More than 100 years ago, in 1903, Helen Thompson published the first ever comprehensive study on gender where she found that men and women are very similar rather than dissimilar. In fact, Thorndike (1914) concluded from her study that individual differences are so large that gender differences may be disregarded.

Amazingly, 100 years later gender studies are still a major topic in psychology and the Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus mentality still continues to live on amongst other outdated popular beliefs.   LHE

News Flash (4.11.2009):

If you walk Croydon streets, you might have noticed the following poster:

It is true that gum chewers are an environmental problem with an estimated 26 million gum chewers in the UK, chewing their way through more than 3 Billion packs of gum per year of which a great amount ends up on our streets (if it doesn't get left stuck under a table). Still, much of the problem is artificially created by telling generations of children that if you swallow your gum it will remain in your stomach for ever (till you die). However, ask any medic and (s)he will tell you that this is one of those old wives tales. In fact, gum passes through your system within about 2 days and does not cause any harm when swallowed. So the message should read:

If you can't bin your gum, swallow your gum!

LHE

News Flash (12.11.2009):

Rise in women child abusers (metro - 9th November 2009): The highly publicised case of Vanessa George the nursery worker, who was a member of an internet pedophile ring, shocked the core of our nation. The thought that a woman, a mother, a nursery worker could commit such a horrific crime is unthinkable. Unfortunatley though, it does happen and is rising - statistics show an increase in the number of women sexually abusing children and in many cases their own. SH

News Flash 18th November 2009 (BBC News)

Young 'must have swine flu jab'

All school children and college students should be vaccinated against swine flu, the Tories say. The party urged the government to act as evidence suggested the young were more likely to get the virus - and develop complications.

Vaccination is already underway in the UK with those with health problems and pregnant women getting the jab first.

The Tories said NHS chiefs should prepare to extend it to under 24s now. A decision is expected soon.  SH

News Flash (24.11.2009)

Is Alcohol Good or Bad for You?

A recent study carried out by researchers in Spain comes to the conclusion that regular moderate drinking decreases the risk of heart diseases by up to 52%, for heavy drinking by up to 54% and for very heavy drinking by up to 50% with women benefiting less from such alcohol consumption. At the same time researchers in Sweden found that people above the age of 80 who drink regularly up to 5 units for men and up to 2.5 units for women are less healthy than their counter parts. Even further, researchers from Australia (Perth’s Telethon Institute) report that an increased amount of alcohol consumed during pregnancy correlates to an increased risk in children developing behavioral and mental disorders. So there is the question: Is alcohol good or bad for you? One thing is clear: The guidelines as set out by the NHS are so oversimplified that we might wish to call them good intended but wrong. If you consume alcohol, the amount which is appropriate for you depends on so many factors such as your BMI, your body fat, your food intake, your general health, your blood pressure, your gender, your age, your alcohol tolerance, your mood and stress factors surrounding you, that a guideline of 21 units for men and 14 for women per week is actually absurd. So the advice: “Please, drink responsibly!” is still the best advice, and if you regularly drink during the day or late at night, you might have to think about this issue. LHE

News Flash (04.01.2010)

Croydon Family has reopened today and wishes a Happy New Year to all our families.

We also would like to remind all that our groups are open and welcoming to all families regardless of their ethnic background or their religious beliefs. LHE

News Flash (09.01.2010)

Last week, Britain has seen her worst winter for several decades with temperatures reaching -22.3 C in the North of the country. And just like in the rest of the country where 8500 schools had to be shut, Croydon had to close a number of schools as well. Croydon Family Groups too did not open its doors for the Forestdale and the two Waddon Groups. Thankfully, the situation in Croydon has improved over the weekend and Croydon Family Groups will resume normal service even if particularly in Scotland the worst is not as yet over.  LHE

 

News Flash (26.01.2010)

At first it might come as a surprise that Mrs Gilderdale has not only been cleared of murdering her terminally ill daughter Lynn aged 31 but walked free from court yesterday. This despite the fact that even assisted suicide can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years. However, Mr Justice Bean described the decision of the jury as a decision which “shows common sense, decency and humanity”. Crucial to the jury's reasoning were four factors: a) Lynn was an adult, b) Lynn was terminal ill, c) Lynn expressed clearly that she wished to die and was clearly aware of its meaning and d) Mrs Gilderdale's character was without reproach and acted out of respect for her daughter's wishes. In case not all factors area given, the verdict can easily change into a guilty verdict for assisted suicide or even murder as the case of Mrs Inglis shows. Mrs Inglis killed her son after he had suffered brain damage to a point that he was unable to communicate. Additionally, his condition appeared to be improving which means factors b) and c) were not given resulting in the long term imprisonment of his mother. LHE

News Flash (08.02.2010)

