This Carer’s Week, 9-15 June, Cheryl Abrahams, a brain injury lawyer at legal firm Bolt Burdon Kemp (BBK) and parent carer shares her personal experience of the difference it can make working somewhere which puts flexibility for employees at its heart, while her colleague, Louise Pye, head of Human Resources at BBK, outlines your rights as an employee who cares for a child with additional needs.
Contact’s Counting the Costs research found that the majority (62%) of parents carers had to give up a paid job or reduce working hours because of the difficulty of juggling caring and working. On average these parents have lost £21,174 of income per year. And the latest census data by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that unpaid carers – including parent carers – are providing more hours of care now than they were 10 years ago. Reduced support services such as respite care, physiotherapy, occupational and speech and language therapy, as well as mental health services means parent carers have been left to do more often complex care in their homes themselves and less able to combine work and caring.
Cheryl’s story: navigating parenthood and a demanding career
When I joined BBK in 2004, I was amazed at how progressive the firm’s flexible working policy was for the time. But it wasn’t until I became a parent carer that I truly understood its value. In early 2022, my son’s nursery started reporting incidents of aggressive behaviour. Things escalated as he transitioned to primary school, leading to school refusal, escape attempts, exclusion, and assessments. Eventually, he was diagnosed with Autism, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder and Dyspraxia.
The demands on my time were immense: attending countless school meetings, meeting his care needs at home and managing his challenging behaviours. My son attends a mainstream primary school and I’m in the process of applying for an Education and Healthcare Plan for him – an arduous and time-consuming process.
There’s no doubt that, without the flexibility and support I received at BBK, I would have had to stop working altogether. This flexibility – allowing me to start work later to support a calmer morning routine for my son, or to attend critical meetings during the day, and working from home in the evenings or at weekends, during periods when he was excluded and needed my support during the day – benefits not only me, but also my clients and their families. For many parents of children with complex needs they may need to juggle endless medical appointments, therapy sessions, and school meetings. These families need a solicitor who can accommodate their schedules, not the other way around.
My journey as a parent carer has profoundly shaped my approach to my work with families of brain-injured children. I understand what the parents of my clients go through, not just in their pursuit of justice for their children but in their day-to-day struggles to balance caregiving responsibilities with work, family and life.
My experience has helped me to better appreciate their anxieties, frustrations, and hopes. It has also strengthened my determination to fight for the best possible outcomes for them. Whether it’s securing compensation to cover care needs, ensuring access to therapy, or advocating for tailored educational support, I can offer reassurance and guidance to support them in their journey to ensure their child’s needs are met.
Louise Pye, head of HR at BBK on why flexibility benefits everyone
At BBK, we understand there’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to flexible working. For some, it might mean adjusting start and finish times; for others, it’s about working fewer hours or being available for school pickups. At BBK, we offer flexibility to all staff—not just parents or carers as required by law – because we understand everyone’s circumstances change over time and even from day to day.
We’ve seen first-hand how a culture of flexibility benefits not just employees but also the business. When staff feel supported, they’re more engaged, productive, and loyal. For working parents and carers, this means they can focus on their families while maintaining a fulfilling career. For clients and their families, this means having access to a responsive, empathetic and client-centred service that takes account of the unique challenges they face. We’re proud to foster an environment where flexibility is more than just a policy—it’s a practice embedded into our culture. By doing so, we aim to set an example for other employers and show true flexibility isn’t just about ticking a box; it’s about valuing people as individuals.
Your legal rights
As of April 2024, all employees in England, Scotland, and Wales can request flexible working from their first day of employment. This could involve: • Adjusting start and finish times. • Reducing working hours or days. • Working from home.
Employers must consider requests for flexible working seriously. While employers can refuse requests for clear business reasons, the law gives you, the employee, the right to apply up to twice a year.
Resources like Gov.uk, ACAS and Contact provide templates and advice on how to make a request. If you are a parent of a disabled child, the Equality Act 2010 offers additional protections. If an employer’s refusal disproportionately disadvantages you due to your caring responsibilities, this could constitute disability discrimination by association. Charities like Working Families offer guidance on what to do if your request is refused.
