Students on the Children & Young People Foundation Degree participated in a guest lecture delivered by Susan Rowen and Lucky Deb from Home-Start Oldham, Stockport & Tameside on Monday, 26 February 2018.
Students took part in an in-depth discussion on troubled families in the local area with case studies and examples. The group looked at the work done by the Home-Start charity to support families within Oldham, Stockport and Tameside, and discovered the process of becoming a volunteer. The event was arranged to bring to life the subject of supporting troubled families and enhance the teaching and learning. Sue and Lucky were able to demonstrate expert knowledge from their experiences of working within practice.
Students also took part in a question and answer session with Sue and Lucky to explore future employment pathways and insight into the valuable work that they do.
Children & Young People Lecturer, Leonie Sweeney, explained, “It’s an amazing opportunity for students to hear first hand what it’s really like to work with troubled families in the Oldham area, and to consider volunteering and employment options which they may wish to pursue in the future.”
After the event, student Rebecca Chapman added, “I found the session to be incredibly helpful, not only for my report but mainly for my nursery and the families I come into contact with every day. They are running an incredible service, and were very knowledgeable on their roles and on Oldham in general.”
Student Wendy Bailey commented, “It was eye opening to learn there is no timescale on how much time they spend building up confidence with families to gain help and achieve their goals – whatever they may be.”