Croydon now operates the Early Years Inclusion Teams. The teams are divided into the Home Support Team which links the setting of the child with the home of the child through home visiting, the ABC Team, which will work with parents/carers whose children have behavioural difficulties, the Portage Team, which supports families with children who have special needs and the Settings Support Team, which supports children with special educational needs within pre-school settings. Referrals can be made by parents, early years practitioners, health, social care and education services. The telephone number for this team is: 020 8726 7401. Alternatively, parents and carers may wish to approach the charity Croydon Home Start which provides volunteers for home visiting families with a child under the age of 5 with no further implication. The phone number is: 020 8667 0207. LHE

News Flash (25.02.2010)

A new study published by Demos (February, 2010) and executed by Sonia Sodha & Julia Margo states many a thing which has been been obvious if not known for a substantial amount of time. Summarizing the study, it states that risk factors for disengagement of young people from our society are primarily rooted within early childhood. Factors listed within this study are such as parental educational level, parenting style, economic status and parental aspiration. The study further identifies that national frameworks of providing prevention and early intervention too often consist of “short-term, ring-fenced grants rather than long-term funding”, that needs are not being picked up in time and that responsibilities are shifted from agency to agency with no clear cut accountabilities. However, what is truly amazing about this study is the fact that it acknowledges the need for health visitors and Sure Start children centres, but fails to mention the enormous amount of work contributed to early years prevention and intervention by the voluntary sector within the summery section of this report. If then, a think tank of the status such as Demos apparently fails to understand the picture on the ground, it may come as little surprise that the DCSF as well the local authorities have been following suite with the same misconceptions leaving the voluntary sector struggling to deliver front line work without near sufficient support. LHE

News Flash (10.03.2010)

The serious case review as published yesterday in regards to the Sheffield case concerning a father who had raped his two daughters over a period of 25 years inducing 19 pregnancy and resulting in 9 children reads almost like a deja vous to Lord Laming's report from 2003. However, there is one critical difference and this is that the current serious case review highlights not just professional but personal failure of the people involved. This is, professionals involved in the case were, so the report, too “afraid” of the father to act. To be frank, this is something we suspected for some time and find it confirmed now; the two daughters were let down because of the cowardliness of the professionals around them. It seems there is not much hope to see any improvement over the next 10 years just as there has not been an improvement over the last 10 years unless social services manages to attract workers who actually have character, dignity and courage. LHE

News Flash (31.03.2010)

Croydon Family Groups is proud to say that another successful term has been completed although January saw some disturbance due to bad weather conditions. Groups are well attended and the feedback has been incredibly positive. The majority of staff has taken part during a first aid course during March which was not only very informative but great fun too. This means that there are now at least 2 first aiders in every group able to deal with bumps and bruises.

Season Greetings to all of our families over the Easter Holidays 

News Flash (19.04.2010)

We hope, all our families had a great holiday break.Croydon Family Groups is back to normal service and all groups are up and running. So see you at our groups. LHE

News Flash (21.04.2010)

Following the live televised debate of the three main party leaders, it comes with little surprise that the general media has already opened its rather predictable media war with the attempt of throwing its weight into the campaign in order to bias the election results according to their own agenda and political affiliation. And it also does not come as a surprise that the Sun is as nasty as can be expected by pointing its dirty finger at Clegg for being a quarter English only. On the other hand we have the refreshing surprise that The Independent has issued a free special Edition under the motto: Rubert Murdoch Won't Decide This Election. You Will. The contrast could not be more stark. LHE

News Flash (13.05.2010)

Croydon Family Groups wants to thank all those visitors who browse our site. Currently, we have around 1200 visitors per month with the numbers growing. We particularly want to thank those visitors who have left notes in our guest book. Further, we are always open to suggestions on how to improve our service and our website. So, please don't be shy and make your voice heard if there is something which niggles you. Finally, we are very pleased for having been asked to contribute to the national programme of Every Child a Talker with our mobile music service under the motto Music Talks to All. Watch the space as more info will become available. LHE

News Flash (19.05.2010)

Channel 4 is looking for women under the age of 20 or above the age of 37 who are due to give birth before August 2010 to take part during the documentary series Cutting Edge. For more information, please call: 020 7290 0535 or email: mums@betty.co.uk. More information about the producer can be found on the website of the production Company: www.betty.co.uk. LHE

News Flash (11.06.2010)

The Crystal Palace Triangle Safer Neighbourhood Team from the Met at Upper Norwood is setting up a Dog Watch on Upper Norwood Recreation Ground at SE19. This has become necessary after some irresponsible dog owners have rendered the recreation ground partially unsafe for the general public. The launch for the new Dog Watch will take place on the 2nd July 2010 at Upper Norwood Recreation Ground (corner Hermitage/Chevening Road) between 2 pm and 6 pm.

