Tees Valley wises up on child poverty

A Tees Valley social landlord has joined up with the Wise Group to extend efforts to tackle child poverty and boost employment.

Tees Valley Housing, part of Fabrick Housing Group, has extended its Child Poverty Family Intervention Project (CPFIP) in Middlesbrough thanks to help from the Wise Group.

The project, one of only ten pilots across the country, aims to tackle the national worklessness and child poverty agendas, helping families who have multiple barriers in either finding work or getting back into work.

Working with a range of different agencies, families are offered a variety of help and support mechanisms to enable them to turn their lives around.

Now the programme has been given an added boost as the Wise Group, which increases job and training opportunities for people, is offering 20 eight-week work placements to help families experience life in the workplace again.

Families must first undertake the Wise Group’s ‘chaotic lifestyles’ programme, which teaches them skills including interviewing techniques and creating a CV.

Helen Neal, head of supported housing for Tees Valley Housing, added: “Our aim is to take away the barriers that are stopping the families we work with from moving on with their lives.

“Through our joint work with the Wise Group we are raising the aspirations of these families and proving to them that striving for a better future through a career is possible.”

Martin Graham from The Wise Group added: “The Wise Group's 'chaotic lifestyles' project has been working with the Child Poverty FIP team since September 2009. In that time there has been a number of clients that have been helped by the project to overcome both real and perceived barriers.”