About Us
From Idea to Reality
The Evolution of New Beginnings
New Beginnings is a concept which has been inspired by the research carried out by Dr Jadwiga Leigh, the Founder of the organisation.
Comparative research carried out by Dr Leigh (2013; 2014; 2017) into the way in which social work services were provided in Flanders (North Belgium) and England, found that in Flanders community projects which focused on supporting parents to understand how their past experiences were affecting their children, were far more effective than parenting programmes.
Dr Leigh's research showed that once parents were provided with the time and space to meet other parents in similar situations, and together reflect on the current issues they faced, they were able to see their situations differently and effect positive change for their family.
An intrinsic part of New Beginnings is to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma by deepening the parents' understanding of who they are and why they parent in the way that they do. This method is rooted in the recognition that if children are to feel safe at home, then parents need to be provided with the space to learn how their past has affected their lives through the telling and sharing of their personal histories.
History of New Beginnings
May 2018
New Beginnings is founded in partnership with Stockport Local Authority
Jan 2019
After the success of the pilot project, we start Cohort 2, increasing the number of families we work with to 20 per cohort
Mar
2020
Covid-19 forces us to move group work sessions online and we learn that some parents prefer to do group work in this way
Jun
2020
We start to carry out Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) with our families
July 2021
We are awarded British Academy Leverhulme funding to interview parents about their experiences of the child protection process
Sept
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
Dec
2022
We implement the Dynamic Maturational Model (Adult Attachment Theory base) into our practice
Sept
2023
Thanks to Activate Funding from Winston Churchill Fellowship we create a Digital App for parents to support their learning
July 2024
We are awarded three year continuation funding from the National Lottery and we expand our service within Stockport
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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.