Andrew Dismore MP for Hendon, was given a private tour of Norwood's Kennedy Leigh Centre and Pears Wing for Children, the organisation's first ever dedicated Children's Centre, on Monday 16th June 2003. David Harris, newly appointed Director of Operations at Norwood, Robert Pinkus, Head of North West London Services, and Roni Goldberg, Norwood's lay Head of Services, joined Mr Dismore for the tour of the state-of-the-art community resource.
During the tour Robert Pinkus explained: "The Kennedy Leigh Centre first opened its doors in 1991 to serve the community. Last year, in response to the growing need of the community The Pears Wing for Children was opened by children's campaigner and chair of Child Line Esther Rantzen, extending the Centre's specific children and family focus. The catchment area runs from Kensington & Chelsea through to Luton. The highest proportion of our service users come from Mr Dismore's own constituency of Hendon, where the Centre is based.
The Kennedy Leigh Centre and Pears Wing for Children comprises an office for Binoh, Norwood's Special Education Outreach service; and educational resource library and rooms for art therapy, speech therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy. It also has a kosher café, open to the public; a sensory room, where children with disabilities can enjoy some much-needed 'time out', a large activities room and an adventure playground accessible to children with disabilities. The centre offers family mediation services and works in partnership with local authorities tackling the issue of child-protection. Every week hundreds of families come through the doors and access these services which are
delivered in a warm and friendly environment, in keeping with Jewish cultural and religious beliefs.
David Harris, newly appointed Director of Operations at Norwood said: "The Centre offers specialist child-based support services for children and their families. They can enjoy confidential access to all the expert help and advice that they need to resolve those issues which affect their lives and threaten their future: abuse, addiction, family breakdown, financial hardship, educational difficulties or disability. The resource is almost entirely reliant on voluntary income for funding.
The funding issue is particularly acute in the area of special education where professionals at Binoh, Norwood's special education outreach service, work with children, their parents and their teachers, in many cases enabling the children to remain in their chosen mainstream school. In this, and in the area of child protection work, Norwood is doing vital work which the Local Authorities are unable to offer but do benefit from, for which it receives almost no statutory funding.
Norwood takes this role very seriously and is committed to safeguarding the future of vulnerable children. We would ask Mr Dismore to help us to lobby the Government for a review of its budget policy covering two specific areas; special education services and child protection."
Speaking just after meeting a group of inter-agency professionals working within children and family services in Barnet, Mr Dismore praised Norwood's work in the community and its position as Anglo-Jewry's leading children and family services care organisation.
Andrew Dismore, MP said: "It's a privilege for me to tour facilities like those offered here at the Kennedy Leigh Centre and Pears Wing for Children and see first hand the wonderful work that Norwood does. There is nothing in the local area that offers this breadth of support to Jewish and Non-Jewish families alike. In line with Government thinking Norwood is developing new ways to work which offers it the potential to support children and their families in a much more holistic way than has previously been possible. I share Norwood's commitment to safeguarding the future for vulnerable young people."
For more information contact...
Ronit Shebson
Public Relations Manager at Norwood
tel : 020 8420 6900
email : ronit.shebson@norwood.org.uk
