Nationwide Building Society

After the successful pilot launch of a Family Club in Newcastle, Nationwide are supporting the roll-out of Family Clubs in up to 30 locations in all four nations of the UK.

Family Clubs are safe spaces where vulnerable families come together, share a meal in a warm and comfortable environment, and build supportive relationships with other families. The Clubs offer activities for children and support for parents from our trained staff, helping with financial challenges, mental health issues, isolation and to build resilience.

Working with the same families over a series of 6 weeks, the Clubs are a space where families build trust with us, and other families, enabling community support networks to form, and providing the opportunity to be independent and empowered when they leave the Club.

The new Family Fund (our existing Enrichment and Crisis funds) is there to provide the essentials, as well as enriching experiences that children may otherwise go without. Available to anyone supported by Action for Children, UK-wide, we’re there to prevent families from falling into crisis.

Whether we are funding essentials like clothing, help with household bills or supermarket vouchers, or helping to give children the things that make childhood childhood- a Birthday cake, a trip to the zoo or a present from Santa. The big smiles, the moments of joy and those magical memories.

Bouncing Back was derived from The Blues, a targeted CBT evidence-based mental health and wellbeing Programme, it combines coping skills to build resilience and to reduce depressive/anxiety indicators.

Bouncing Back is a lower-level, early intervention, resilience building programme for young people, in years 5 & 6. Provision includes group discussion and practical tools and coping skills, enabling young people to manage their day-to-day emotional wellbeing. The sessions take place over 2 weeks and are delivered as 2x 1-hour sessions, one week apart. We deliver in primary schools with high index of multiple deprivation.

Bouncing Back is a great way to start opening up conversations with children about their mental health, discussing why we feel the way we do sometimes and what we can do with those feelings. It also gives them the chance to develop an understanding for others and recognise when they may need support or why they are reacting in the way that they are.

The Blues Programme gives young people, aged 13 - 19, the tools to look after their emotional wellbeing. In our society, there is a growing awareness of the importance of supporting our children and young people to grow up to be emotionally healthy and resilient.

The programme lasts 6 weeks and during this time it teaches young people emotional resilience and how to tackle low mood and anxious thoughts.

Blues involves a one-hour group session at school each week, plus home tasks. Students learn how to challenge negative thoughts and talk about different coping strategies. Regular group work builds rapport and confidence. The home tasks are a chance to practice the new skills.