During this fun day, the Met will bring along their Dog Unit, the Children Centre at Heshima will come along too. RSPCC will be represented, the local library join in and much more. Additionally, Croydon Family Groups will come along with our musical instruments. So for a great fun day out, why not come along and take part in loads of fun activities. LHE

News Flash (12.07.2010)

As we are approaching the end of the school year, we feel it would be appropriate to reflect on the year 2009/2010 briefly.
Despite the current economic climate, Croydon Family Groups has grown within the last year, and we are particularly pleased that we have been able to open two new groups in September 2009; one in Purley and one in Coulsdon. Both groups soon established themselves attracting a good number of regularly attending families. Moreover, our other 7 groups have seen a surge in attendance figures that at times demands have outstripped our resources.

While Croydon Family Groups tested the waters with 1 funday in conjunction with Home Start in August 2009, followed by 2 further fundays in October, funding for four fundays in August 2010 has been secured now. It is great to see how Croydon Family Groups has been growing a new branch altogether. This is also true for its mobile music service which has delivered more than 20 music sessions in early years settings since May 2010. Considering the overwhelmingly positive response, there is no reason to assume that this service will not continue over the following years.

Finally, Croydon Family Groups has been restructuring its operational policies and has put a mark on the early years provision in Croydon where our services are well respected.

Clearly, there are uncertain times ahead of us and funding of services across the nation within the voluntary sector has been announced to be reduced; an issue which as yet has not affected Croydon Family Groups but which could affect us particularly from March 2011 onwards. Still, we do not believe that there is any value in a doom-and-gloom thinking but we are prepared to face the challenges as they present themselves to us. LHE

News Flash (15.09.2010)

While all seemed doom and gloom at first in relation to the drastic cuts proposed by Croydon Council which then had been ratified by the cabinet, the protest of the voluntary sector against these cuts has not fallen onto entirely deaf ears. Councilor Mike Fisher has received more than 100 letters and has agreed to a meeting for the 23rd of September 2010 at CVA. Additionally, the entire question of funding cuts will return to the cabinet for discussion on new recommendations on the 20th of October 2010. This is not to say that the battle is over, but it clearly shows that the voluntary sector does have power as long as we stand united. LHE

News Flash (27.09.2010)

Cabinet Meeting 20.09.2010 and Meeting with Councillor Mike Fischer 23.09.2010

Nothing as yet is set in stone about the funding of the third sector. However, Councillor Mike Fisher has clearly expressed his intentions to see a thriving third sector working in partnership with the council in the future. He also stated that emphasis would be given to early prevention rather than late intervention which is a bonus for all providers working with children and families including Croydon Family Groups.

As it stands the council now proposes three changes to the original proposal. Additional to the reduced funding for strengthening communities, there will be a) transitional funding of £350 000, b) a further £100 000 is to be made available for funding new projects and c) two further voluntary sector organisations are to receive continued funding. However, this proposal has not been ratified by the cabinet, but is to be send to a scrutiny committee next.

Perhaps most important will be the decisions by central government on the 20th of October 2010 about the budget outcomes. Croydon expects to be able to reveal final decisions about the local authority funding for the third sector at the end of October then. LHE

News Flash (09.10.2010)

Scrutiny Committee Meeting, Croydon 08.10.2010

The representatives for the voluntary sector have been listened to with sympathy by the committee, and the seriousness of the present situation appears to have hit home. Of course, there are no final decisions as yet, but again our position has gained further momentum.

Additionally, there was a vague understanding that, should Croydon extend its voluntary services rather than shrink them, a precedent might be set for the other boroughs of London and in all likelihood shape their approach which in itself would have national implications.

However, what has not as yet transpired is, that, should we shape national politics, this will have implications for international politics too. This is, should a positive nucleus emerge in Croydon with a thriving 3rd sector, we might be able to say, within the next 20 years, that we were at the forefront of shaping the future, and this would be something to be really proud of. LHE

News Flash (20.10.2010 8:30 am)

House of Commons - Spending Review 20.10.2010 12 pm

Hardly any other debate in the House of Commons will be followed by the public with greater interest than the debate ensuing today at 12 pm.

As much as there exists agreement that spending cuts are inevitable, the debate will focus on where, how and when these cuts are to take place. A key word which has been floating about is 'fairness' in this context, which unfortunately has been interpreted by the media including BBC journalist Gary O'Donoghue that cuts will have to hit the rich as well as the poor.

I have no idea in which parallel dimension Gary O'Donoghue is living but certainly not in the dimension I seem to be living in. Having seen and worked for several years now with families who are living on the edge of poverty below any realistic poverty line we must not forget that, should any cuts affect those families, they simply will fall over the edge despairingly sliding into drug misuse, alcohol dependency and crime.