Bolt Burdon Kemp (BBK) is a long term supporter of Contact providing funding for our By Your Side in hospitals programme and BBK staff also kindly volunteer for Contact and take part in fundraising events.
Renaissance Legal specialise in safeguarding the finances and welfare of disabled and vulnerable people through their lifetime using Wills, trusts, powers of attorney and court of protection applications.
The webinar covers common issues related to planning for the future of your child. It explains why you should make a Will, usual Will formats, and trusts.
You can watch the recording of the webinar on our YouTube page. But please don’t delay – the video is only live until 15 June.
We’re so grateful to Philip at Renaissance Legal, who took time to answer questions parents had after the presentation.
You’ll also hear from Mark at Contact who gives an introduction about our support services. Mark also highlights how including a gift to Contact in your Will can help support our vital services and ensure that Contact is here for families with disabled children for many years to come.
We want to say a big thank you to the 852 parent carers across Scotland who responded to our call to action to improve wraparound childcare for disabled children.
We asked parent carers to ask their MSP to take part in a special debate in parliament on 8 May.
In total, parents contacted 103 MSPs. This represents nearly three quarters of MSPs in Parliament – a great result!
Wraparound childcare – the key issues
In Scotland, local authorities have a legal duty to provide out of school and holiday care for disabled children and those with additional needs. This is also known as wraparound care.
However, our 2024 Counting the Costs research found that nearly two-thirds of parent carers have had to give up their jobs or reduce their working hours because they can’t find suitable childcare.
Is the current out of school care provision in Scotland failing families?
During the debate, MSPs highlighted families’ stories showing the impact of trying to balance care-giving with employment. Many talked about the disruption to their routines causing significant distress. The key issues families highlighted were:
Families are unable to find appropriate out of school care during holiday periods.
There are significant reductions to local authority and third sector organisations’ budgets. They are struggling to provide suitable out of school care.
There is limited or no information publicised in advance on the few available services.
Without a Section 23 social work assessment, many children can’t access services at all.
Some children get as little as 16 hours of care for the entire summer holidays.
Families don’t know what is on offer, how much it costs or what kind of support is provided.
Agreement that things must improve
Before the debate, the Scottish Government announced an extra £1 million from this summer to improve holiday care. However, MSPs said all 32 councils would need to share this, and it may not go far enough.
The MSPs also spoke about some good examples where local authorities were working well with families. They asked to share these more widely across other local authorities to learn from their successes.
Michael Marra MSP, who organised the debate, recommended a “best practice charter”. This would act as a checklist for local authorities with clear targets around planning, funding, and communicating with parent carers.
Natalie Don-Innes, Minister for Children and Young People and The Promise, responding for the government, said: “I hear the frustrations and challenges families face and recognise that more must be done.” She highlighted the extra funding and said that the Scottish Government and local government are working to try and find a solution.
Further information and how you can help
There are many other individuals and organisations who continue to campaign and report on this crucial issue.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child (UNCRC Article 23) states that: “Children who have any kind of disability have the right to special care and support, as well as all the rights in the Convention, so that they can live full and independent lives”.
One Parent Families Scotland have highlighted the need to provide greater access to respite services for families with disabled children. In their May 2025 briefing, they stated that …”These services help to promote independence for children and young people and give the opportunity for parents to have a break and find, often much-needed, support.”
Back in 2020, Shared Care Scotland highlighted the impact for families in their Holidays or Isolation Report. They called for ways to improve holiday activity provision and work with local and national government to find ways to improve choice and availability. This report showed that: “only 2% of parent carers felt their child was completely included in the local community. One young person described their holidays: “Nothing to do that includes me with my brothers, or friends … only things with my family. And my mum works full time and does everything for us on her own with no help from anyone. She is exhausted so we don’t want to put more pressure on her to take us places”.
The debate on wraparound childcare took place thanks to a campaign by Dundee parent carer Nicola Donnelly. We know that many parent carers have similar stories. Get in touch with us at Contact Scotland [email protected] to help inform Scottish government and parliament.
The government is proposing to remove access to the health element (currently called the limited capability for work and work-related activity – LCWRA element) of Universal Credit for most young adults aged 16 – 21 once they claim Universal Credit in their own right.
