Waterside Parents' Centre
Focusing on parents with children in mind
Testimonials
Parents’ Testimonials
These parents have agreed to share their experiences of Waterside Parents’ Centre with you. As the services provided by Waterside are confidential, the names of individuals have been changed, but the views expressed are their own.
“I’m a single mother of two and have attended Waterside for some time now. To this day now I don’t know what I’d do without the support of Kim and the staff at the Centre. This is the only centre I attend and to me it feels like home, a safe place for me and my kids. I attend as many courses that come up about parenting, and anything to build my confidence to be a parent. Without Waterside I doubt I would have been as strong in myself. Look at me today, massive progress in my life. I also come for Bach Remedy which has helped me a lot, which I am thankful for. Always a phone call away if I need help and advice. Thank you Kim for everything – look where I am today with a brighter future ahead with my children.”
“When I discuss Waterside referrals to my patients, I often start with, ‘we are so lucky to have this service in Gravesend, and the only problem with this service is that nobody wants to leave…’ Mums often chuckle and it really does set the scene for them when I am promoting the centre and the magical support Waterside provide, as parents are so grateful for the support that they get, and how normal they are made to feel when they arrive.
Parents with mental health fear stigma and have low confidence in themselves, and this is where Waterside picks them up, gives them a community to belong to and helps them to realise that they are not alone. The strength that parents get from being part of the Waterside community often feeds into home life, and parents make better choices for themselves, and in turn their children.
Waterside truly fosters such precious connections between people. Waterside is such a unique, and fantastic community hub for parents, really transforming lives.
I cannot speak of Waterside more highly, they are the only service in Gravesend that is reliable, supportive and cares about every parent they support.”
“Waterside provides an absolutely brilliant service to the families they are able to see. Their staff are so welcoming and caring, and highly capable with assessing and sensitively working with families to try and help support them in a multitude of ways. The families and patients with our service are enormously appreciative of the help that Waterside offer, as are we, and we really wish that the equivalent of Waterside could be made available in other geographical areas. They really do offer a lifeline to so many of the women and families that we work with.”
“I first went to the Waterside centre nearly a decade ago – and it has been serving the needs of families and children in Gravesham ever since. She won’t thank me for saying this, but in large part it stems from the inspirational leadership of Kim Caleno with the help of staff and volunteers.”
“Waterside, a chance for families to mix and relax without judgement and pressure. A chance to be oneself and discover who you are, a chance to develop friendships and develop children’s self esteem confidence and relationships with others. Lots of good information and help available.”
“I have been coming to Waterside Parents’ Centre for a considerable time. In that time I have been through a bit, because of this Centre I have been able to stand on my feet again with all the help and love, thanks to all the staff and everyone”.
“I really liked the parenting course and would love to do it again in future. Waterside Centre has helped me and my kids a lot when we were going through a difficult phase in life. It has allowed us to socialise with other families which we were struggling to do on our own, so I always wish them all the best and can’t thank them enough.”
“Waterside is an excellent Parents’ Centre offering many services to families with pre-school children. They offer a number of services including structured drop ins, one to one support, parenting courses and holiday activities. Gravesham is lucky to have such a great facility with first class dedicated and caring staff.”
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