between Knowsley Children’s Fund and Barnardo’s.
A Family Group Meeting is where the child and thier family form the primary planning group, with professionals using their expertise to provide information to the family. The Family Group Meeting allows families to find their own solutions to the difficulties they are facing and intends to provide a practical approach to partnerships between families and professionals. Research suggests they can be used whenever a plan or decision needs to be made about a child.
Knowsley Interplay
Interplay caters for children aged 5 to 13 years and inter-youth for 13 to 19 year olds and aims to provide opportunities for children who have additional needs to attend mainstream play or youth sessions in their local area.
Interplay is run in partnership with Barnardo’s and Knowsley Community & Youth and is funded through social services, Knowsley Community & Youth department, Knowsley Children’s Fund, EYDCP and Barnardo’s.
Sure Start: Additional Needs Support Programme
Barnardo’s is working in partnership with Sure Start Fincham, Hillside and Woolfall Heath. The project aims to work with parents of children from birth to 4 years old where there is a diagnosis of disability or concern around a child’s delayed development.
The project worker works with families to enable them to receive appropriate services and resources and with agencies to influence the development of fully inclusive services.
Information and Advice Worker Post
To provide information and support to enable disabled children, young people and their families to access the services they require in Knowsley.
Information and Advice
A service for parents & carers of disabled children and young people providing support and advice in a variety of areas.
Wider Horizons Halton
This is a new service and is a partnership between Barnardo’s and Halton Children’s Fund. The service aims to provide inclusive play, sports and leisure opportunities in Halton, for children aged 5 to 13 year olds with a disability. Furthermore, Barnardo’s is part of a play and leisure strategy group who are developing a strategy around play and leisure for disabled children in Halton.
