From left, Haverstock School teacher Amy Brown, Promise Worker Reece Okezie, Analiese Lenga, who attends The Winch, chief executive Paul Perkins and Promise Worker Emile Libock

Published: 24 October, 2013
by PAVAN AMARA

ONE of Camden’s longest-running youth charities aims to “glue” young people’s services together so no child “slips through the net”.

The Winch, in Swiss Cottage – founded in 1973 – released its Whatever It Takes report at a discussion event at UCL Academy School on Monday night.

It has interviewed 25 families to see how services can work together.

Hundreds watched a presentation on the report and listened to youth workers – called Promise Workers – talk about how the findings would affect their work.

Winch chief executive Paul Perkins said: “One of the things that struck me about the report was reading how a parent felt very judged by social services.

"As a parent, I found it powerful. They said it was like your boss giving you feedback: make sure there’s no lateness for school, how clean is your house? how’s your cooking?

“So even if it’s not a social worker’s intention to take a child away, the parent is really scared of what might happen.”

He added: “The Promise Worker will build the relationship between social services and the family. We need to work together from the ground up.”