Welcome
We are a Registered Charity that provides information, support and services for families and carers of children with special needs in the Plymouth area.We aim to provide support for families in the form of groups where adult carers can meet other people in similar situations. We also provide holiday workshops and after school clubs for the whole family, as well as providing separate social activities for young carers. These groups provide opportunities for both adult and young carers to network, and also create training and educational environments for their families and friends.
In addition to providing direct support to families in this way, we also aim to bring about improvements in state provided services for children with special needs. This includes promoting the interests of our children and raising awareness about the gaps in provision both nationally and locally. We work with local service providers to ensure that the interests and needs of the children are being considered and give suggestions as to where services might be improved.
Our group is friendly, informal and supportive. We encourage everybody to share their valuable information and experiences. We do not have an emphasis on any specific condition or disability but suggest that, regardless of the type of additional need, each family experiences similar concerns.
Who We Are
Friends and Families of Special Children is made up of a team of individuals experienced in working with disabled children and their parents or carer. We are able to provide information and support to families who have experienced the joys and the difficulties of living with a disability within the family.
We are a Plymouth based service, covering the city of Plymouth and the immediate surrounding area.
The Charity is run by a team of professionals that come from a range of professional backgrounds including Social Work, Nursing, Youth Work, Counselling, Law, Finance and Corporate Hospitality. Alongside the Trustees are partners from Health, Education, Social Care and the Voluntary sector who help to ensure that we offer a multidisciplinary approach and a broad range of services.
Friends and Families of Special Children was founded in 2002 by a small group of parents who identified a huge gap in service provision for Children with disabilities and their families within Plymouth and its surrounding area. The group gained Charitable Status in 2005 (Registered charity No 1114692) and is now one of the main providers of integrated leisure services within the City.
The Team
Friends and Families of Special Children is run by six Trustees, one of whom is one of the original founders. They are responsible for overseeing the charity and ensuring it is operating correctly. They also, if they are able, provide training, facilitate the group programmes and attend fundraising events. All the support and energy they commit to the charity, they do so in a voluntary capacity.
| Kay O'Shaughnessy - Chair of Trustees Much of my working life has been spent in Social Care, Training and Employment and running my own businesses. I gained a Post Graduate Business Degree at Plymouth University. I am married to Michael and have four children, one of who is profoundly disabled and requires full care. I am a founder member of Friends and Families of Special Children and have been involved in campaigning, developing and shaping national and locally strategy and provision for families with disabled children. I am Chair of Trustees and a Governor of Woodlands Special School. | |  |
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| Lesley Gross - Trustee I began my working life as a trained nurse specialising in caring for people with Alzheimer’s and Dementia and their families. I have four children, including my 25year old son, Ryan who has mild cerebral palsy. We had a long fight with our Local Education Authority and the D F Education to ensure that Ryan had his legal entitlement.to reach his full educational potential. During the 1990's we played a lead role in two national campaigns to rid parents of the loopholes, used by Education Authorities, so they did not have to fulfil their legal duties to meet the needs of disabled children. I have spent the last 20 years, campaigning and supporting other families who are facing similar battles. I am passionate about promoting the interests of all families, friends and carers to ensure that they receive the services and support to make their lives as happy and fulfilled as possible. | |  |
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| Jonathon Morcom - Treasurer I was born and educated in Plymouth and am currently Treasurer of Friends and Families of Special Children, I am Director of The Duke of Cornwall Hotel in Plymouth, previously having had lots of experience in the hospitality industry in Plymouth and Somerset. I was instrumental in setting up a 24 bed-roomed hotel in Wells, was Food and Beverages Manager at Plymouth Pavilions and The Royal Western Yacht Club before the Management Buy Out at the DOC in 2001. I have one son and a stepson who has Cerebral Palsy. I have been involved with the charity since its launch and engage with fundraising and organising social events as much as possible. I am also training to take part in the London Marathon to raise funds for the charity. | |  |
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| Adrian Stroud - Trustee I was born in Plymouth in 1962, and educated at Devonport High School for Boys before attending University College Cardiff to study Law. I am now Senior Partner at local solicitors Thompson and Jackson specialising in Property Law. I am married to Caroline and have three children Katie, Sam and Ben. In between being a taxi service for the kids I enjoys a variety of sports and watching Plymouth Argyle and Albion. | |  |
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| Malcolm Harrison - Trustee I have extensive accounting experience, managing substantial budgets and launching hugely successful strategic plans. With a background as a management accountant in large public sector organisations, I have gained skills in increasing turnover, optimising inventories, implementing computerised accounting, and managing multimillion-pound budgets. I have been in Accountancy for over two decades. I have been a senior teacher, business consultant, and worked for many years as a successful Area Materials Manager and Logistics Manager for Great Western Trains. I have worked as treasurer or auditor of many not for profit organisations. I am married to Annette and have three children. | |  |
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| Robert Lang - Trustee Plymouth born and educated at Plymouth College prior to joining the practice of Constable & Son as articled pupil to the late Jimmie Constable in 1970. Subsequently, I established Lang & Co. estate agents in 1993. I have always been involved in the local community and am a past member of Round Table and the Port of Plymouth Junior Chamber of Commerce which staged the annual Lord Mayor’s Day, introduced the Plymouth Marathon, Military Tattoo and successfully lobbied for the construction of the Tamar Bridge. | |  |
Running alongside the Trustees are two steering groups that ensure that all services are meeting the needs of the members and act as a monitoring tool giving regular feedback to the Trustees about events that have already taken place and the type of events and activities required in the future. One steering group is made up of Young Carers the other with parents and adult carers. If you would like to hear more about these groups or think you may like to join one of them please get in touch.
