Percy Hedley Foundation

Family Support Centre

The Percy Hedley Foundation has added this new facility to our existing range of services to offer support to families of pre-school children with cerebral palsy and communication difficulties.

The Percy Hedley Family Centre is located at our primary school in Forest Hall. It provides a range of facilities, services and activities to help parents and carers to work constructively with their children. Amenities include mother and baby room, kitchen, toy library, and resources, training and meeting/conference rooms.

The concept of the Family Centre resulted from a small pilot scheme set up by the Foundation 18 months ago, when a "School for Parents" was created. This facility has enabled parents to bring their pre-school children into the Foundation for practical help and advice from specialist staff. Within the "School for Parents", parents/carers are encouraged to participate in group programmes which involve children in activities specially designed to increase mobility and develop independence. These include sitting, standing, walking, changing place and position, manipulation and cognitive development.

Anne Coates, Superintendent Physiotherapist explains: "Currently, parents face an isolating and worrying experience when their child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy , and the early years can be very frustrating and lonely . Parents know what their child needs to learn, but are unsure how to achieve this or where to get help.By introducing this family support facility into our existing range of services, we hope to end this frightening experience by working closely with parents and families to identify and meet their specific needs. Many families have already been helped in this way, and personal interviews with parents have enable us to identify a wide range of needs still to be met."

To get in touch with Anne you can email her here.