Families For Peace Limited
Charity 1141273
Overview
Summary
Families For Peace appears to occupy a distinctive bridge role in Birmingham’s response to serious youth violence: combining support for people harmed by violence with prevention work intended to help young people move away from crime. Its founding story and stated methods suggest a family-centred, community-rooted approach that treats bereavement, relationships, skills and public participation as connected parts of peacebuilding. Its unusually broad charitable objects also position it as a potential convenor across communities, schools, faith groups, agencies and local development bodies.
Operational geography
Coverage: Citywide
Operational areas:
- City Centre
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
City Centre
Confidence: medium
The organisation’s current website describes its annual concerts as taking place in Central Birmingham. This is direct evidence of a recurring programme activity in the City Centre, although no current venue, event date or frequency is provided.
- Families for Peace website, homepage
The website describes 'Families For Peace Annual Concerts' in 'Central Birmingham', offering up to 150 young people opportunities for dance, music and creative writing.
Remaining uncertainties
- The Charity Commission’s current record states that the charity operates in Birmingham City, and the organisation’s website says it works holistically in Birmingham. This supports a citywide operational identity, but neither source identifies the neighbourhoods in which its counselling, mentoring, memorial or family-support work is currently delivered.
- The organisation consistently gives a registered address, but labels it as a registered address rather than a service venue. The Charity Commission record also states that the charity does not own or lease land or property. It should therefore not be treated as a confirmed current delivery site.
- The available evidence names no current delivery partners, commissioned programmes, schools, churches, agencies or host venues. There is consequently no evidence that partnerships currently extend the organisation’s operational geography beyond its own Birmingham-wide service claim.
- The website gives no dates for its listed services or events. Its content establishes the organisation’s stated offer, but does not demonstrate the recent volume, continuity or geographical distribution of activity.
Additional evidence needed
- A current programme schedule or annual activity report identifying the locations, dates and frequency of counselling, mentoring, memorial services, concerts and awards events.
- Confirmation from Families for Peace or Nechells Outreach Centre on whether the registered address is used for service delivery, administration only, or both.
- A current list of delivery partners and host venues, including any schools, community organisations, faith organisations or public agencies through which services are delivered.
- Anonymised ward- or venue-level delivery data sufficient to distinguish citywide outreach from activity concentrated in a smaller number of Birmingham neighbourhoods.
Areas of work
- Economic/community Development/employment
- Education/training
Who they help
- Children/young People
How they help
- Provides Advocacy/advice/information
- Provides Services
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
Violence prevention is rooted in lived experience of loss
The organisation appears to derive part of its legitimacy and approach from victim experience, rather than approaching violence solely as a criminal-justice issue. This may enable it to connect prevention, bereavement support and reconciliation in ways that more conventional youth services do not.
Why it matters
This helps explain why its work spans both those at risk of offending and families affected by violence: these are treated as interconnected constituencies rather than separate service groups.
Show evidence
“Families for Peace was founded by Gleen Reid after her son Corey Wayne was killed by gun crime in 2000.”
Source:Organisation“The organisation supports families affected by gang violence, crime, bereavement and loss.”
Source:Organisation
The organisation frames peace as family and community capacity
Families For Peace appears to see disengagement from crime as dependent on more than individual behaviour change. Its model may combine mentoring and counselling with parental guidance, relationship-building, training and creative recognition of young people.
Why it matters
This suggests the organisation may complement enforcement-led or narrowly targeted interventions by working on the social conditions around young people, particularly family connection and belonging.
Show evidence
“Services include counselling, mentoring, memorial services, concerts and awards for young people.”
Source:Organisation“Families for Peace offers training services and activities intended to help young people and families turn away from crime and integrate into society.”
Source:Organisation
Its formal remit is broader than its visible programme offer
The charity’s objects indicate an ambition not only to deliver services but also to convene partners, strengthen community participation, share learning and influence regeneration. The available website evidence, however, foregrounds direct support activities more strongly than this systems-facing role.
Why it matters
This may reveal unrealised convening capacity, or a part of the organisation’s work that is not well evidenced publicly. It is important when considering potential partnerships and local influence.
