Riding the waves – Emotional support for parents
Life can be stormy, and every storm is different, as SEND parent, Charlie Mitchell, knows well. She has written a visual narrative to help guide and support parents/carers who are
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How to support siblings of your disabled child, keeping the lines of communication open with grandparents and looking after each other as a unit.
Some families may need support to help them meet the needs of their child. This could take the form of a Family Support Program.
There are a number of different types of programs that deal with support for families of disabled children available. Some programs cater to all parents regardless of any additional needs the child may have, alternatively others are more targeted towards meeting specific needs.
These programmes can be delivered by a range of providers: some will be offered by your local council, and others may be delivered by other organisations.
Your local council should be able to tell you what programs are on offer in your area, find your local council here: https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council
Siblings will need help to understand their brother or sister’s disability and also their own feelings about it. It can be difficult as parents or carers to divide your time and attention between your children when they have different needs.
Siblings of disabled children can often struggle with feelings of exclusion, jealousy and loss of attention. These feelings can be especially common when they’re affected by the changes in lifestyle their sibling’s condition may bring to the home.
There are some simple tips you can follow to try and make sure siblings of disabled children feel more involved and supported:
Organisations like SIBS exist to support people who grow up with or have grown up with a disabled brother or sister.
Keeping the lines of communication open with grandparents and extended family is really important when your child has an additional need. This is especially true if they play a role in childcare sometimes. We have resources, guidance and friendly tips to help you achieve this.
A common source of support for the family may be the child’s grandparents and, for many parents, they are the people to whom they feel most able to talk through problems and frustrations.
Often grandparents and extended family have difficulty in adapting to a child with disabilities and may either:
Both of these can lead to a breakdown in the relationship between parents and family.
Some ways to try and prevent this could include:
The more people understand the more they can help you. Talk about what your child’s condition means in real terms, how this affects your child in everyday life, and what specific things they can do to help you.
Looking after the mental health of every family member is important. There are resources to help parents and carers support their child through times of difficult mental health, in addition to resources to help parents look after their own mental health too.
The NHS describes the 5 steps to Mental Wellbeing as:
For more information on the 5 Ways to Wellbeing and more things you can do to improve your mental health, see their full article.
Stress is the feeling of being under too much emotional or mental pressure. Stress often occurs when we think a task is too much for us, or when we are stuck in a difficult situation we can not change. Long term stress can be harmful to both mental and physical health.
The first step to coping with stress is to recognise when you are getting stressed. Understanding what causes stress will, in turn, allow you to better manage situations that create it.
Some tips to reduce stress are:
Types of mental health support for families of disabled children can include:
Parenting comes with lots of challenges. It can be even more difficult if you’re dealing with mental health problems. These can affect their ability to cope with family life, so it’s important that parents and carers can find support when they need it.
The most common types of mental health problem experienced by parents with disabled children are depression and anxiety disorders.
If you find yourself experiencing one or more of the following, it may be advisable to talk to a trained counsellor or health care professional:
Organisations you can talk to that offer mental health support and advice include:
Owning a pet can be a great support for families with disabled children, but adding a fluffy member to your family is a big decision in terms of money and time. Services like Dogs for Good can support families to make the right decision. They also offer workshops to help with dog training and handling, in addition to assisting long-term so that a pet benefits the whole family.
Life can be stormy, and every storm is different, as SEND parent, Charlie Mitchell, knows well. She has written a visual narrative to help guide and support parents/carers who are
Read More »
There are at least half a million siblings in the UK who are growing up with a disabled brother or sister. In an average sized secondary school, that’s at least
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New statistical analysis by the University of Sheffield being released for Carers Rights Day 2022 shows that 12,000 people in the UK become a carer every single day. The theme of Carers Rights Day this year is Caring Costs. Research released by Carers UK last month shows that many carers providing round the clock care are being plunged into debt and struggling to afford food and bills during the cost-of-living crisis.
World Down Syndrome Day takes place on 21st March every year. It also coincides with World Down Syndrome Week. It’s a day to celebrate, and raise awareness of Down Syndrome.
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Aimee is a mum to three children, a blogger, Podcaster and Mentor for parents, like her, whose children have additional needs and disabilities. Aimee runs live and virtual workshops focusing
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Originally shared on Care Management Matters The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published data on COVID-19 deaths amongst people with a learning disability and/or autism. This follows targeted work to
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Have you been toying with the idea of getting a dog but not sure how it would fit into family life? We’ve all heard the reports that owning a pet
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Christmas Day in our house is a fairly straightforward affair. We tend to spend the day at home with one of the grandparents, perhaps a great grandparent, and an uncle
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Today is World Mental Health Day 2018 and the focus is on young people and mental health in a changing world. The pressures a young person faces growing up now
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Yesterday, Lizzie from A Curious Journey gave us her top tips for planning a birthday celebration that suits your child’s needs. Today, it’s all about going to other children’s parties.
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My Family, Our Needs loves bringing you new websites and apps that we think will make your life easier and our latest one is no exception. In fact, we think
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Monday 11th June kicks off Men’s Health Week 2018, a national awareness week focusing on men’s health up and down the country. Here at My Family, Our Needs we got
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It is PDA Action Day 2018 and the PDA Society is undertaking a number of events to raise awareness of PDA amongst healthcare professionals. PDA Protest PDA Society has
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The Prime Minister has intervened to establish a Children’s Funeral Fund for grieving parents who have lost their child. Under the scheme, parents will no longer have to meet the costs
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To celebrate World Down Syndrome Day 2018, My Family Our Needs brings you details of what’s happening to help you celebrate and raise awareness. World Down Syndrome Day takes place
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Purple Pyjama Party 2018 is coming on 26th March. My Family, Our Needs and Epilepsy Society have put together some information to help you raise awareness of epilepsy and host your
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In the next article in her series, Caro Greenwood shares her advice for supporting siblings of children with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). My daughter Matilda, who has a diagnosis of
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Do you need some pointers when it comes to talking to your child about sex and relationships? Mel Gadd shares her top tips for parents of children with additional needs.
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Did you see the Changing Places social media campaign by Sarah Brisdion over Christmas? Her #LooAdvent was picked up by mainstream media, including being featured on Jeremy Vine’s Radio 2
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