The Family Mediation Centre Ltd

 WHO ARE WE?

'I look forward to the day when Black parents are not misjudged, misrepresented and not misinterpreted but empowered to be the best parents wherever they find themselves' - Chika Amadi.

"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character" - Martin Luther King Jr.

We are a non-profit organisation working alongside local authorities (We have so far worked with Tameside, Hartlepool, Middlesborough, Sheffield, Westminster, Wrexham councils) and relevant bodies to support and engage identified vulnerable families with complex problems such as those affected by separation, child protection matters, domestic violence and mental health illness with the strategic aim of reducing the number of children going into care, custody, drug peddling and gang life. We also provide programs to help the young people cope, regain their confidence and focus to achieve their dreams. We do this by providing direct support to parents and young people, advocating or accompanying them to Social Services conferences to ensure they understand the processes and get their voices heard. We also organise workshops for young people and families experiencing crisis or separation where we create awareness of mental health challenges incidental to crisis and helping parents navigate through teenage challenges and offering mentoring to young people. This is aimed at sensitising them to the dangers of drug peddling, how to stay clear form predators and money management. Our workshops also offer young people a conducive environment to share their perspectives and get their voices heard by their families.

Statistics has shown that Black families are disproportionately represented in child protection matters and to bridge this gap we have developed a comprehensive curriculum to address this and so offer specialist customised and adapted parental training for African/Caribbean and ethnic minority families especially families facing Local authority child protection issues.

Our workshops are to enlighten parents on laws and regulations around child protection and safeguarding in the UK; To promote better understanding between parents, their children and young people and Teaching children to understand family values.

Our Family Round Table Workshops has helped many families especially Navigating through Teenage Stuff since its inception in 2014.

We also help people recovering from substance abuse, offer mental heath awareness courses, advise and information and women empowerment programs in conjunction with Goodnews Bible Church, London.

We will be glad to offer our services up and down the UK in partnership with local authorities or other organisations to help parents who have experienced mental health illnesses or those left feeling lost and powerless and prone to mental health sicknesses and can't afford sustained independent medical treatment. This is where we come in to provide that emotional support and mental health awareness.

OUTCOMES

1.Engaging our young people in worthwhile projects and reducing anti social behaviour among ethnic minority groups.

2.Psychological needs: Motivate them, encourage good morals and building confidence

3.Create a forum for discussions and learning of British culture and value

4.Integration: Giving church going young people to remain in touch with their community

5.To promote better understanding between parents and their young children as well as husbands and wives.

Are you Black or of Ethnic minority group?

Are you emotionally connected to your child/ children/ spouse? I hear you ask: What is that? Register today for our 4 days Customized parenting skills class.

Save the Woman (@stwenactus) Tweeted:

Parenting Skills Programme ** 🏆Special thanks to our guest speaker Pastor Chika Amadi and her team.

To enrol for the course, please email your details to [email protected]

Upcoming events

1. Customized Parental Skills Training for Black families /19 & 20 June 2021 (zoom)

Navigating through teenage stuff:

It is have been confirmed that there is a Link between exclusions and county line gangs according to several reports including a think - tank VolteFace while a report carried on The Guardian of 5th Dec 2018 West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner was reported as saying,”violent crime is fuelled by schools that are increasingly using expulsions to protect their league table status “

Statistics from government National Statistics of the Department of Education shows that the number of permanent exclusions because of persistent disruptive behaviour for 2017/2018 decreased for the first time in five years. In Special Schools the reason for exclusion was physical assault against an adult while. Other reasons for school exclusion include Racist abuse, sexual misconduct and damage, bullying and theft

Currently Pupils are excluded for persistent disruptive behaviour 34% permanent and 30% for fixed -period

Research by Jackie Sanders, Lind Liebenberg and Robyn Mumford (Taylor &Francis Online suggests that It is known that there is a link between School exclusion and mental health illness on a long term. It has the potential to exacerbate delinquent behaviour

The analysis for review by The Timpson Review of School exclusion Government response presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Education RT Hon Damian Hinds MP by Command of Her Majesty May 2019 found Ethnic disparities in that - “children from some ethnic groups such as Black Caribbean children are more likely to be excluded than White British children while children from other groups such as Indian children are less likely to be excluded “. Is it a wonder why there is a high rate of callous violent death among these ethnic groups prone to school exclusion?

Do schools actually give pupils at risk of exclusion the best chance to succeed or are they labelled and shamed?

Has school exclusion ever meant the start of something new and positive or permanent sentence to fail?

There are potential unsolicited but dangerous consequences mostly potential to join gang or drug related crimes and increased violence -knife crime

The current government has made four core commitments all pointing to support head teachers and schools and nothing for the excluded children.

School exclusion outside the school ground has a high potential to lead to a feeling of worthlessness. Excluded pupils are more likely to join gangs or commit crimes than students in school. Our Workshops aim to address all the above.

"We had gone a week without sitting down and chatting with the kids. After the training we all came together to talk. my 10yr old nephew started crying and he says "I had a dream my mom telling me that I am not her child and that she picked me up from the trash"

It was really emotional. The other kids hugged and sang for him till he calmed down.

He is now all laughs and says he is feeling better". C. 19/07/2020

Meer our Founder and CEO

Testimonials

“It is very satisfactory to know parenting did not come with a manual.

I am very pleased with the training and workshop.

It is very informative and educational.

It helps one think of how to rethink processes and how we can solve problems” – Mama Hajia

“I’ve learnt to communicate and not assume, to spend time with my children, to train them and not let them train themselves, to chastise them (age appropriately) , to give them another opportunity, to embrace healthy ways of communication.

I took my daughter out and asked her some questions after the course” - Alliance

“It is very good. I regret not an opportunity to undertake this course when I moved into the UK newly. I recommend the course to every new migrant family. Had I undertaken this course earlier I would have avoided some mistakes made. It’s made me realise many mistakes” . Nnamdi

“The course has helped me to understand that when we discipline (age appropriate) we need to explain why to the children. I layed out the core values and defined them so when I forget, they remind me”- Chido