We are campaigning to stop this cut in Universal Credit for disabled young adults. This is also one of the proposals in the Pathways to Work green paper that the government is consulting on. Other reforms to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will go through parliament.
You can respond online, please remember you don’t have to answer every question. Question 11 relates to the proposal to remove the health element of Universal Credit for young people aged 16 – 21.
Transport to school or college for disabled students aged 16 – 18 Is not working because of the loophole in the law. Young people are expected to be in education or training until 18 but the right to council transport can stop or change at 16.
Disabled young people often have to travel further to a school or college that meets their needs, and usually can’t use cheaper transport such as using a bus pass on public transport. This is unfair on disabled student and parent carers are calling for this to end.
Contact has participated in a roundtable discussion on school attendance, hosted by Claire Young, the Liberal Democrat MP for Thornbury and Yate.
The event took place in Westminster last month. Other representatives from different educational charities and professional organisations also attended. Conversations focused on how attendance policies impact children with special educational needs and their families.
Topics discussed included:
The importance of supporting a child to attend school.
The need to stop issuing fixed-penalty fines to families whose children are not attending school due to their disability or additional needs.
The lack of support and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in education settings causing absence because of unmet needs.
The use of part-time timetables and exclusions as a way to avoid supporting children.
The government must reset its approach to attendance
Contact has long had concerns over the government’s drive for high attendance standards. This has created a system in which attendance figures are prized over a pupil’s wellbeing and access to education. We know this approach unfairly impacts disabled children and those with physical and mental health conditions, for whom high attendance is often an unrealistic aim.
Contact, in partnership with Define Fine, is calling on the Government to reset its approach to attendance by:
1. Pursing a cultural change in both the narrative and approaches to attendance
2. Creating an Attendance Code of Practice. This should consolidate all government guidance in one place, and there must be consequences for schools who disregard the code.
3. Establishing robust accountability mechanisms for all education settings who fail to comply with their statutory duties under the Working Together to Improve School Attendance Guidance and the Equality Act 2010.
4. Investing in the SEN System. Missing education should not be a result of needs not being met in school or lack of appropriate education setting.
You can read more about Contact and Define fine’s attendance asks in our policy paper.
Working parents whose child will be nine months old before 1 September 2025 will benefit from the expansion of the government’s free childcare scheme.
Working parents of nine month – two year olds currently getting 15 hours’ free childcare will see their entitlement double.
What is the government’s free childcare scheme?
For some time, working families of three- and four-year-olds have been entitled to 30 hours’ free early education/childcare for 38 weeks of the year.
In 2023, the previous government announced that entitlement would expand to all children of working parents over nine months old.
Since September 2024, working parents of children over nine months old are eligible for 15 hours’ free childcare. And from September 2025, all working parents of children over nine months will be entitled to the full 30 hours.
Who is eligible?
Aside from your child meeting the age criteria, you must be a working parent and meet certain income requirements.
Visit our childcare costs webpage to find out about other childcare schemes you might be eligible for. These include the tax-free childcare scheme and childcare hours in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
This summer, Contact joins forces with climate and arts partners to bring a series of free, family-friendly climate circus performances to outdoor venues across Yorkshire.
The immersive, nature-based theatre events will take place throughout the summer. They’ll offer audiences a spectacular blend of interactive theatre, circus magic and a chance to imagine a hopeful future. The events will fuse performance and opportunities to take part in positive conversations. Audiences will move through woodland clearings and natural environments transformed into enchanted worlds.
Where and when
Saturday 12 July, 2pm – Woodville Centre, Keighley. BOOK A PLACE
Sunday 13 July, 2pm – Woodville Centre, Keighley. BOOK A PLACE
Saturday 26 July, 2pm – Sheffield Woodland Discovery Centre BOOK A PLACE
Sunday 27 July, 2pm – Sheffield Woodland Discovery Centre – BOOK A PLACE
The show is designed with children aged 8 -12 in mind, but is open to all ages. Parents of older children (up to age 25) are also welcome to attend if they feel the performance is suitable for their child’s learning age or interests.
More about this project
Contact is collaborating with Hope for the Future, in partnership with Rowanbank Environmental Arts & Education CIC and the London School of Economics (LSE), to deliver activities that empower community-led climate advocacy.
