Children 1st
Children 1st in Elgin have a range of services that help women and children who have experienced domestic abuse.
Through the Stronger, Safer Families Project, Children 1st work to support mothers to develop both their capacity and confidence to care for and protect their children. We help mothers to consider aspects of their own experiences which might be affecting how they parent their children. We aim to help women to become more resilient and in so doing supporting them to provide a secure environment in which their children can thrive.
Stronger, Safer Families for children and young people provides therapeutic support for children who have experienced abuse or trauma related to an abusive incident including domestic violence. The worker will use one to one support, art, drama or life story work to support a child or young person to deal with the effects of the abuse and how this is impacting on their lives. Through a reviewing process we support parents and carers to help them deal with their feelings and help them to provide future support for their children.
The Cedar Project which commenced in August 2012, is a 12 week group programme for children and young people (aged 4-16) and their mothers who have experienced domestic abuse. Through craft and activity, the programme gives mothers and their children a shared language to help them reflect on their experience and aid their recovery process. The programme involves co-facilitators from Police, Social Work, Health, Women’s Aid and Children 1st.