Colleagues from Bright Horizons were recently given an update about the impact that Bright Spaces funded by the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children provide and used this session together to create Self-Care kits for traumatised children.
100 kits were made in total and were given to Senior Health Play Specialist, Jana Jones, from the Lighthouse, which is a multi-agency support service specialising in supporting children and young people who are victims of sexual abuse. The kits included essential and necessary items for the children and young people at the Lighthouse to help alleviate and manage some of the symptoms they may be experiencing. They included items such as colouring books and colouring pencils, fidget spinners, tubes of essential oils, pots of therapy putty, acupressure rings and wooden stylists.
The Foundation has Bright Spaces across the UK, including one at the Lighthouse in Camden. Bright Spaces are places for children and young people who have been impacted by sexual abuse, domestic abuse, violence, homelessness and more. They provide children with the opportunity to play, learn, build positive relationships, and heal from trauma in a place of safety.
Denise Priest, an Executive Director at Bright Horizons, and a trustee of the Foundation, said: “Bright Spaces and the partners that we work with have such a major impact on children and families. We hope the kits we have provided will offer further support to the children and young people at the Lighthouse who need nurturing in this caring environment.”
Jana Jones, from The Lighthouse, said: “We are proud of our partnership with the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children as safeguarding children is a shared endeavour and responsibility. Understanding the lived experience of the child by making sure children have an active, continuous, and meaningful voice is central to our partnership approach. We were delighted to receive these Self-Care kits and know that they will make a real difference to the children and young people that we support. Thank you to everyone who contributed to putting these together.”
Attendees at the Bright Horizons event donated over £1,100 on the day. This fantastic contribution not only paid for the 100 bags they made up but helps the Foundation to start on its next batch of Self-Care kits for other Bright Space projects.