The government is proposing to remove access to the health element (currently called the limited capability for work and work-related activity – LCWRA element) of Universal Credit for most young adults aged 16 – 21 once they claim Universal Credit in their own right.
This proposal would mean a huge drop in income of almost £100 per week for nearly 110,000 disabled young adults.
It would have a devastating financial impact not only on disabled young adults who are not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), but also on many who are in education or low-paid employment.
This proposal pushes disabled young adults and their families further away from employment prospects and further into poverty.
It is not a policy that should be implemented. It is not a proposal that Contact could support in any way.
We must stop this. Please support our campaign!
Email your MP to oppose the change
Please email your local MP about the devastating impact this will have on disabled young people.
We are asking MPs to write to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, to rethink this proposal.
Thank you to everyone who has been emailing their MPs recently. We really appreciate your support.
Will anyone be exempt from this proposal if it goes ahead?
The Green Paper acknowledges that the government needs to “consider what special provisions need to be put in place for those young people where engagement with work or training is not a realistic prospect”.
In a speech last week (21 May), the Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, said:
“Those with the most severe, life-long conditions that will never improve and who can never work will have their Universal Credit protected – including young people aged under 22.”
However, this extremely high threshold offers very little protections for most young disabled adults.
Ultimately, Contact does not accept that there is any justification for slashing financial support for any young disabled person aged 16 – 21.
The government has announced a new programme to improve access to school sports for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Inclusion 2028 will receive an initial £300,000 first-year funding and will aim to help 240,000 pupils with SEND. Teachers will receive training to deliver lessons that meet a diverse range of needs. Pupils will also have leadership opportunities to develop activities for their peers.
We welcome this new funding and hope it fulfills the government’s stated aim to improve attendance and making schools more inclusive to disabled children.
All children need the chance to play. Many disabled children and young people say that leisure and play – after school, in the holidays and at weekends – is the most important missing element in their lives. That’s why Contact puts on sports events as part of our Better Together programme.
Has your child ever felt like they don’t fit in anywhere? Or like no-one understands what things feel like?
Maybe they feel like they’re the only person in the world who looks, moves or thinks like they do.
Cathy Reay, disabled writer, journalist, and single mum to two disabled children, wants your child to know that they are not alone. They belong in the world exactly as they are.
This is the message of Cathy’s new book, “How to be disabled and proud (or at least kinda sorta okay with it…)”. Described as a “powerful call to action for both disabled and non-disabled children”, the book aims to encourage readers to advocate for a more accessible world and to inspire them to embrace their disabled identity.
Written for children aged nine and up, it’s also an essential guide to growing up disabled. From navigating school life, finding disabled community and building confidence, to facing challenges like bullying and discrimination and learning how to value and celebrate yourself, just as you are.
In our latest podcast episode, we’re delighted to welcome Cathy to talk about her new book. We also hear some moments that made you proud of your disabled child, shared on our Facebook page.
Through Your Voice, we provide parents with a platform to respond to current hot topics from their own lived experience. Together, we can make sure parent’s concerns are front and centre in the ongoing conversations that shape support for children with additional needs.
This September, the Law Commission aims to publish its report following a consultation on major plans to reform disabled children’s social care. We welcomed many of the proposals, which aligned with our social care asks for a new single legal duty to assess disabled children; a new legal framework for disabled children’s social care; and national eligibility criteria.
In this Your Voice, parent Rebecca explains how current social care is failing her family.
You might think care services have stepped up – that’s far from the reality
“My beautiful five-year-old son Keir has very complex needs that require round the clock care. He has a rare life-limiting genetic condition and drug-resistant epilepsy. He can’t walk and is blind. I sleep downstairs with him to manage his nightly seizures, which are getting worse. We use a hoist to move him.
“Keir also has gut dystonia, which causes him significant bowel pain and difficulty in passing stools. To manage this, I give Keir daily suppositories/enemas and feed him a combination of blended food and milk through a pump. For his stomach pain, we administer morphine and when needed, sedate Keir with Chloral Hydrate. Keir’s dystonia extends to his limbs and causes his hands and feet to often shake. Again, we administer various medicines to try and reduce these episodes. Keir is under neuro, gastro, and palliative care consultants at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
“Given the scale of Keir’s needs, you might reasonably think that care services have stepped up to help us. But that’s far from the reality. Since Keir was turned down for NHS continuing care funding in June 2024, we’ve been stranded in a grim no-man’s land between health and social care services with no support. We’re told Keir is ‘too complex’ for social care and ‘not severe enough’ for continuing care funding. We get a tiny four-hour a week short breaks package, only recently upped from two hours, after I repeatedly requested more help. It’s nowhere near enough.
