The first programme of its kind in West Yorkshire, ‘Hopeful Families’ will help over 620 individuals who are out of work to build their confidence and overcome the challenges they face in finding employment. The programme will be personally tailored to individual needs and will include help with personal development, health and wellbeing, and to develop life-skills including digital technology.
Partners will began to deliver the £2.4 million programme in June 2017 and will deliver the project over the next three years. Pluss’ Chief Executive, Steve Hawkins, said “Hopeful Families will support hundreds of people across Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield to overcome a range of barriers and build a brighter future for themselves and their families.
Meet the Positive People partners

Yorkshire Children's Centre
We are a children’s charity based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, serving communities locally, regionally and through lobbying work in a national capacity.
Our centres provide practical services aimed at improving the lives of children, young people, adults, older people and families most in need as well as working to influence national policy and delivery of services for children.
Thank you for your ongoing generosity, help and support.

Halifax Opportunities Trust
We’ve been working to make vibrant multi-cultural and self-sustaining communities across Calderdale since 2000. We are a registered charity and our work with communities takes many different forms across a wide variety of projects but it’s all driven by the same core values; we care, we are enterprising, we collaborate and we are committed.

Groundwork
We provide training and create jobs, reduce energy and waste, re-connect people with nature and transform whole neighbourhoods.
Step by step we’ll go on changing places and changing lives until everywhere is vibrant and green, every community is strong enough to shape its own destiny and everyone can reach their potential.

Dominion Training
Dominion Training is small enough to ensure that every individual is appropriately catered for and we are also large enough to attract qualified and experienced teaching staff. Dominion Training staff will assist you right from the inquiry stage, choosing the right courses and also ensuring that you graduate with relevant and suitable academic or professional bodies.

Pluss
Pluss is an award winning Social Enterprise that supports thousands of people with disabilities and other disadvantages move into employment each year.
Latest news
“Hopeful Families gave me certainty in an uncertain time” – Andrew’s story
Andrew, age 60 self-referred to Groundwork, a Pluss Hopeful Families partner, shortly after being made redundant as a direct result of the Covid pandemic. He was determined to do whatever was needed to be done, to give himself the best chance of finding employment...
Tackling barriers to progress – Nicky’s story
Nicky lives in the Wakefield area of West Yorkshire and is her late 30s. After becoming aware of the Pluss Hopeful Families programme through another participant, Nicky approached Groundwork, one of four specialist partners to Pluss, who deliver the Hopeful Families...
2020 was the hardest year of my life: Suleman’s story
Thirty-five year old Suleman lives in the Dewsbury area of West Yorkshire, after moving to the UK from India in 2011. They have two young children and his wife works part-time as a nurse. Around the time of the first lock-down due to Covid-19 in 2020, Suleman was made...
“Hopeful Families gave me certainty in an uncertain time” – Andrew’s story
Andrew, age 60 self-referred to Groundwork, a Pluss Hopeful Families partner, shortly after being made redundant as a direct result of the Covid pandemic. He was determined to do whatever was needed to be done, to give himself the best chance of finding employment...
Tackling barriers to progress – Nicky’s story
Nicky lives in the Wakefield area of West Yorkshire and is her late 30s. After becoming aware of the Pluss Hopeful Families programme through another participant, Nicky approached Groundwork, one of four specialist partners to Pluss, who deliver the Hopeful Families...

