Watoto

Schemes: Watoto
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A Children and Young People's Service at Sahara's Black Women's Refuge.

Watoto provides a range of services to children and young people who have experienced domestic violence.

Aims & Objective
Watoto has a full time therapist for children whose role is to:
• Help children communicate their feelings.
• Help children made sense of their recent experiences.
• To help the child cope with stress.
• To support the child’s self esteem.

Services

Watoto also has a children’s worker who offers parenting support and play sessions for younger children at the refuge. Recreational activities and outdoor trips are arranged for all children and young people at the refuge over the summer months and during the holidays.

Referrals

We have a dedicated health visitor who pays weekly visits to our residents and who monitors out children’s health, makes referrals when necessary and provides valuable advice and support to children and their mothers.

Appeals

Where a referral request has been refused and the applicant or their referrer is not satisfied with the reasons given, they have the right to appeal the decision. Appeals should be made within 10 working days of receipt of the written decision using the accompanying appeals form. Once received an appeals meeting will be arranged within 5 working days chaired by a Service Manager at which the applicant and their referrer have the opportunity to state why they disagreed with the decision. An appeal decision will then be made within 3 working days.