BBEST Night's Sleep x Zarach Charity
We are now supporting Zarach with their North Kirklees Hub. By migrating our BBEST NIGHT's SLEEP initiative to Zarach we are better able to support the families of the children in our care and make bets use of our available funds.
From Monday 27 March, all bed and bedding referrals will be sent directly to Zarach (using the process detailed below). This is equally "light-touch" and will actually reduce the amount of administration done in school. Referrals can be made at any time - there is no "monthly window" - meaning requests are met much more quickly than we have been able to achieve.
On receipt of the referral, Zarach will contact the recipient and agree what is required - this is likely to be more than we would have allocated, as they give bedding to all the children in the family - not just the child needing the bed. They also give pyjamas to all the children in the family, a hygiene pack and for older girls (a period product pack).
The BBEST NIGHT's SLEEP funding will cover the standard bedding and this will be ordered from retailers to be delivered to school (as now), so that it can be handed over to families. When our funding is exhausted, Zarach will supply all the bedding.
The beds will be delivered direct to home (between 10am-2pm) - all the arrangements will be made by the Zarach delivery team and the recipient. We anticipate at least one delivery day per fortnight - so this will be a much quicker turnaround than our current system where we are relying on the generosity and availability of a local business.
I hope you agree this is a really great opportunity for us - by combining forces with Zarach we are able to support so many more families in an efficient and the most cost-effective way - making best use of our funding and maximising the support those families receive.
To start the process, each of our schools must register with Zarach as a referrer - once this is done (a 2 minute process), all the referrals can be put through their system.
Zarach Referrer Registration & Referral Process
1. Register
Every individual school or referring agency needs to first register with us. You can do this by following the link below to our Referrer Registration Form. This is a short form that only needs to be completed once. After it’s filled in you can begin referring families to us.
Zarach Dewsbury Referrer Registration Form
2. Refer
Once you have registered using the link above you can begin referring families for support by using the link below. Once you have submitted a referral our team will contact the family directly (usually within 48 hours). We will notify you when the bed(s) have been delivered or if we require further information or assistance to contact the family.
You can use this link multiple times so we suggest saving it somewhere you will be able to find it again should you need to make another referral.
Zarach Dewsbury Bed Referral Form
3. Feedback
We want to hear the impact the beds have had on your families and your wider organisation. Please email info@zarach.org with how the beds have impacted the families and also the wider school. Your feedback is so valuable to us for several reasons. We need this feedback to ensure we offer a fast and reliable service that meets the needs of our referrers and families. Also, we use this feedback when applying for funding, we need this to ensure we can continue to offer this service across the city.
FAQs
What is Bed Poverty? Bed Poverty is when a child does not have an appropriate bed, or space of their own to sleep. We have delivered beds to children sharing with parents and/or siblings, sleeping on sofas or cushions on the floor, beds with bed bugs, or on the floor - we can help!
Is there an eligibility criteria? No - we know you have established relationships with your pupils and families and therefore trust that referrals are only made on the basis of genuine need and if there are no alternative ways for the family to obtain beds for their child(ren).
Can families only receive single beds? Zarach can provide single beds or bunks. We are unable to provide double beds.
Do you only support children? Yes - our hope is that savings from not having to provide beds for their child(ren) will enable the parents to obtain their own bed if required.
Can you only support with beds? We operate to ensure every child has a place to go to sleep each night - and therefore have a better chance to succeed at school. However, if there are other concerns please do speak with our team about these as we work with lots of other amazing organisations that we may be able to signpost you to.
Is information shared secure? All data sent is held on our secure database and will not be shared outside our organisation. All data you share must be with parents consent.