About City family
City Family was created in the wake of the 10-year, award winning, ‘A Better Start Southend’ (ABSS) Programme which was developed to test new ways of supporting children and families in some of the most disadvantaged areas in Southend. Through a decade of rigorous research, data analysis and hands-on experience, ABSS gained valuable insights into the most effective approaches, the very best practices, and the most profound understandings of the needs of children and families within the local context.
​
We believe in the evidence. The unique blend of data deployed by City Family will see us grow from a local centre of excellence to reach and influence first on a regional level and later a national scale so that more communities get the back-up they need to successfully raise their children and help others to do the same.
​
Our vision is that children thrive through empowered parents, families and strong community connections.
Our mission at City Family is to strengthen the ‘village’ around a family and re-empower parents, so that children have the best start in life.
​
We will do this by:
​
Bringing together families, volunteers, and paid professionals as partners, ensuring they drive the direction, design and delivery of our programmes and services.
​
Continuously investing in research and evidence to understand our communities and identify the most effective approaches to improving the lives of children and their families.
​
Cultivating ‘villages’ of helpful connections around families leveraging support from the different sectors to further enhance what is available in communities.
​
Focusing on prevention and earlier, strengths focused, intervention to support families at key transition points and life events.
​
​
Our Values
​
We believe every child deserves to be safe
We will prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children and families in everything we do. This means prioritising the safety and wellbeing of the children and families we work with by creating an environment that fosters trust, respect and dignity for all.
​
We believe in innovation
We will be brave, seek new ideas, methods and harness technology to enhance outcomes for children.
​
We believe in communities
We will ensure families and communities lead and inform our work - recognising that the power to change resides in communities themselves.
​
We believe in fostering belonging
We will celebrate the rich diversity of the families we work with and create environments in which everyone can thrive
​