Virginia House
Virginia House is a two-minute walk from Plymouth City Centre and Betonside Bus Station making it easily accessible to everyone whether travelling by car or public transport. It is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 10 and 2 but can be open on other days by prior arrangement.The Building is fully accessible with no steps or ramps to negotiate and includes a disabled toilet, changing table and hoist. It is light and airy and has a feeling of warmth and nurturing.
There is one large office/ meeting room which is fully equipped with flexible seating and tables, OHP's, flip chart stands, TV and is ideal for running drop-ins, training courses and small conferences. There is a further small office, which is ideal for small meetings, individual work such as counselling or individual alternative therapy sessions.
Another room provides a fantastic multi sensory room, which is fully equipped with bubble tubes, fibre optics, large bean bags and other sensory equipment and toys.
The large main office provides a small computer suite, which offers access to the web and an opportunity for those without computers at home to come and get help in writing letters etc.
There is also a small kitchen area and further toilets. The space is available for booking by external groups and agencies.
We have an agreement with Carers UK, Plymouth Branch that they can use Virginia House as their office base and we currently offer several joint projects and activities with them.
Parental Support
We are launching a new service in early 2011 called Face2Face. This is a dedicated support service for parents who have a child with a recent diagnosis of disability or illness. Further information to follow....
Learning your child has a disability can come as a huge shock, or it may simply confirm something you’ve suspected for a long time. Either way, the news often leaves parents feeling shattered, lonely and needing support. The need for support information and advice never goes away. Looking after a child with a disability is like being on a rollercoaster and can sometimes feel like being on a battlefield.
That’s where Friends and Families of Special Children can help. Our staff, volunteers and other parents can offer you: -
That’s where Friends and Families of Special Children can help. Our staff, volunteers and other parents can offer you: -
- Time to talk and be listened to
- Understanding from someone who has been through a similar experience
- Reassurance that what you are feeling is OK
- a positive view about the future of your child.
- Providing information on local services
Our staff and volunteers can also help with: -
- Supporting parents to explore the options available
- Negotiating with other agencies such as health, education or social services
- Helping parents to access welfare benefits or other sources of financial help
- Supporting at key transition points such as starting school, moving to adult services
- Giving advice and information about schooling, including whether a special school or mainstream education is the best option.
The Education Act 1996 legally defines children with SEN as children who have a considerably greater difficulty in learning than others the same age. It also includes children who cannot use the educational facilities which other children of a similar age use because of their disability. Children under school age, who would fall into either category without extra help, are also included. The Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability Act 2001 brought access to education within the remit of the Disability Discrimination Act, making it unlawful for education providers to discriminate against disabled pupils, students and adult learners.
As well as offering individual, confidential advice and support we hold support group coffee meetings at Virginia House on the first Thursday of each month (may vary during school holidays). External speakers are invited to the meetings. A huge variety of topics are covered, some relating to disability and others on lighter, fun subjects such as colour therapy, alternative therapy and make overs.
We also facilitate training sessions, consultation groups and social and leisure opportunities to parent/adult carers. Some previous activities have included boat trips, shooting and archery days, pottery sessions, and fondue evenings at The Ski Lodge and lunches at local restaurants.
During Carers Week in June we provide a week of activities including a fantastic lunch and Carers Award ceremony at The Duke of Cornwall Hotel in Plymouth.
We work in partnership with Carers UK to ensure that we are aware of all national campaigns relating to Carers issues and have been involved with numerous national media campaigns.
We have recently set up a parent carer steering group who act as a monitoring and evaluation tool for the Trustees. Several parents meet on a regular basis to discuss events that have already taken place and those that it is felt would be beneficial in the future. The outcome of these meetings is fed back to the Trustees and it is felt that this is an important tool in ensuring that the activities and events are meeting the aims of the charity. If you feel that you might like to become involved with this group please give us a call at Virginia House.
Young Carers
Some young carers do lots to help someone in their family to get up, to get washed and dressed or to get around in wheelchair. Some young carers do lots of the household chores like shopping, cleaning, cooking - and maybe look after younger brothers and sisters as well.
Some young carers stay in the house a lot to be there for someone who finds it difficult to be alone. They might get very down or misuse drugs/alcohol.
Do you do some of these things?
- Help someone in your family to wash, dress, eat, drink etc.
- Cook meals
- Do the housework
- Do the shopping
- Give emotional support
- Look after brothers or sisters
- Get fed up because doing the things that you would like to do is really difficult because of your parent or brother or sister who is disabled
- Give tablets and medicine
Whatever you do to look after the person in your family who has an illness, disability or drug/alcohol problem, The Fun and Freedom Club can offer you:
- Fun! Weekend clubs, days out, trips away . . ..
