Barking and Dagenham foyer

E: foyers@east-thames.co.uk
T: 020 8477 8800

50 Wakering Road, Barking IG11 8GN

Location map

About Barking and Dagenham foyer

Opened: 2009
Units: 116

Barking and Dagenham foyer is a new, purpose built foyer in Barking town centre. The foyer works with and engages young people who live in and around Barking and Dagenham.

The foyer service works to help young people move through to independence using a two-stage accommodation system. We work with local service providers to ensure that every foyer resident gets full opportunities to succeed.

Five types of accommodation are offered:

• First stage: 48 units
• Second stage: 36 units
• Young parents: 12 units
• High dependency: 12 units
• Assessment: 4 units

Take a look inside Barking and Dagenham foyer (video).

The foyer offers a wide range of training and support opportunities, including the following:

Support services

All foyer residents receive a comprehensive service to develop their own personal development plan with a keyworker. The resident and keyworker work together to identify the resident’s individual needs and use action plans to ensure that the resident works towards greater independence.

The foyer has support staff available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All residents have to agree to engage in the support service when they move into the foyer.

Lifeskills

A range of lifeskills sessions are available for foyer residents and non-residents. These are tailored to the needs and interests of the young people and so vary. However, typical sessions include:

• Effective communication
• Anger management and conflict resolution
• Diversity awareness
• Drug and alcohol awareness
• Money Management
• Maximising your income
• You and the law

Employment, training and education (ETE)

The foyer works with residents and non-residents to access ETE opportunities. Some activities are provided at the foyer, some by East Potential’s employment training and education team, and some by local partners. The foyer can directly deliver, refer service users to, or support service users to access:

• Local college courses
• E2E
• Lifeskills
• Corporate work placements and business mentoring through Routes to Work
• Construction skills training through Construct Your Career
• Skills for Life assessments and support
• ICT assessments and support
• Careers advice

Young parent accommodation and support

The foyer includes 12 units of accommodation for young parents. The resident young parents can take advantage of all of the foyer resources and have specialist support staff.

There is also a dedicated young parents training programme aimed at developing parenting skills. Residents have access to an onsite crèche, roof garden and pavilion.

Healthy living services

Barking and Dagenham foyer is working towards Foyer Federation Healthy Foyer accreditation and so there will be lots of opportunities to engage in health related activities. These will include:

• A coaching approach to healthy living, delivered by trained staff
• Healthy living taster sessions to let people try out new healthy activities for free
• Physical activity sessions

Non-residential services

The building has a large area dedicated to the delivery of information, advice and guidance services, which is provided by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.