Right now, help is coming from nowhere
“I’m exhausted and really struggling. I want to sleep at least one night a week. I need help to hoist Keir before and after school. I’d love to be a teacher again and work more to support and empower my family. I don’t mind where this help comes from. But right now, it’s not coming from anywhere.
“Children’s social care law fails too many disabled children. A Disabled Children’s Partnership report found just 1 in 7 families got the correct level of social care support. One in four were told their disabled child did not meet the threshold for a social care assessment. New research by the deaf-blind charity Sense found more than half of families with disabled children struggled to get support and services that meet their child’s needs.
“This is why I fully back the Law Commission’s proposals and Contact’s social care asks. Families like ours desperately need these reforms because, without them, we get little or no support at all.”
We had more than 3,000 responses to our Transport Matters survey – thank you to everyone who answered.
We will share the findings at a meeting in Parliament on Monday 2 June.
At this meeting, hosted by Jen Craft MP, families have an opportunity to speak out about school transport. This will give MPs the chance to hear first-hand from families how important transport is and the impact if it’s stopped or changed when a disabled student turns 16.
Ben Maguire, MP for North Cornwall, sponsored the roundtable event. Our Chief Executive Anna Bird spoke alongside parents, and this is what she said:
“There’s nothing ‘special’ about a child having a school place. Enjoying school. Feeling safe there. Learning. But the reality is that for too many children, these things are out of reach.
“Nurseries, schools and colleges should provide extra support – called SEN Support – for children with SEND who need it. SEN Support is there to make local schools more inclusive. Schools get funding to put it in place. Government guidance tells schools how it should work. But it’s not happening.
“So what do we do about it? We think there is a very simple solution. We’re asking Government to amend section 66 of the Children and Families Act 2014 so that all schools, colleges and nurseries have a primary legal duty to:
Identify a child’s special educational needs.
Identify the support required.
Deliver and review the support.
“If education settings must, instead of should, provide SEN Support, it will create a fundamental shift in the system. It will mean mainstream schools become more inclusive and more children can be educated locally. Fewer families will need to go through a painful, lengthy legal process to get an EHCP. Schools that fail to provide support will be held to account more effectively.
“The provisions are already there, we just want them to have more teeth. And we can do that with a simple amendment to the current act. This is the message Contact, IPSEA and eight fantastic parent campaigners took to Westminster today.
“If the government is serious about making schools more inclusive, strengthening SEN support is the place to start.”
Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) from across England attended parliament today to discuss ways to promote inclusion in mainstream schools.
This follows research with 2,000 families that shows just 9% of pupils with SEND get speech and language support. 60% avoided school as a result of not having the right support in place.
The parents back calls from Contact and IPSEA to strengthen SEN support by making it a legal requirement.
Children missing out when staff unavailable
SEN support is help in school for children who have SEND, but don’t have an education health and care (EHC) plan. It includes help such as small group work, adult help during break and lunchtimes and speech and language support.
Laura Bancroft’s son Aiden is autistic and has situational mutism. Laura said: “Despite his challenges, Aiden is academically capable and a rule-follower. But that’s not the full picture. He holds it all together during the school day, but comes crashing down at home. He becomes overwhelmed, anxious and emotional and more recently has developed panic attacks.
“The support he is supposed to have at school includes small group activities, allowing him to sit at the end of the row during assembly, and five-minute sensory breaks. But this is not always possible. It depends on the number of teachers and teaching assistants and what is happening on a particular day. He is often left struggling in silence, unable to express when he is overwhelmed or when his needs aren’t being met. This is heartbreaking as a parent to witness, knowing that the support he needs is simply not available.
“As we approach the transition to secondary school in just over two years, my family and his current school all agree that my son’s needs are not severe enough for a specialist school. But we are also acutely aware that, without the right support, he will struggle to cope in a mainstream setting. This is a real concern for us and without the right support his difficulties will just become more severe.”
