Information Packs: Contact a Family - for families with disabled children: information on rare syndromes and disorders

All our publications may be purchased via The Contact a Family shop which has a secure credit card facility. Alternatively, all items can be ordered using the Order Form (0.1MB) which is in Adobe Acrobat pdf format. Please print out this form and send it, together with payment to Contact a Family, 209-211 City Road, London EC1V 1JN. Goods can only be dispatched on receipt of payment.

Growing Up, Sex and Relationships

Contact a Family has published a series of booklets looking at how being disabled might impact on issues around sex and relationships for young people. The booklets offer guidance on what support is available to young people as they start to form intimate relationships. There are three booklets:

A booklet for young disabled people (0.3Mb). A version of this booklet recorded in December 2003 is available as an audio file in MP3 format or podcast (5.9Mb).

A booklet to support parents of young disabled people (0.4Mb). A version of this booklet recorded in December 2003 is available as an audio file in MP3 format or podcast (6.8Mb).

A booklet for teachers (0.9Mb)

Parent Participation - improving services for disabled children and their families

Two practical and authoritative guides have been produced by Contact a Family working with the Council for Disabled Children. The guides, one for parents of disabled children and one for professionals at every level, outline the benefits of parent participation, flag up some common pitfalls, and identify the key principles that underpin effective parental involvement.

The parents' guide (0.6Mb) is free and can be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat pdf format. The whole pack including the professionals' guide costs £15. To order, download a flyer (0.1Mb)

Support Pack for Health Professionals

Sharing difficult news with parents about their child is a challenging task requiring skill and sensitivity. This support pack aims to provide health professionals with practical suggestions on how best to communicate information and offer appropriate support to parents at significant times from pregnancy to pre-school. The support pack has ten inserts covering topics including:

Prenatal diagnosis
Options following a prenatal diagnosis
Death in utero
Information sharing in neonatal units
Care and support at home
Referral to a genetics clinic
Support for fathers, siblings and grandparents

At the end of each insert there is a list of "Useful organisations" and "Useful resources." The support pack is primarily intended for ultrasonographers, obstetricians, midwives, neonatal nurses, paediatricians, health visitors and counsellors. This support pack has been funded by the Department of Health and produced by Contact a Family. Download the complete pack (0.3Mb) in Adobe Acrobat pdf format or download a flyer and order form (0.1Mb) to send for a free paper copy.

Group Action Pack

The Contact a Family Group Action Pack consists of a series of guides for parents' groups.

Education and Disability pack

Disabled: Education and disability - a parents' guide to rights from nursery to university. ISBN 1 874715 40 8. The pack is in Adobe Acrobat pdf format.