Advice for Families

Do You Need to Talk?

If you are worried about anything, you should always talk to someone you feel safe with, like a member of your family, or an adult at school. It is important that you feel happy and safe talking about your worries, fears, and problems. If you prefer, there are also organisations that you can speak to:

• Childline
• NSPCC
• Worried About Bullying?
• Young Carers
• Winston’s Wish Bereavement

In this section, you will find links to helpful information and advice about a variety of disabilities, including deafness, blindness, and learning difficulties.

General Information

• Family Fund
• Aiming High: Short Breaks for Disabled Children
• Disability Law Service
• Disability Living Allowance

Disability-specific Links

Deafness

• Hearing Times
• Advanced Bionics
• Med-el
• Cochlear Implants
• NCDS Family Sign Language Project
• DLA
• Action on Hearing Loss
• Signed Stories
• BBC See Hear
• GWH Audiology
• BSL Dictionary

Blindness

• Royal National Institute of Blind People
• Blind Children UK
• Guide & Buddy Dogs
• RNIB Information & Advice
• RNIB Financial Support

Physical Disability

• SCOPE
• Rainbow Trust- Swindon Team
• Whiz-Kidz – Children’s Mobility
• Swindon Dolphin – Swimming Project for Disabled Children

Learning Disability

• National Autistic Society
• Down’s Syndrome Association
• Mencap

Children don’t come with a handbook, and as we all know each child can present a range of challenges, which can subsequently affect their ability to learn. I am happy to offer practical advice and guidance on the variety of challenges parents face. These often includes issues such as:

• Challenging behaviour.
• Picky eaters.
• Poor sleepers.
• Concerns about your child’s emotional wellbeing.
• Money worries.
• Housing difficulties.

Hi there! My name is Zoe Pletts and I am here to help with any concerns or questions you may have about your child or family life in general.

Zoe Pletts(support) Local Governor, Family Support Advisor and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

If you would like to arrange a meeting with our family support worker, either at your home or at school, please call me on 07518 125175. Alternatively, you can speak to a member of staff, who will help you arrange the meeting, or call us on 01380 723184.

Resources

At Southbroom Infants’ School, we believe that all children and young people have the right to an education, regardless of their home circumstances. We acknowledge that there are likely to be young carers among our pupils and that being a young carer can have an adverse effect on a young person’s education. We have adopted our young carers policy so that we will be able to relieve some of the worries that young carers may have about home and their school work.

Who are Young Carers?

Young carers are children and young people whose lives are affected by looking after someone at home. They are carrying out tasks and responsibilities in addition to those appropriate for their age. The person they look after may have one or more of the following:

• Physical disability.
• Mental health issues.
• Learning difficulties.
• Alcohol- or drug-related problems.
• Long-term illness.

The person they care for may be a parent, sibling, or grandparent, and the care they give may be physical and/or emotional. Young carers’ responsibilities may include:

• Personal care (e.g. bathing, dressing, feeding).
• Giving or prompting medication/injections.
• Shopping.
• Housework.
• Emotional support.
• Looking after younger siblings.
• Budgeting and paying bills.

If you feel that your child may be a young carer, please feel free to get in touch to discuss support that we can put into place.