- Someone who will listen when you need it and who is on your side.
- Information and advice for the whole family. If the person you look after can find more help or benefits that might mean more free time for you!
- Choices. It’s their job to help you make choices, not to make them for you!
Some of the things we can help with are: -
- Talk about your situation
- Offer you one-to-one support sessions
- Help you to access groups and activities that may be available in your own area
- Provide groups for you to meet with other young carers and to explore the issues that affect you. You will build confidence, have fun and learn new ways to handle difficult situations.
- Talk to your school about some of the problems you have that might be affecting your day at school.
We organise all sorts of activities and trips such as bowling, tobogganing and skiing at the ski lodge, abseiling, gorge walking, pottery, horse riding, water sports and activity weekends at The Calvert Trust which is an residential outdoor activity centre.
Monthly support group meetings are held so that we can hear about the type of support and activities that you would like and to give you some support and help with any worries or problems that you have. We also have a range of games and fun activities to enjoy at these meetings.
Dates for 2011...
March 5th
April 2nd
May 7th
July 2nd
September 3rd
October 1st
November 5th
December 3rd
All meetings are held at Virginia House Centre 10.30am to 12.30pm.
Activity Days & Events
MONTHLY SUPPORT MEETINGS
Monthly support meetings are arranged on the first Thursday of each month (this might vary during school holidays and there are no meetings during August). Various speakers are invited to these sessions. The sessions are held at Virgina House Centre between 10 and 12 and are very friendly and informal. They give an opportunity to meet other parents of disabled children and give an opportunity to exchange information and ideas.
The next meeting is on Thursday 6th January 2011 and we will be joined by Kevin Kenna (Children's Services) and Fiona Gordon (Adult Social Care) to discuss personalised budgets and the future of short breaks in Plymouth.
FAMILY ACTIVITY DAYS & DAYS OUT
Family activity days are arranged during all school holidays for all the family to attend and have fun together. The days run between 10 and 1 and are held at Woodlands School, Woodview Learning Campus in Whtileigh. Sessions include arts and craft, cookery, the use of the multi sensory room, Hydrotherapy, soft play and more. These sessions give the opportunity to meet other parents, disabled children and siblings, learn something new. We often have outside facilitators to run sessions for us to date this has included The Music Makers, Jimbo, Fantasy Faces, The Music Zone, Wheelfever and Story tellers.
Family Activity Days are run on the third Saturday of each month and during the school holidays on Tuesdays.
Family Activity Days Out are on Thursdays during school holidays. We arrange trips to places such as The Donkey Sanctuary, Plymouth Music Zone, Vitalise Churchtown, Pennywell Farm, ice skating, bowling and The Eden Project etc.
Most sessions are free of charge. If it is necessary to charge for session’s contributions are minimal.
Dates for Activity Days 2010: - (at Woodlands School, Woodview Learning Community, Whitleigh unless stated otherwise)
Tuesday 21st December
Support Us
We currently receive no funding from Statutory Agencies so we are self-funded and rely on donations, grants and fundraising to be able to continue our work.We are constantly looking for new ways to fundraise and carry on popular events. For this we rely on a small band of volunteers to help us. If you could spare an hour or two and would like to join in with our fundraising activities then we would love to hear from you.
In the past we have been in grateful receipt of funding from grant making organisations:
- Community Fund
- Awards for All
- Children in Need
- Sports Relief
- Scope
- Lloyds TSB
There are lots of ways in which you can support us. Why not make this the time that you do that 'One day I'll do that' day and do something a bit crazy and exciting such as abseiling, parachuting, running a marathon and raising funds for Friends and Families of Special Children. We can help by providing sponsorship forms and publicising your activity.
Making a legacy is a great way of making a donation. It always hard to think about what will happen if somebody dies, but there is some comfort in knowing that through their legacy they will be making a huge difference to peoples lives.
We have been very fortunate in being the beneficiary of the monies raised at the memorial service of Sheila Olive Snelling. The very generous cash gift that was donated to us has enabled us to set up a multi-sensory room at Virginia House.
In November each year we hold a Black Tie Charity ball at The Duke of Cornwall Hotel. As well as being a really enjoyable event with lovely food and music we hold a raffle and an auction. Last year we raised just over £8000, which has enabled us to employ a Part time Young Carers Support Worker and a Sessional Family Activity Co-Ordinator.
Our annual River Tamar boat trip is another fundraising event. Why not join us and enjoy a really lovely trip to Calstock and help us raise some funds.
We are always looking for prizes for our raffles and auctions so if you feel that you may be able to contribute something please give us a call at Virginia House.
If you would like to support us in any way please give us a call at Virginia House on 01752 204369 (There is an answer machine to leave a message if we are not there. We will get back to you as soon as we can) or you can email info@friendsandfamilies.org.uk
Writing to us at The Virginia House Centre, 2 Peacock Lane, Palace Street, Bretonside, Plymouth, PL1 2AY.
Calling in to Virginia House on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 10 and 2.
