Ben Carr: Today we're in Ralphie and Poppies which is a local cafe in Stevenage uh there's lots of sort of funky decor uh in various colours lots of glitter on one side and flowers uh and neon signs on our right we've got a nice little play area uh which has got a slide and lots of toys and we've had lots of mums and babies have a couple of dads here today as well uh all playing in there with their children.
My name is Ben Carr and I managed the FGC service in Hertfordshire and part of that is uh the Ohana project so about 2 or 3 years ago uh we were hearing a lot from care experienced parents saying that they felt isolated, lonely, a lack of um emotional and practical support from um from people uh they didn't really sort of send to have a sort of a traditional kind of family network or of people to support them so they were some of the concerns that were being expressed to us as a local authority.
Beverly Dover: And there was stuff out there for young parents as we know but not for our care leavers, they just didn't fit into those other groups that were running, so for us developing Ohana it was actually about bringing a group of young parents together that could mix because they're on the same base really they've got a very similar background and I think they've really gelled well. Actually as well you've seen as a group I mean there's other things like activity so parents have identified the certain things that they would like help with whether that be parenting courses First Aid course uh there self-defence class um so it's it's very much led by what parents are saying that they would like and need.
Kelli: I was actually involved in the initial idea of Ohana I had no one um I didn't have… because I’d moved around a lot I didn't have any friends um didn't have any family so when I was so when we were talking with managers and things even things like a birthing partner um like any kind of support there just wasn't really anything that like the typical services could fill in the gap. I had my leaving care PA and you know what she was brilliant um but, obviously they have a lot of cases and services struggle to make up for the fact that young people a lot of them don't family.
Natasha: It was nice to have someone that had like not a similar story but previous background the same as myself and not have that awkwardness, are they going to like me or how are they going to feel about my background and things like that um and now with Rebecca I see her quite a lot, she's had my kids overnight and things like that so that's been really nice and having that support as well so I think Ohana has definitely made a change for me.
Maria: I'm Maria and I'm one of the Champions I joined this a couple of years ago when they first started the Ohana.
Crystal: She literally, she's amazing so she's literally my champion and she helps me a lot anything I get confused about I literally will give her a message or a call even if it's something like going to the doctor's um she'll help me. I’ve got three children, she'll come along and help me take my little ones to the doctors um it's literally amazing.
Maria: And remind you to do the appointments
Crystal: yeah and reminds me to do the appointments.
Caitlin: Social Services came back into my life and they did let me know about Ohana and then I started coming here I was very anxious at the start I didn't have many, we didn't go to many baby groups I didn't feel very confident of going and luckily I knew some of the girls who already came here so I felt a bit more welcomed I was happy to come.
Crystal: My confidence that was a big thing for me like right now I wouldn't have done this if when I left care, or if I didn't come here I wouldn't have done it still, but now I've came here I'm more confident and it's helped me.
Ashleigh: I didn't really do much to be honest, didn't like uh didn't like going to the family centre groups or anything because you just felt like a bit left out and different to all the other mums compared to here, when you come here. Yeah they're in the same boat as you and they understand more. It’s really nice.
Victoria: Since I've been here the last four months they've been great like my daughter's more open, less clingy like she's more out there. It's just being able to just get out of the house.
Obviously like meeting other mums is a nervous thing and to have it in like a controlled group where you have like we've got our own WhatsApp group to have it like there, is good.
Shannon: My son passed away in 2019 um he passed away to cot death so the champion that I had she was a social worker herself um and she dealt a lot with bereavements and things so she basically referred me to this charity that fund, well are funding, my son's headstone. Without the support from my champion, I don't think I would have been able to move on, I don't think I would have been able to feel comfortable knowing that his little space wasn't really a space. Whereas now I feel a lot more comfortable knowing that where he is it's a nice little place for him.
Councillor Fiona Thompson: The support the young parents get really enables them to develop confidence in their parenting skills, we know parenting can be challenging and Ohana, which means family, is about providing that additional support to our young people and certainly speaking with some of them today they've said they've really grown in confidence, their parenting skills over over the course of coming here, some have been coming for a year um and of course then they create peer friendships as well which is really really helpful to them and and great to, to the networks. The Ohana project it's incredibly innovative and I know other local authorities are are thinking oh actually could we do this and it's about really creating that family support for young care experienced parents um many of whom don't have that extended family support and so yeah like to see it just growing on what we're already delivering and of course it's about creating that support, which is so important as well as somewhere for young people to come and the young parents to come it's that additional family support which is wonderful.