We only can wait and see what today will bring, but we hope that our MPs are realistic, morally astute and empathetic enough to realize that the poor need no further cuts but simply more support and help to move forward into a society where poverty is no longer common but an absolute exception. LHE

News Flash (28.10.2010)

We can take a deep breath now!

From our point of view, the spending review in the House of Commons has been a positive event. This is, the education budget has not seen any cuts but has been frozen. Additionally, the Children Centers are to continue their work on the same level as before, a further 2 billion Pounds have been made available for social care and the military budget has been reduced by 8% rather than by 20%, and it seems more than likely that 8% can be saved on administration fairly easily and will not affect our soldiers at the front.

Croydon Family Groups future after March 2011 seems to be certain. LHE

News Flash (01.11.2010)

The controversial figure of Prof David Nutt has yet again injected his opinion into the debate on alcohol claiming that alcohol is more harmful than crack or heroine. And he probably has his own reasons for the wording to be deliberately misleading. Due to the fact that alcohol is legal and its use is widespread, overall more damage is done through alcohol misuse than the damage done through crack or heroine. However, if either crack or heroine were legal and their misuse as widespread as the misuse of alcohol, our society would probably no longer function. Additionally, more recent research on mice has shown that there is a positive link between stress and sedatives; sedatives taken in conjunction with stress do actually prevent or slow down the development of damage to inner organs.

Tackling the misuse of alcohol will only be driven forward if a general understanding can be generated that alcohol has medical properties as a sedative and consumption needs to be responsible. Prof Nutt's scaremongering is not the way forward though. LHE

News Flash (11.11.2010)

One may have sympathy with the sentiment of the demonstrators roaming the streets of London on Wednesday the 10th of November 2010. One may even have some tolerance towards the ill expressed anger of a minority of the crowd. One may even find the damage done to property somewhat acceptable. However, the violence inflicted on our police is utterly disgraceful and inexcusable, and this particularly if we take into account that these cowardly wimps would be the first ones to call on police if they were in trouble. LHE

News Flash (25.11.2010)

While the BBC covered the students' protests live, BBC stopped its live coverage at quarter past 4 pm yesterday on the 24th November 2010. Although a message appeared reassuring the viewer that video material would be back on shortly, this did not happen. And while the BBC3 news at 8 am today mentioned the students' protests, this was no longer the case at 8:30 am. However, having watched the live broadcast, and particular the bird view images, till quarter past 4 pm yesterday, it had become quite clear that something must have been sparked off after a crowd of people was being held confined between Trafalgar Square and Parliament since around 12 pm. The decision to not disclose what happened after quarter past 4 pm might have some strategic justification, nevertheless it is anti-democratic and concerning. LHE

News Flash (02.12.2010)

Following the advice as issued by the Metropolitan Police at their travel advice page, we may wish to add that it might be an idea to minimize travel arrangements as public services are partly disrupted, many streets and pavements are not cleared at all or partially cleared only. Generally speaking most accidents are slip & trip accidents as it is, and the risk for this sort of accident to happen is now even higher. If, however, a journey is unavoidable it is also advisable to wear appropriate footwear and to walk at a slower pace. LHE

Update (03.12.2010): Much of the snow has been cleared and most main roads are cleared. However, many side roads and pavements are still covered in snow and sleet. Temperatures above 0 degree Celcius mean that we can expect the remaining snow to melt over the weekend and most business returning to normal.

News Flash (13.12.2010)

Today the councils will learn what sort of budgets and budgets cuts will be implemented. There is a good chance that this will have a direct and most likely negative impact on Croydon Family Groups.

We will up-date the news falsh as we obtain the relevant information. LHE

03.01.2011

We now know that Croydon Family Groups will operate its usual service until at least March 2011. LHE

News Flash (17.01.2011)

Croydon Family Groups are proud to be able to announce that we are now providing a new outreach service by sending a team of support workers every week to the refugee day centre at the Baptist Church West Croydon. Additionally, our mobile music service is now going into Selhurst Children Centre on a weekly basis delivering 2 music sessions there.

Finally, all our groups are reopned providing our family support services throughout the London Borough of Croydon.

With some good luck we should still be in operation after March. We will let our staff and families know as soon we know ourselves. LHE

News Flash (17.02.2011)

Croydon has issued notices to all voluntary organisations working with families of children under the age of 5 that all funds will stop after the 31st March 2011 unless the work relates to children at high risk or children with complex needs. Croydon Family Groups is no exception and is under threat of being closed for good after March 2011.

If you feel you want to make your voice heard about the fact that we are under threat of being closed by the local authority, you may wish to write to:

Cllr Mike Fisher

Strategy and Communications

Third Sector Team

Chief Executive's Office

7th Floor South

Taberner House

Park Lane

Croydon CR9 3JS

We will do all we can to reverse the situation and will update our families on any changes to our current situation. LHE