Children with disabilities and complex additional needs can face barriers to the activities many families take for granted. For some, specialist medical or behavioural needs mean that even suitable clubs cannot safely accommodate them without additional staff skills and support. Malvern Special Families provides out-of-school clubs, holiday activities and youth groups designed to reduce that isolation, support development and give families much-needed respite.
Recognising that the needs of the children they support were becoming increasingly complex, Malvern Special Families worked with Public Health to shape a Community Wellbeing Grant to help widen access. The aim was to enable children who might otherwise be excluded because of their individual needs to take part safely and confidently.
The wellbeing grant enabled the charity to invest in specialist staff training, including support around Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), PEG feeding and oxygen therapy. Importantly, it enabled the purchase of portable sensory equipment requested by families, including sensory and adapted play resources that could be borrowed and used at home. This combination has helped create more opportunities for children with complex needs to participate in experiences such as swimming, cooking, crafts, sensory activities and trips.
The impact goes beyond simply providing activities. Taking part gives children opportunities to socialise with their peers, develop communication and life skills, build confidence and independence, stay physically active and support their emotional wellbeing. Sensory resources provide another route to calming and stimulating activity at home, supporting emotional regulation, development and mental wellbeing. For parents and carers, having somewhere they know their child is safe, included and well supported can also provide vital respite and help protect their own wellbeing.
The families themselves describe just how important that support can be:
“MSF is a vital lifeline for parents. It’s lovely for my child to socialise with other children, something we cannot do in the ‘outside world’.”
Another parent explained:
“I don’t get a break, so it’s really important for my mental health. It’s a place she can feel safe and always comes out happy from.”
And for another family, the benefit extends to siblings too:
“The club allows us to spend one on one time with our son’s sibling which is extremely important, allowing her to have our full attention.”
The grant was also designed to leave a legacy. Specialist training stays with the staff team, increasing the organisation’s ability to welcome children with more complex needs in the future, while the portable sensory equipment can be shared and reused by different families without recurring purchase costs.
This is a great example of how a relatively simple investment can remove barriers to inclusion and create wider benefits for the whole family. If your organisation has an idea that could improve health and wellbeing in Worcestershire, find out more and apply through Worcestershire County Council’s Community Wellbeing Grants programme: Community Wellbeing Grants | Worcestershire County Council