Kids in the Middle is a charity that aims to protect and advise some of the most vulnerable children in the country. Parents who are suffering through a relationship breakdown are often unable to provide the emotional support their children need at a time when they need it most. Kids in the Middle hope to create a partnership between schools, children, family lawyers & mediators and qualified counsellors to create a self sufficient and self financing network of support that can guide all children through the trauma of a family breakdown.

The Built Environment

Kids in the Middle would like teachers to consider the following things: Pastoral Share

Use KidsintheMiddle.org.uk as part of school pastoral care - on-line peer support and counselling. Teachers are often the first to notice when a child is suffering from emotional pressures. This is often displayed in changing behaviour and a change in attitude to school and classmates. Intervention can be easier and more effective when the right support services are in place.

Peer Mentoring

Give the opportunity to students to be trained as peer mentors on KidsintheMiddle.org.uk, Mindfull.org and Beatbullying.org (we all share the same back-end support infrastructure). In spite of hard hitting cuts in funding for vital child services there has never been a better opportunity for young people to get involved in peer support and mentoring.

Conference on Conflict Resolution

Send two people from the school (at least one pupil) to a conference on "Young People as participants in family conflict resolution" on 16 October in Stafford. This international event will introduce peer mentoring and peer mediation and looks at the active contributions of children and young people in managing conflicts in the family, in school and in the outside world.

Fundraising

A sustainable and self sufficient charitable model has to be built on strong foundations. Funding is key in this respect and an opportunity exists to harness the enthusiasm and ingenuity of young students through the school network to support Kids in the Middle for generations.