Services for Children
Play
Children living in hostels struggle to find space to play - a fundamental aspect of childhood, and key to their healthy social, cognitive and physical development. CARIS Families believe no child should have their access to play impeded by their housing situation, and play provision is key to our ethos.
We deliver kids clubs within two hostels in Camden and Hackney, offering valuable play opportunities three times a week in term time. The clubs give resident children access to a range of free and imaginative play activities, structured arts and crafts sessions, gardening sessions and outdoor games, as well as healthy after-school snacks and refreshments.
The clubs are open for parents/carers to attend as well as their children. As well as providing parents with space to socialise with each other, the club provides them with the resources and equipment to engage in play with their own children, away from the associated stresses of their temporary accommodation unit.
Our play sessions are supported by our holiday enrichment activities which regularly involve regular theatre and cinema trips, and visits to fun educational settings such as museums in London.
“‘I don’t think I would have coped half as well without Kids Club. It makes the kids forget they are living in one room, it’s the only good part of being in the hostel.’”
outward bound
The school holidays can be a long, difficult time for children living in overcrowded temporary accommodation if they have no prospect of a trip away, with so little space at home to play.
CARIS Families launched our Summer Holiday Programme in 2017, offering families attending our hostel services a two-week programme of day trips out and about round London and the south-east in the middle of August. Following the success of this, we launched our year-round programme of enrichment trips which now take place every half term, Christmas and Easter holidays, as well as the regular August three-week period. Our day trips get children and parents out the hostel, aim to broaden children’s horizons by giving them exciting new experiences, and give parents new ideas for low- and no-cost activities to do with their families in London during times of financial hardship. Destinations have included city farms, museum exhibitions, cookery classes, boat trips on the Thames, sports centres, day trips to the beach and visits to the theatre.
We’re able to run our trips on a relatively low budget thanks to ticket deals we’re able to arrange with attraction providers and financial support from companies and foundations including Zurich Insurance and the Apples and Pears Foundation. We are always looking for new trip sponsors, so please get in touch if you might be able to help.
