Stephen Twigg MP tours Norwood’s Kennedy Leigh Centre and Pears Wing for Children in Hendon
Stephen Twigg, MP for Enfield and Southgate, 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 10th March 2003. Norma Brier, Chief Executive of Norwood and Robert Pinkus, Head of the Centre, joined Mr Twigg, 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 service the community. Last year, in response to the growing need of the community The Pears Wing for Children was opened by seasoned 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, and takes in Mr Twigg’s own constituency.
Every week hundreds of families come through the doors and access a multitude of Norwood’s services under one roof. Families are able to draw on the skills of a wide-range of in-house experts who ensure that when people come into the Centre they get a first-class service, delivered in a warm and friendly environment, in keeping with Jewish cultural and religious beliefs.”
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.
Mrs Brier 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 allowing the children to remain in their chosen mainstream school. This is just one example of where 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 Twigg to help us to lobby the Government for a review of its budget policy covering special education.”
Alongside Binoh Norwood also runs The Annie Lawson School, for children between the ages of 11-19 years old with multiple and profound learning disabilities. The organisation is about to embark on its most ambitious capital project to date, moving the school from its current site in Berkshire to a site within the boundaries of the M25, in line with the Government’s care in the community policy.
Mrs Brier continued: “There is no central government funding to support the move. Again, Norwood is almost entirely reliant on voluntary income to fund it. This does not seem right and we would ask Mr Twigg to help Norwood by urging his colleagues in Parliament to review this policy.”
Speaking just after meeting a group of parents who benefit from the services provided at the Centre, Mr Twigg praised Norwood’s work in the community and its position as Anglo-Jewry’s leading children and family services care organisation.
Stephen Twigg, 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 families. 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 will certainly do what I can to further the organisation’s call for a review of statutory funding available to support its special education services. I share Norwood’s commitment to safeguarding the future for vulnerable young people in the UK.”
For more information contact...
Ronit Shebson
Public Relations Manager at Norwood
tel : 020 8420 6900
email : ronit.shebson@norwood.org.uk