Show evidence
“The objects include bringing together communities, agencies, churches, schools, enterprises and government organisations to address community development.”
Source:Charity Commission“The objects include facilitating research, sharing information and best practice, and promoting community-led partnerships.”
Source:Charity Commission
- Which neighbourhoods, age groups and communities are currently reached, and whether support is primarily self-referral, school-based or agency-referred.
- Whether the organisation currently undertakes the partnership-building, research and regeneration roles described in its charitable objects.
- What outcomes it achieves for young people, families and people bereaved by violence.
Remaining uncertainties
- Recent annual reports, service data and outcome evidence, including participant numbers and referral routes.
- Evidence of active partnerships with schools, faith groups, statutory agencies and other violence-prevention organisations.
- Accounts from young people and families about how counselling, mentoring and memorial activity affect their experiences.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
Families for Peace is an award-winning organisation that works holistically in Birmingham to seek peace for families, individuals and communities that have been blighted by violent crime. We provide a coordinated package of services and activities for young people and families to empower and equip them to move away from crime and integrate them back into society.
Charity objects
(I) TO PROMOTE FOR THE BENEFIT OF PUBLIC ORDER WITH A VIEW TO THE PRESERVATION OF PUBLIC ORDER THE DEVELOPMENT OF AND DELIVERY TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN BIRMINGHAM A CO-ORDINATED PACKAGE OF SERVICES (BOTH SOURCES AND ACTIVITIES) TARGETING THOSE WHO ARE HARD TO REACH AND AT HIGH RISK OF INVOLVEMENT WITH DRUGS, GANGS, GUN AND KNIFE CRIME; (II) TO PROMOTE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC IN BIRMINGHAM AND NATIONALLY THE PROVISION OF SERVICES TO EMPOWER FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUAL VICTIMS OF GUN AND KNIFE CRIME TO OVERCOME TRAGEDY AND BUILD PEACE AND RECONCILIATION AMONG DISAFFECTED GROUPS AND COMMUNITIES, WITH A VIEW TO THE PRESERVATION OF PUBLIC ORDER AND FOR THE PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION OF THE WELL-BEING OF SUCH VICTIMS; (III) TO PROMOTE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC AND TO PROMOTE GOOD CITIZENSHIP AND GREATER PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE PREVENTION AND SOLUTION OF CRIME IN BIRMINGHAM AND THE UNITED KINGDOM TO BRING TOGETHER LOCAL REGIONAL AND NATIONAL COMMUNITIES, AGENCIES, CHURCHES AND PARA-CHURCH ORGANISATION, SCHOOLS, ENTERPRISES AND GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS TO ADDRESS THE PHYSICAL, CULTURAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMUNITIES CONCERNED; (IV) THE PROMOTION OF EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT BY:- 1. THE ADVANCING OF EDUCATION AND RAISING AWARENESS OF THE INTEREST OF ALL MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY IN THE REGENERATION PROCESS WHILST REMAINING INDEPENDENT OF STATUTORY AND NON-COMMUNITY AGENCIES 2. DEVELOPING AND PROMOTING ACTIVITIES TO FOSTER UNDERSTANDING AND A SHARED VISION BETWEEN MEMBERS OF THE REGENERATION COMMUNITIES 3. CONDUCTING, COMMISSIONING OR FACILITATING RESEARCH, SHARING OF INFORMATION, IDEAS AND BEST PRACTICE BETWEEN LOCAL ORGANISATIONS AND PROMOTING THE FORMATION OF LOCAL COMMUNITY-LED PARTNERSHIPS (V) TO ACT AS A RESOURCE FOR LOCAL PEOPLE AND ORGANISATIONS TO BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN THE REGENERATION OF THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES BY PROVIDING ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE AND ORGANISING PROGRAMMES OF EDUCATION, TRAINING, IT SUPPORT, SERVICES TO PARENTS, CHILDREN AND SENIOR CITIZENS FOR MEMBERS OF THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY 1. BY ADVANCING THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PUBLIC, VOLUNTARY AND PRIVATE SECTOR ORGANISATIONS 2. BY PROMOTING THE REPRESENTATION OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IN LOCAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES AND IMPLEMENTING SUITABLE PROJECTS