DreamKeepers

- an award winning mentoring scheme is being introduced

DreamKeepers gives primary school children a second chance.

DreamKeepers is a service supporting vulnerable primary school children. The project started as a pilot project mainly for children of substance misusing parents, but has developed into a mentoring scheme for all vulnerable children.

This early intervention programme is being offered in partnership with the award winning charity Chance UK in Dacorum and now also in Three Rivers. WorldShapers has partnered with ASCEND in South Oxhey to help roll out the DreamKeepers project to other districts in Hertfordshire.

The purpose of this mentoring programme is to offer primary school children a one-year mentoring programme, which will offer a level of stability, reduce isolation and give them new motivation and life skills. The mentoring programme has shown great results and is well researched.

Let’s engage

The first three months focus on the child and the mentor getting to know each other. As they feel comfortable with each other the mentoring moves into the solution focused phase for the next eight months. Parents, the child and the mentor will agree three goals that they will be moving towards and the year ends with a special graduation celebrating the achievements.

How to get on to the programme?

Referrals are straightforward. We have a special referral form that is filled out by the referral agent. We use the Goodman Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to assess the children’s need for the programme and to monitor their progress. A score of 16 or over indicates that a child has a behavioural difficulty and is likely to benefit from the programme.

Anybody can refer children to the programme, but we will ask the parents and a school teacher to fill out the Goodman questionnaire before accepting anybody onto the programme. We will then meet with the child and their parents to give them a good overview of the programme and to introduce them to the mentor.

The programme is free and a Multi-Agency Partnership is in place to support the children in the best possible way.

How will the children benefit?

The children on previous projects saw a positive change in their behaviour, and parents reported benefitting from a more positive relationship with their children. The children improved their concentration; related more satisfactorily to others; understood better the consequences of their actions, and achieved better grades at school.

Early intervention

If you would like to know more about this early intervention programme, please e-mail dreamkeepers@worldshapers.org.uk