About Us
From Idea to Reality: The Evolution of New Beginnings
New Beginnings is a concept which was initially inspired by the Flemish organisation 'Stobbe'. Stobbe means the stump of a tree and signifies ‘new beginning’ for families.
Comparative research carried out by Leigh (2013; 2014; 2017) into the way in which services are provided in Flanders, Belgium and England, found that in Flanders family centres which provided holistic care to parents and children were more effective in providing better outcomes.
The findings showed that once parents were provided with the space to reflect on their past as well as the issues they faced, they were able to see their situation differently.
An intrinsic part of New Beginnings is to deepen parents understanding into who they are and what they have been through the telling and sharing of personal histories. This method is rooted in the recognition that if change is to occur in parenting practices, then individuals need to have the space to articulate their perspectives on what has happened to them.
The History of New Beginnings
May 2018, New Beginnings is founded in partnership with Stockport Local Authority
January 2019, after the success of the pilot project, we start Cohort 2, increasing the number of families we work with to 20 per cohort
March 2020, Covid-19 forces us to move group work sessions online and we learn that parents prefer to do group work in this way
June 2020, we start to carry out Video Interactive Guidance (VIG) with our families
June 2021, as restrictions ease we find a new drop in centre which helps bring families back together for food, fun and laughter
July 2021, we are awarded British Academy Leverhulme funding to interview parents about their experiences of the child protection process
September 2021, thanks to Big Lottery funding we are able to employ our Chief Executive Officer and Post Programme Support Worker on a full time basis
October 2021, we buy the QbCheck screening tool for parents who think they may have undiagnosed ADHD
December 2021, we implement the Dynamic Maturational Model (Adult Attachment Theory base) into our practice
June 2022, we launch the Love2support project so that volunteers from our local community can start supporting our families
Company Information
New Beginnings Greater Manchester is a programme that is run by the New Beginnings Foundation CIO. We are a not for profit organisation.
Registered charity number: 1198338
We are insured by aQmen Ltd Insurance Providers.