PODS - Parents Opening Doors
PODS is a parent-led charity supporting families with children who have disabilities or additional needs (0-25 years). With staff and volunteers who have lived experience, they provide a wide range of services, including peer befriending, family support groups, children’s activities, and inclusive events.
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Phone: 01952 458047
Email: support@podstelford.org
Socials: Facebook
Registered Charity No: 1150871
About PODS
PODS is a grassroots parent carer peer led charity with staff and volunteers who have ‘real life’ experience to support families who have a child with a disability or additional need (aged 0 – 25 years). Our charity provides vital support to families with children/young people who have an additional need or disability. We do this in a variety of ways, through our forum and parent voice, befriending scheme, family groups and support sessions, children’s clubs and sessions, inclusive events and activities, key worker support, sleep support sessions, sign posting and weekly information e-bulletins, coffee mornings with schools, workshops, and a training offer to other organisations around disability awareness and inclusion.
Parent/carer participation is at the heart of the charity via means of our steering group, annual surveys, workshops, and social media, to mention a few, this enables parent/carers to feed into us as a charity to ensure we are meeting their needs and requirements. Secondly it allows them to highlight problems frequently experienced by families accessing statutory services, this knowledge is vital for professionals in assisting them to improve how services are delivered, so they better meet families’ needs. The steering group is made up of a diverse range of volunteer parent representatives (Reps) from a variety of backgrounds, covering knowledge and experience on a wide range of additional needs and disabilities. The Reps all have lived experience and undergo an in-house specialised training program to develop their confidence and ability to both share experiences and challenge services in a professional and appropriate manner during strategic meetings.
Alongside this we host a befriending scheme, providing 1-1 peer-led support, this is particularly important to families who have a newly diagnosed child and/or in times of crisis and transition. The service is delivered by trained volunteers, who have both the empathy, lived experience and knowledge to support the family as a whole. Supporting, uniting, and complementing the areas above are our inclusive events and activities, such as family support groups, activity sessions for the children, Lego Therapy, coding club, PFA (Preparing For Adulthood) Navigator and Perinatal & Infant Disability support worker.
For more information please contact us
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