Family Support Service
At Coping with CHAOS, many of the office staff, play workers, and volunteers are either the parents of, or siblings of, children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND).
As such, we are well aware of the joys and challenges this can present, and we aim to offer support to parents through the difficult times, as well as celebrating the achievements of our children.
We have a range of services to support parents and can signpost to various organisations offering support to families with disabled children.
Regular events
We host regular events for the families we support including coffee mornings, wellbeing groups, and parent training sessions. These take place regularly throughout the year and are hosted at our centre in West Moors.
Booking is essential, some sessions are free to attend, and some external activities do have a small charge.
Family Supporters
CHAOS Family Supporters are parent volunteers who will, subject to availability, offer parents registering with CHAOS a home visit, to welcome them to the service, and to offer information and signposting to other organisations which may be able to offer support. If a home visit is not convenient, then they can meet with a parent at the CHAOS offices, or contact them via email or phone.
Coffee morning & drop in sessions
Held fortnightly at The Treehouse (Hurn) between 10am and 12pm during term time for parents and carers. Enjoy some refreshments, have a chat and find out information.
Themed sessions take place to help parents with specific issues they wish to be addressed. Sessions are open to all and you do not have to be registered with us to attend.
Dont’t just take it from us, here’s what the parents have to say…
“The family support service provided by with the confidence to open up. I’d just been putting on a brave face until I got the support I needed from CHAOS.”
“The service gives a listening ear to parents, shows real empathy and understanding of not only the child’s needs but also the needs of the parents.”
“The service has a wealth of knowledge and experience which is demonstrated when supporting parents. The team has made a significant difference, providing an impartial listening ear.”
“Before this I was feeling isolated and depressed. The service gave me a chance to speak to another parent who knew what I was going through. I have grown more confident and want to explore the world more with my son.”