A day in the life of Charlotte Birchenall – a children’s services practitioner for the SafeCare and Parents Under Pressure programmes in Swindon Charlotte has been with the NSPCC in Swindon for more than two years and works directly with local families in Swindon.

Although challenging, her work is incredibly rewarding and makes a real difference to children, young people and their parents by supporting them through what can be some of the most difficult periods in their lives.

Many of the services at the NSPCC’s Swindon centre are aimed at reducing the risk of a child being harmed before it can really begin.

Issues like poverty, addiction and mental illness can increase the risk of abuse and this is why the NSPCC works with struggling families to help them ensure that the children within those families have the best possible start.

They couldn’t do this without the help of our generous supporters around Swindon who fundraise tirelessly on our behalf.

9am My working day starts when I arrive at our new service centre in Swindon Old Town.

We’ve been in our new home for a few months now and it’s a great base to work from. It’s child friendly and in a really good location.

I log on to the computer and check my emails and write up my notes from previous family sessions.

I’m a practitioner for two programmes offered in Swindon.

The SafeCare programme works to help strengthen parent child relationships and increase practical knowledge in order to address concerns around child neglect. Parents Under Pressure is a supportive parenting programme for parents who are recovering from alcohol or drug addiction.

Both programmes work with families where the child is under five. Sessions take place within the family home and are generally one to one.

9.30am I have my first visit of the day at 10am so I prepare the relevant paperwork needed before I go.

Today I visit a local family receiving our Safecare programme. We’re working on a section of the course that tests a parent’s knowledge and attempts to develop their skill in identifying health worries and the best course of action.

The mum I’m working with wants to start the session by talking through her worries about her son’s behaviour as he is biting and not sleeping, so we discuss some techniques she could use before starting the session.

We update their first aid box and make sure it’s stored in a safe place.

Mum had a good awareness of health issues which is really positive, especially as the previous module was very challenging to complete.

It’s good to be able to provide lots of positive encouragement and feedback, although I feel concerned about how I will keep her engaged if the module continues to lack challenge for her.

We spend some time at the end of the session playing with the little boy and I am able to see lots of positives in the way mum interacts with her son.

11am Once back in the office I check my emails again and get to grips with some long overdue paperwork, grab a sandwich and then on we go!

2pm My second visit of the day is to a mother who is in recovery from alcohol and cannabis misuse and is completing our Parents Under Pressure programme.

Since starting the programme she has made significant changes to her lifestyle, and it’s had a really positive impact on her relationship with her children.

We spend a little time completing a mindfulness meditation to help her into a calmer frame of mind as she has been finding things stressful because of conflict with her ex-partner.

During this session we focus on the mother’s experience of being parented, and her experience of conflict, and how this has influence the way she manages conflict and parents her own children.

By doing this she’s able to see similarities in how she was parented and the concerns raised by social workers about how she parents now.

This leads on to a reflective and insightful discussion about her strengths as a parent and areas where she could make changes to benefit her children.

3pm I return to the office and spend the remainder of the afternoon sorting out some admin. This seems to be a never ending to do list and fast approaching deadlines.

I’ve had two great sessions today and I feel like I’m really making some headway with my families and look forward to our next sessions.

5:54pm Time to head home to put my feet up.