Lack of support leading to absence, avoidance and exclusion
Ben Maguire, MP for North Cornwall, sponsored the roundtable event. Mr Maguire said: “The lack of adequate SEN support in schools is driving requests for EHC plans, as parents and schools seek formal assessments to secure the support children should already be receiving. Without the right SEN provision in place, we see higher rates of school absence, avoidance and exclusions. Too many children are being left behind.
“Investing in early intervention, properly trained staff, and better-resourced schools will not only improve outcomes for children with SEN, but also reduce costly crisis interventions and the growing reliance on EHC plans. No parent should have to fight for their child’s right to an education. The Government must act now to deliver a system that works for every child, every family, and every school.”
Anna Bird, Chief Executive at Contact, said: “The government says it wants more children to feel supported and included at mainstream school. It’s important that we get that right. We are calling for SEN support to be made a stronger part of a school’s duties. We believe this will ensure more children are able to enjoy and take full part in school without going through a legal process to get an EHC plan.”
1 in 5 children with SEN not getting SEN support
Contact and IPSEA surveyed 2,000 families with children who have SEND, but not an EHC plan, in February 2025. Our survey found that there is not enough SEN support in schools. This is leading many families to seek an EHC plan to secure the support their child needs.
Other key findings include:
Over a third of respondents (35%) said funding was the reason schools gave for not providing adequate SEN support.
A fifth of children with special educational needs are not getting any SEN support.
Madeleine Cassidy, Chief Executive of IPSEA, commented: “The lack of enforceability of SEN support means too many children struggle to get adequate support in mainstream schools. The sharp rise in EHC plans we see year-on-year also reflects the reality that, for many families, an EHC plan is the only route to securing the support their child needs.
“If SEN support were placed on a statutory footing – applying across early years, mainstream schools and further education settings – fewer families would need to go through the legal process of obtaining an EHC plan simply to get the right support for their child.”
We’re over the moon to share that a mum of three boys with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has just won £1,000 in the Contact Weekly Lottery!
Having played our charity lottery for just six months, Kimberly was lost for words when she found out. Listen to Contact’s Beena break the good news over the phone:
Listen to Kimberly’s reaction
The Stoke-on-Trent mum is now looking forward to treating her boys to a special family holiday. She says: “Having three SEN children, it’s quite difficult to keep them busy!”
And if you’re considering playing our lottery, here is Kimberly’s message to you:
“You could help other disabled children, and every time you enter the draw you get a chance to win as well – so it benefits everybody!”
Parent carers winning big
Kimberly is just the latest in a string of parent carers who have hit the jackpot in the Contact Weekly Lottery — including one particularly lucky family who bagged a massive £10,000 just in time for Christmas.
In fact, we’ve given away more than £100,000 in prizes to thousands of families since launching our lottery in 2020. And if you join us, you could be next!
Sign up today for just £1 a week, and you’ll have a chance of winning between £5 and £10,000 every single Friday.
By playing the Contact Weekly Lottery, you’ll also be helping to fund our vital support services for families with disabled children. It’s a win/win!
Huge congratulations once again to Kimberly and her boys! And good luck to all our wonderful players in this week’s draw.
Parent carers who attended our first Building Resilience course from October- December 2024 got together for a coffee morning.
The Contact Cymru team are running several in-person and online events this Spring. Our workshops and drop-ins are all free and for parent carers across Wales. Take a look at what’s on offer and book your place today….
In person workshops
Eight-session Wellbeing Programme, Brecon. Starts Thursday 8th May 2025, 11:00-13:00, and continues for seven more sessions.
Our next Wellbeing programme starts in May, with sessions on Thursday mornings at the Y Gaer Museum, Art Gallery & Library in Brecon.
Led by Contact’s Parent Advisor, Sophie Barker, these sessions are fun, positive and relaxed. They will help you build confidence, manage stress and make positive changes. It’s for any parent carer who has a child with a disability or additional needs – diagnosed or not.
Wellbeing Workshop in Welshpool Wednesday 7th May 2025, 11:00-13:00
This is a one-off workshop led by Contact and supported by Credu Carers. It’s for parents and carers to have time away from their caring role to focus on themselves and prioritise their needs. Warm drinks, a buffet, and a pamper pack will be provided to all attendees.
