Family support charity celebrates Autism Week

Family support charity Home-Start Rochdale, celebrated Autism Week by inviting local families to find out more about the support they offer.

Home-Start Rochdale works with local families in times of distress; stopping their difficulties from spiralling out of control, and often preventing crisis. Tailored made emotional and practical support is given by trained parent volunteers to families in their own homes.

Families receive Home-Start support for a whole range of reasons, including poverty, poor mental health, illness and disability and multiple births. However, it also specialises in supporting families who have had a child diagnosed on the Autistic Spectrum.

 

 

On 2 April, Home-Start Rochdale welcomed over 40 parents and their children to find out about how the charity may be able to support them, from finding out more about home-visiting support and accessing the new group support sessions for parents to the Siblings Support group and telephone support.

Autism Coordinator, Sam Freeman and trained Home-Start volunteers (who are all parents themselves of children on the Autistic Spectrum), were available to offer informal support and information about how to access the help parents might need for their family.

A sensory table was available to share ideas about what parents could access to support their child’s sensory and emotional needs.

 

 

One parent who is supported by Home-Start, said: “I no longer feel alone. When you get a diagnosis, there is nowhere to turn. This group is my life line and without the support from the team, I’m sure my marriage would have broken down.”

She continued: “I feel accepted here. There’re so many other parents going through the same thing. I was embarrassed to think there was something wrong with my child. Now I say they are just different and I don’t need to hide away.”

To find out more about the charity, including how to get support, or how to volunteer, please call 01706 629651 or visit:

• www.homestartrochdale.org.uk