Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page. We are The Body Shop Scotland & NI region and together as a group of 23 stores we are working together to raise funds for With Kids. We are all doing our bit to raise money for this amazing charity. We have half marathon runners, 5k runners, walks, bag packing, raffles and a whole lot more. Any donation is greatly appreciated, please see below for details on the amazing charity we are supporting. THANK YOU SO MUCH :)

With Kids work is child centred and recognises that all families regardless of background can have difficulties but may not know how to access the right support.  There may also be concerns that asking for help will result in unwanted intervention.  Our services aim to provide children and their parents/carers with the tools to manage their lives effectively. Central to this work are the core concepts of building self-esteem and resilience in children and supporting parents in managing this

Why With Kids is needed

With Kids is based in the East End of Glasgow and in South West Edinburgh which have some of the highest levels of poverty in Scotland and the UK. Although the facts and figures that follow may seem bleak, not all families will have the same issues. However, living in or near an area of high poverty can affect you directly or indirectly through crime, lack of amenities, poor educational facilities etc. 

With Kids respects and values the uniqueness and diversity of each child’s personality, family circumstance and social structure.

Love

As well as being ‘rights based’ our work is profoundly influenced by the neuroscience of early brain development. We believe that early intervention can prevent long term chronic difficulties. Our vision is that all children feel a sense of belonging – and are loved and valued. 

Voice

We believe that play is the best means of accessing and understanding the emotional life of children. We work with children, not just for them, we believe that every child has the right to a voice on matters that affect them; and to have their views taken seriously – in accordance with age and maturity. 

Inequality

All families can struggle from time to time; but many of those we work with also live with the harsh realities of long term poverty. We believe that all a child’s needs are part of their story – and require to be addressed; practical, physical, emotional and social.  

Respect

We know that our relationship with children is temporary – only ever supplementary to the role of parents. We try to work with respect, alongside families, exchanging understanding in plain language – building confidence. We believe in the child’s innate ability to resolve their difficulties given appropriate support.

Independence

We carefully protect our separateness from the ‘state system’. Advocacy of a particular child’s rights could potentially place us in opposition to officialdom; or even on occasion to a child’s primary carer. 

Community

We believe in being accessible and visible within the communities we serve. Our relationship with schools, families and children influence our work. We aim to build long term, self-supporting networks. 

Collaboration

We will seek to work with like-minded individuals and agencies, to build the confidence of our sector and to incubate new initiatives. We will continue to value the partnerships we have with local schools and teachers, showing our recognition of the important role that these relationships play in our organisation.