The Community Agreement
The Community Agreement is a set of principles that we aim for all organisations in Cheltenham to follow. We are building a network of organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors, that all agree to these principles, and work together to better support children, young people and families in need. We are starting a ‘whole town’ approach to combatting child poverty and believe everyone can do something to help, no matter how small!
What can you do?
By signing up to the NCLB Community Agreement (above), you will be joining an ever growing network of local organisations that work together to support those children and families in Cheltenham who are more vulnerable or disadvantaged than others. As part of the Community Agreement, you will be asked to pledge three goals for you and your organisation to achieve in the next 12 months to help provide support for those who need it, however, we are here to help you every step of the way! We have fantastic community connections and work regularly with youth clubs, schools and community organisations who we can put you in touch with to make achieving your pledge, a whole lot easier!
The great work you do will be celebrated across the NCLB website and social media and, depending on the type of support you offer, you will also be informed of who exactly you have helped with your kindness.
Some examples of ways to support local families can be found below:
- Promotion - Can you share NCLB social media posts, charity campaigns and positive news stories?
- Time - Can you offer some time to support with NCLB projects or events?
- Education – Can your organisation increase opportunities for local young people by supporting their education?
- Resources – Can you provide clothes, books, food or house hold essentials to families?
- Money – Could you donate or sponsor NCLB or any NCLB registered organisations?
See what our members are doing already...
These are just some of the organisations who have signed up to the NCLB Community Agreement so far...
Other resources
Adverse childhood experiences
ACES stands for adverse childhood experiences. These experiences can include things like physical and emotional abuse, neglect, mental illness of a parent or carer, and domestic abuse. The more ACEs a child experiences the more likely they are to suffer from things like heart disease, diabetes, poor academic attainment and issues such as substance misuse in later life.
Experiencing lots of ACEs could cause so much stress it actually changes the way a child’s brain develops – you can even see it in brain scans.
This can affect the way they manage their emotions, the way they respond to stressful situations and their decision making skills.
Trauma-informed practice
Trauma-informed practice is the terminology used for organisations whose services recognise the long term effects of childhood adversity, and work with clients in a way that makes them feel safe, gives them control and choice over what happens to them and is respectful and non-judgemental.