Being a member of the SEN-FSG for 10 years my family’s needs have changed. We always receive helpful guidance and information. There is nowhere else like this charity's helpers to be there for other families.
I am very grateful for the many services I've been able to access, which has made a real difference keeping my family together.
Roger
Brilliant very informative and keen to help,we were invited to a forum event with over 20 services there that provided the reassurance I needed to help my 30 year old son with challenging behaviour. I made new friends and formed long term relationships stopping me from throwing in the towel.
Charlotte
I have mental health conditions I find it very hard to engage I also have autism limiting my communication skills. There were times I was in deep despair and my family could not cope with my erratic mood swings.
I needed my own space, with the help of the charity they prepared me to live independently and I attend social events every week.
Neville
Having been excluded from school was heart breaking. I couldn't keep up with the lessons as I have learning difficulties and so does my mum. There was no help for me as I was a boy that disrupted the class. With my own teaching support from the charity and there negotiation I am back in education and planning to go to college this year .
David
My girlfriend and three children were being evicted we couldn't afford the rent or food, with help and guidance applications were made for emergency grants and Universal Credit. We are making a new life without the daily stress and worries of be made homeless my children going into care.
Phillip
I am a single mother of five children living in temporary accommodation. Because I have to move so often my children don't have any stability, that was until the SEN-FSG helped the children attend teaching and social activities at least twice a week. I can attend parenting classes to help me cope with everyday stresses. I have enrolled in one of the charities workshops to help me with my reading and writing. During the school holidays and weekends my two daughters with special needs with their brothers attend joint fun activities, they've been introduced to different hobbies, everything is provided including meals.
Denise
My son was on the waiting list for the child and adolescent mental health services for over two years he was seriously self-harming and constantly telling us he was going to commit suicide. He'd been excluded from school because of his violent behaviour. The charity offered him a lifeline - one to one counselling and therapy that reduced his suicidal thoughts and stopped most of the self-harming. He attends education lessons which he really enjoys. His favourite subject is trains. most of these lessons encompassed this subject keeping him engaged and enthusiastic to learn. The charity has arranged a supported apprenticeship that he can't wait to start.
Lindsay
Manchester Autistic Society
Baroness Beverley Hughes
Kate Green Greater Manchester's Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime
I know only too well the difficulties faced by families with a child with Special Education Needs and all too often the battles they have to go through to gain the support they need.
The team at SEN Families Support Group work tirelessly to provide a much-needed service for families.
As a longstanding campaigner for children and families, I know that parents raising children with special needs face additional challenges and disadvantages in accessing specialist services, respite care and support.