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Across the UK, a child is diagnosed with a severe disability every 25 minutes. Although some children need hospital care, 98% of disabled children live at home with a parent or other family member who may not have expected to be in this position but who has quickly had to become an expert.
When parents find out that their child is disabled they feel isolated and alone because usually they don't know anyone else facing the same problems. They want contact with another family who've been through a similar experience and they want information about their child's disability.
Contact a Family is the only UK-wide charity providing advice, information and support to the parents of all disabled children - no matter what their disability or health condition. We also enable parents to get in contact with other families, both on a local and national basis. Each year we reach at least 275,000 families.
Parent carer wins legal battle – and new employment rights for all parent carers!
Mum and carer to her disabled son, Oliver, Sharon Coleman will see an employment tribunal consider her case against former employer Attridge Law after a decision of The European Court of Justice. The ECJ agreed that Sharon was, in law, protected from ‘discrimination by association’ with a disabled person if she was harassed for wanting to look after her disabled child.
This ruling promises to give new rights to parent carers and, possibly, all unpaid carers across Britain.
Coleman, who worked as a legal secretary in south London, has fought her case for three years, after resigning from the partnership in Bermondsey and claiming constructive dismissal.
Commenting on the outcome, Srabani Sen, Chief Executive of Contact a Family, said:
“This is amazing news for working parents who care for a disabled child. Many parents of disabled children who ring our helpline talk about the difficulties they face juggling work and caring. Some talk of worry and fear around approaching their employer for flexible working arrangements. Protection in law from harassment and discrimination like that alleged in this case is a key ingredient in ensuring parents like Sharon are not excluded from the world of work and are able to lead ordinary lives.’
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Win a laptop in the Contact a Family video competition
Contact a Family is calling on parents to create a short video on the theme of ‘Me and my disabled child’, for the chance to win a Dell laptop or a Nikon ‘Coolpix’ digital camera.
The competition has been launched alongside Contact a Family’s new channel on popular video sharing website YouTube where all entries will be made available to view.
To enter the Contact a Family competition you should submit your video clip by August 31st 2008. Your entry should be no longer than three minutes and show what life is like for you as a family or parent caring for a disabled child.
Hobbs the Printers have very kindly donated fabulous prizes for the competition – one Dell laptop for the winner and five Nikon ‘Coolpix’ digital cameras for the runners up.
For information on how to submit your video clips, more details about the competition and competition rules click here or telephone Contact a Family’s New Media Advisor, Louis Yung-Hoi on 020 7068 8727.
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Carers strategy - no end to financial hardship for parent carers
Contact a Family welcomes much of the new Carers Strategy for England, but expresses disappointment that there were no immediate plans to increase the financial help available to parent carers. Parents of older teenagers will undoubtedly welcome the additional funding for short breaks for disabled adults and all carers will benefit from initiatives such as improved information, but Contact a Family had hoped for additional funds to support an immediate increase in the Carers Allowance.
To read the full strategy, click here.
Jill Harrison, External Affairs Director at Contact a Family, said: “Whilst there is much to welcomed in the carers' strategy, the number one concern for parents caring for a disabled child is the constant battle to avoid the poverty trap.
“There is a critical need to address benefits for these often impoverished families, and in particular substantially increase Carers Allowance, which is just £50 a week. While we welcome some measures identified in the Carers Strategy to improve short break services and improve information to carers, financial issues have been put on the back-burner.
“This is a missed opportunity to lift disabled children out of poverty.”
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Contact a Family on MySpace, Facebook, Bebo and Second Life
Contact a Family has increased its online support in an exciting new project – creating groups and networks for families with disabled children on MySpace, Facebook, and Bebo. We’ve also set up a virtual office on Second Life (a popular online ‘virtual world’).
Mark Robertson, Contact a Family’s Head of Information and Publications, said: “More and more people are using social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo to talk, share and connect with others. And for many parents with disabled children the internet is the first place they go for information when they learn that their child is disabled. Most also search for contact with other parents caring for a disabled child like their own.”
Recognising this, Contact a Family has now launched an innovative online support network for families with disabled children on all these popular social networking sites.
We are also one of the first UK charities to open an advice centre in virtual world Second Life where a trained parent adviser is available to answer your queries every Wednesday from 10am-4pm.
So why not look us up when you’re visiting Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and Second Life.
Read the press release
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"I have received more information about my child's condition from Contact a Family in the past week than I have from anyone else in the last 15 years."
Parent
We offer a range of services to support families including a freephone helpline and a number of offices, staff and volunteers around the UK. We also provide information to professionals and developmental advice to support groups. Most of our information materials can be found on this website, others will need to be ordered. We also work to influence services and have campaigns that aim to improve the quality of life for families with disabled children.
Contact a Family, 209-211 City Road, London EC1V 1JN
Tel: 020 7608 8700 Fax: 020 7608 8701
Helpline 0808 808 3555 or Textphone 0808 808 3556 Freephone for parents and families (Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm & Mon, 5.30-7.30pm)
e-mail: info@cafamily.org.uk
Registered Charity Number 284912
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