Our online parent drop-ins are now happening on the first and third Thursdays of every month. Run by Contact volunteers, they offer a relaxed and supportive space where you can chat with others who understand your situation.
Each drop-in has a theme, but we cover other topics too. So grab a cuppa and join us from the comfort of your sofa for a few minutes or the whole hour.
May dates and topics:
1/5/2025- Finding your tribe, fitting in, making decisions 15/5/2025- Behaviour, overwhelm, meltdowns, shutdowns
For further information on any of these sessions, please contact us at [email protected] Our workshops and drop-ins are funded by the National Lottery Community Fund as part of Contact Cymru’s Building Resilience programme. Workshops are delivered in English.
Gweithdai gwanwyn a sesiynau galw heibio i deuluoedd yng Nghymru
Mae gennym ni lawer yn digwydd yng Nghymru y gwanwyn hwn. Cymerwch olwg ar yr hyn sydd ar gael ac archebwch eich lle heddiw….
Mae ein rhaglen Llesiant nesaf yn cychwyn ym mis Mai, gyda sesiynau ar fore dydd Iau yn Amgueddfa, Oriel Gelf a Llyfrgell Y Gaer yn Aberhonddu.
Wedi’u harwain gan Gynghorydd Rhieni Contact, Sophie Barker, mae’r sesiynau hyn yn hwyl, yn gadarnhaol ac yn hamddenol. Byddant yn eich helpu i fagu hyder, rheoli straen a gwneud newidiadau cadarnhaol. Mae ar gyfer unrhyw riant ofalwr sydd â phlentyn ag anabledd neu anghenion ychwanegol – wedi cael diagnosis ai peidio.
Archebwch eich lle yma neu am fwy o wybodaeth cysylltwch â Sophie Barker ar [email protected].
Gweithdy untro yw hwn sy’n cael ei arwain gan Contact a’i gefnogi gan Ofalwyr Credu. Mater i rieni a gofalwyr yw cael amser i ffwrdd o’u rôl ofalu i ganolbwyntio arnynt eu hunain a blaenoriaethu eu hanghenion. Darperir diodydd cynnes, bwffe, a phecyn maldod i bawb sy’n mynychu.
Dewch i Sgwrsio! Sesiynau Galw Heibio ar-lein i Rieni sy’n Ofalwyr
Mae ein sesiynau galw heibio ar-lein i rieni bellach yn digwydd ar y dydd Iau cyntaf a’r trydydd dydd Iau o bob mis.
Yn cael eu rhedeg gan wirfoddolwyr Contact, maen nhw’n cynnig gofod hamddenol a chefnogol lle gallwch chi sgwrsio ag eraill sy’n deall eich sefyllfa. Mae thema i bob sesiwn galw heibio, ond rydym yn ymdrin â phynciau eraill hefyd. Felly cydiwch mewn paned ac ymunwch â ni o gysur eich soffa am ychydig funudau neu’r awr gyfan.
Dyddiadau a phynciau mis Mai:
1/5/2025- Dod o hyd i’ch llwyth, ffitio i mewn, gwneud penderfyniadau 15/5/2025- Ymddygiad, gorlethu, toddi, cau i lawr
I gael rhagor o wybodaeth am unrhyw un o’r sesiynau hyn, cysylltwch â ni ar [email protected]
Ariennir ein gweithdai a’n sesiynau galw heibio gan Gronfa Gymunedol y Loteri Genedlaethol fel rhan o raglen Meithrin Cadernid Cyswllt Cymru. Darperir gweithdai yn Saesneg.
We’re looking for as many parents, carers, practitioners and supporters as possible to fill in our short survey to tell us what you think about Contact and how we come across.
We want to improve the way we communicate the work we do here at Contact, so people better understand what we offer families and people who work with disabled children and their families.
What you tell us will play a vital role in this and help us shape the way we communicate with parents, carers, supporters, professionals and other audiences.
Get the latest SEND updates, benefits advice, practical help caring for your child, plus free workshops and family events in our weekly email newsletter.
(Make sure you select ‘News updates’)
