SJOG, a national charity with services around the country and its head office in Darlington officially opened its new office on Friday 25 April 2025.

As the charity is growing to meet more need, bigger space is needed for its head office and as part of its mission to ‘to be of more help’ is offering space to small local charities and social enterprises to provide meeting and training spaces, access to wi-fi, screen and kitchen facilities.

The new office is based at The Old Exchange building in central Darlington.

The office was officially opened by Lola McEvoy, MP for Darlington, who said, “It was a real pleasure to officially open the SJOG office and learn more about the incredible work they’re doing to support communities here in Darlington and across the country. As a Living Wage employer, the way they care for their staff is essential to delivering excellent care. 

It’s fantastic to see them not only advancing their own mission but also opening this new space to support other third-sector organisations doing vital work. I encourage voluntary sector organisations in Darlington to get in touch with them as the offices are state of the art.

It was also an especially lovely coincidence to cut the ribbon on the new headquarters of an organisation that is close to my family." 

Paul Bott, Chief Executive said, "SJOG is a well-kept secret. We are the largest charity based in Darlington and have been supporting people in the borough since 1946. 

I love our new space. I love that it's a space that has been purposefully created as a hub for all charities and not-for-profit organisations, so that we can all be of help to people in Darlington."
 

April 2025

Raising awareness is a crucial step in tackling modern slavery and to help with this we are supporting local organisations through our awareness training. 

SJOG’s Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Lisa Alcorn recently delivered Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness training to Middlesbrough Council, helping staff across a number of departments to better understand the impact of this crime, how to spot it and how to address it.  

The training focused on key areas such as understanding the scale and types of modern slavery, recognising methods of exploitation, and knowing how to report concerns and act responsibly. It also covered organisational responsibilities under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.  

The training received excellent feedback with all participants giving five stars. 

This is the first of several courses that will be held over the coming months.  If anyone would like further information, please email us at:  enquiries@sjog.org.uk
 

April 2025

World Autism Acceptance Month, established by the National Autistic Society (NAS), aims to raise awareness of autism and the 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK, both to educate those unaware of the condition, and to help make the world friendlier to those who are affected by it.

Autism is a lifelong disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world.

At SJOG, we’re committed to supporting each person with a diagnosis of autism through a unique person-centred approach. We focus on creating meaningful outcomes and improving quality of life. 

Throughout the month of April, to mark World Autism Acceptance Month, we’ll be sharing information, resources and ways people can get involved to make a real difference in support the autistic community.  
Get involved via our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/SJOGUK

April 2024
 

Each year on 24th March, we commemorate World TB Day to raise awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis (TB) and to increase the efforts to end the global TB epidemic.

The date marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.

It continues to be the world’s deadliest infectious disease and hence the day amplifies the urgency of ending TB.

Facts:
·    79 million lives saved since 2000 by global efforts to end TB
·    10.8 million people fell ill with TB in 2023
·    1.25 million people died of TB in 2023

This year’s theme organised by the World Health Organisation: Yes! We can end TB – Commit, Invest, Deliver is a bold call for hope, urgency and accountability.

Our contribution at Olallo House, London
It is 12 years since we welcomed the first guest with TB at Olallo House and became a small but crucial part of the support structure that contributes in the fight to eliminate TB.  Working in partnership with NHS Out of Hospital Care NHS North Central London ICB (Pathways). ‘NHS Find and Treat’ and University College London Hospitals, we provide specialist medical, social and psychological support enables homeless patients to complete their full course of treatment and address other issues that have contributed to their homelessness.  

#EndTB

March 2025
 

On 4th March, colleagues from our Modern Day Slavery (MDS) services attended the Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) Migration Alliance meeting at the London Jesuit Centre.

The gathering brought together many other catholic charities working in the migration sector committed to tackling human trafficking and modern slavery.

The event featured insights from Caritas International and their latest strategy in tackling global modern-day slavery, details about the Caritas Human Trafficking & Modern Slavery Ambassador Programme and updates on latest policy and advocacy initiatives across the sector.

SJOG’s senior policy and research officer, Ioana Brezeanu, took part in a panel discussion regarding the challenges faced by survivors of modern slavery within and beyond the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), alongside The Passage and the Medaille Trust. 

“This was a great opportunity to present the outcomes of the research we conducted last year on ‘Access to healthcare and treatment for people subject to modern-day slavery and trafficking’ and to share a brief resource with recommendations for professionals on how to better support them in this process. 

Click here to read the full research paper: https://sjog.uk/publications-research.php

March 2025
 

Here to Help, SJOG's suicide prevention programme for people with autism, has been recognised as one of Europe's leading innovation projects.  At the Caritas European Innovation Festival held on Friday, 14 February, Here to Help was selected as a Caritas Laureate Programme, affirming its significant impact and effectiveness.

The festival showcased 42 pioneering initiatives from across Europe and beyond highlighting innovative solutions to social challenges.

Since its launch last summer, Here to Help has positively impacted over 19,000 people, with more than 950 professionals receiving autism-specific training.  The project's web platform has also seen remarkable engagement, recording over 70,000 interactions to date.

Ashley Wilson, Head of Quality and Service Development at SJOG presented the project at the festival, and an accompanying video was played highlighting the project’s aims and impacts on helping to reduce the prevalence of suicide amongst autistic people and those who support autistic people.

February 2025