Starfish Services Ltd are a partner of the Connecting Choices, Building Better Opportunities (BBO) Project which operates across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.
They are contracted to provide Social Hubs in strategic locations across the patch based on the needs of participants.
Referrals to the social hubs, which usually run in Burslem, Hanley, Fenton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, but are currently virtual using Zoom since Lockdown, come direct from our partners in the BBO project and we describe people who are referred to us as having suffered a loss of some kind.
It can be loss through bereavement, loss of a job, loss of a loved one, loss of liberty, loss of self control (addiction), loss of health or loss of themselves through other reasons. These people lose their self confidence, self esteem, self belief and as a result of all these things they lose the ability to engage with other people and begin to suffer panic attacks, extreme anxiety, stress related ill health. In turn they shut themselves away and the whole cycle repeats and becomes more extreme each time they try to break out of it.
The Social Hubs give them a safe space to begin to socialise, engage, manage social behaviours, and generally just get back into society with the support of their peers, in a safe, non-judgmental space that encourages mutual support, care, a listening ear, activities and discussions. The hubs are owned by the members who direct the way that they operate by mutually agreeing ground rules and reviewing them regularly.
