Doorsteps: New Beginnings
“My son has always struggled to fit in and be accepted for who he was … Find Your Fire gave him the safe space to be his true authentic self … The transformation was truly a joy to watch.”
Since 2015, Viva’s Doorsteps Initiative has connected churches and organisations in Oxfordshire to support children, young people, and families. There are exciting changes ahead for Doorsteps. Following a restructuring in Viva, going forward, most of the current youth work activities will be run under a newly formed charity, Journey Together, whilst the early years work moved to another organisation in early 2025. The above statement from a parent captures why, despite the challenges and uncertainties that accompany starting something new, it is also a time of opportunity and optimism: because continuing to develop this valuable work means that more transformation can happen for more at-risk children, young people and families in the community.
Doorsteps: The First Beginning
“Welcome to our first Doorsteps newsletter. The Doorsteps story began because of Viva’s belief that working together is the best way to support children to be safe, well and fulfil their potential.”
This introduction is found in the first Doorsteps newsletter, drafted in ‘Winter 2015.’ For ten years, Doorsteps has done just that – working to build partnerships of hope in Oxfordshire, connecting churches and organisations to respond creatively and practically together to the needs of under-resourced children, young people, and families, promoting their safety and wellbeing.
Doorsteps began after Viva undertook a mapping exercise to identify the most pressing challenges facing children and young people in Oxfordshire. This followed the shocking news that several men had been arrested and seven convicted for their involvement in a child sex abuse ring in Oxford - ‘on the doorstep’ of Viva’s UK-based office. In 2014, data was gathered from over 200 adults and young people through semi-structured interviews, an online survey, focus groups and desk research. Reflecting on those early days, those initiating Doorsteps noted that, “We mapped the most significant issues affecting children and young people in Oxfordshire, with the top five being: struggling families, low self-esteem, difficulty entering employment, household poverty and lack of aspiration.”
The research revealed a gap between real needs and the available support provided by churches. Additionally, 62% of those surveyed had little to no connection to others doing similar work; yet 74% of survey respondents wanted to make an informed strategic response to common issues facing young people.
Thus, Doorsteps was born. Its aim was bold but simple: to mobilise churches and practitioners into a collaborative network of hope, equipping them to respond practically to the complex needs of children, young people and families. Impacting 3,000 directly and up to 20,000 indirectly over 10 years, the programme had three focal areas: youth work, early years work, and practitioner support.
Building resilient young people
Doorsteps' aim for its young people is to help those in the ‘amber zone’ before crisis strikes, minimising trauma and reducing the long-term need for more intensive intervention. Over the past decade, Doorsteps has been equipping young people across Oxford with the skills they need to thrive in and out of the school environment. Feedback shows how safe and welcoming Doorsteps has been for its young people.
Doorsteps youth doing joint projects to develop leadership skills
No judgment: “The freedom to relax and create without judgment.”
No fear: “I watched my child grow from someone who questioned themselves constantly… to someone who was no longer afraid to show people who they were and had the confidence to believe in themself.”
Much nicer people: “The people here are so much nicer than at school. The culture is quieter than at school, and it's peaceful.”
Being accepted: “My favourite part of Story Club is how kind, friendly and accepting everyone is.”
Whilst clubs regularly happen in schools and community centres, during COVID-19, the lead social worker, Hannah, was quick to adapt to the new environment by focusing on creating safe spaces online. Digital youth work documentation was shared with 75 practitioners internationally, impacting a conservatively estimated 1,000 young people during a season of global crisis. The team's innovative approach was recognised by the Lottery, which asked them to support other organisations in Oxfordshire in the move to digital youth work provision.
Highlights from the most recent year alone demonstrate the breadth of impact:
103 young people built and strengthened skills and self-confidence, with a Young Leaders’ programme developing nine peer mentors.
Library lessons, Book Club Next Gen and Story Club gave young people opportunities to explore reading, as well as express themselves through writing and debate.
Short courses like Friendship Skills and UN Rights of the Child introduced reflective learning, critical thinking, and peer-to-peer sharing.
Find Your Fire provided accredited training for four young people in employment and life skills.
Building strong families
Families supported through Babies Matter
Another element of Doorsteps’ work has been its support for families with children in their early years through music and play with little ones, while also building parents’ capacity. In one memorable music session in a church-run group, a non-verbal child with special needs made his first-ever noise – and this had such a positive impact on the child that his mother later became a volunteer (the child, who is now around 2 years old, has since been diagnosed as neurodivergent and is receiving support). Babies Matter actively focuses on investing in three key areas of family life (‘baby’, ‘me’, and the ‘parenting team’), providing parents with the tools to raise their baby in a strong family environment. Families were also connected to other groups and services, as needed, benefiting hundreds of families each year.
Building collaborative networks
Doorsteps originally came under Viva’s remit with the shared understanding that transformation does not happen in isolation. Alongside direct youth and early years work, Doorsteps established a robust network architecture to provide support to practitioners.
The 612 Prayer Group, launched in 2020, has become a weekly online space for prayer and encouragement. It also helped to launch Safe Families and Babies Matter in Oxford in 2024.
Passion for Possibilities has created reflective spaces for women professionals across education, youth work, health and early years.
The Christian Youth Workers’ Forum (Soulnet) provides peer support and shared learning for those leading youth ministries across Oxfordshire.
The Early Years Network, set up with Home Start Oxford in 2020, provides regular newsletters, online sessions, and in-person gatherings to support 66 early years providers across Oxfordshire.
As part of Renew Oxford, a mapping exercise is underway, for which Viva and Doorsteps have played a key part, with research and a church-wide survey helping identify both strengths and gaps in how local churches are engaging with community needs, and what future collaboration is possible.
There have also been memorable and significant joint events, such as a celebration that happened at St. Luke's that brought together partners, beneficiaries, and organisations in Oxford.
Journey Together: A New Beginning
In 2025, following structural changes at Viva, Charlotte continues with early years and family work in East Oxford, working for the charity Peeple and supporting referral families at Small Steps. She is also still running the county-wide Early Years Network and is looking forward to seeing what other opportunities for working together may arise after the Renew Oxford mapping exercise is complete.
For the youth work, Journey Together, as a newly registered charity, will carry forward the youth work element of Doorsteps’ DNA — empowering young people, equipping leaders, and supporting practitioners — whilst adding new initiatives, including a potential project to support boys during the critical transition to secondary school. It will have a fresh vision and autonomy as a charity with a dedicated, skilled board that can give focused attention to youth work and youth worker collaboration. Practitioner support and connectedness will also be deepened through the coordination of the various networks.
The name “Journey Together” reflects its ethos: walking alongside young people through their formative years, supporting practitioners in their demanding roles, and uniting communities of hope around the shared vision of thriving young people and families. Charlotte is a trustee, as are some of the youth who attended Doorsteps' programmes, indicating that Doorsteps' impact has been profound. Hannah notes, "I have been so grateful to spend eight years as part of such an incredible international organisation working together for the good for children and young people. I am grateful for the amazing culture at Viva and have so many practices I will be taking with me on this next step.”
We are grateful to all the supporters who have walked alongside Doorsteps over the years. If you are interested in knowing more about how you can support Journey Together, please contact Hannah here.