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New Short Breaks and personal budget films
KIDS has been part of a Short Breaks partnership group - working together with the Council for Disabled Children, Action for Children and Contact a Family over the last year.
Short Breaks is one of the key services that KIDS run throughout the country - where experienced staff take children or young people on short outings. The breaks can relieve the strain on the family whilst giving the child or young person an opportunity to get away from the family home, enjoy new experiences and meet new people.
Check out the finished Short Breaks film here and Georgia's, Mike's and Chelsea's Short Break stories. Read more about the process of making the films in our latest blog post here.
A personal budget is an amount of money identified by the local authority to deliver parts of the provision set out in an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan.
You can read more about personal budgets here and watch 'Personal budgets explained' here.
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KIDS in the news
There have been two local newspaper stories about KIDS in the last month - spreading the good word about what our staff and services do in the community!
The first comes from the South-West, where Les Heyhoe and his wife Len have been raising money for the KIDS Family Centre in Fareham - which requires the special development of an all-weather outdoor area.
Read the full article here.
The other comes from Hull, where Kenny Marsden will walk an amazing 63 miles from Hull to Sheffield to watch boxer Luke Campbell's next fight, for "Isaacs voice", a campaign created to raise funds for KIDS.
Kenny noted "This is just my way of saying thank you to the charity. A lot of the services that are supposed to be there for autistic children are just useless to be honest. We seemed to be hitting a brick wall all the time. The KIDS staff have always been there to support us, 11 to 12 hours every day."
Read the full article here.
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Save the date: Mayor of Camden Charity dinner at Shaka Zulu
We're excited to announce that the Mayor of Camden is hosting a dinner in aid of KIDS at Shaka Zulu on Wednesday the 13th of April!
Tickets are £75 per person - to book your tickets please email reservations@shaka-zulu.com or call 0203 376 9911.
The ticket cost includes an amazing South-African inspired 3 course meal, wine and cocktail reception.
There will be an array of incredible entertainment on the night, including trapeze artists, aerial dancers and fire breathers. Singers from the Amy Winehouse Foundation will also perform.
For a sneak peak of what to expect on the evening, check out the following video!
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BBC Radio 4 Appeal
Last week we recorded our BBC Radio 4 Appeal with leading author David Mitchell presenting it. It will be aired on Sunday the 13th of March. David shared with us his experiences of having a child with autism, both positive and more challenging in our blog here.
Remember to save the date of the 13th, and listen in at 7.55am and 09.26pm, or repeated on Thursday 17th March at 03:27pm.
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Best foot forward
As the days are getting lighter, do you want an event to train towards? Why not consider either the Bupa UK 10k on the 2nd of May or the Run Hackney Half Marathon on the 8th of May? We still have places left if you want to help us raise funds for the 8000 disabled children we support.
BUPA 10k:
Want to do a shorter run that has great views of London's famous sights? This run includes views of Nelson's Column, St Paul's Cathedral, The London Eye, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. Why not do it for a good cause and run it for KIDS! It's just £20 to register, with a minimum fundraising target of £150! Find out more information at this link.
Run Hackney:
On May 8th 2016, Hackney will close its roads to cars and open them to thousands of runners for Vitality Run Hackney Half Marathon. We ask all of our runners to raise £200 for our Hackney playground and to pay a £20 registration fee. Find out more about running it on our behalf here.
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Mothers Day e-cards
Prefer not to send out cards? Then why not send an E-card instead! Don't send me a card allows you to send out E-cards, saving you the cost of a greeting card with a small donation supporting us instead.
Mothers Day is coming up on March the 6th! Why not do something a little different this year and send a reflection of Mum’s generosity with an e-card and donation.
Get yours here.
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Are you (or do you know a young person who is) interested in volunteering?
Are you between the ages of 16 and 25 with a special education need or disability? We have launched a new programme called Step into Volunteering!
You will gain:
• An accredited ASDAN qualification
• Supported volunteer opportunities
• Opportunities to improve your employability skills
If you are interested or know of anyone that is, please contact us.
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80 million to boost support for special educational needs
Good news was released at the end of January for independent support. "This is a crucial catalyst for change, helping to support families and young people to navigate the system, and creating overwhelmingly positive experiences for them."
Read the full press release here and more about our Independent Support service here.
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Short Breaks practitioners needed
All work and no play? Not in this job! We are on the hunt for Short Breaks practitioners!
We require experienced staff from all backgrounds, including Child/Care/Youth/Play work to help us develop high quality experiences and opportunities for disabled young people. We can support you to access relevant training if required.
Opportunities exist in Harrow, Ealing and Hounslow in London as well as Fareham, Waterlooville, Totton, Winchester, East Hants and Rushmoor for after school, evenings, weekends and holidays.
For more information, please email Gina for London areas and Jo for all other areas listed.
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Save the date for free SENDIAS event
Save the date of the 8th of March for a Free talk on ADHD and education - hosted by our staff member from SENDIAS (Special Education Needs and Disabilities Information Advice service) and ADHD Richmond Support Group.
SENDIAS is an independent, impartial and confidential service which offers information and support for parents of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Find out more info here, email info@adhdrichmond.org to confirm your attendance and to read more about our Family support services, see the link here.
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Thank you to Selfish Mother!
A big thank you to Selfish Mother, one of our long-term partners who have just added a line called 'Winging it' to their clothing ranges that raise profits for us! Check out their variety of ranges here.
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Lego unveils first ever minifigure in wheelchair
This was fantastic news for the Toy Like Me campaign at the end of January. It's great to see LEGO, the biggest toy brand in the world, starting to promote inclusion. Read more in The Guardian article here , and in an opinion piece by campaign leader Rebecca Atkinson here.
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Local pub treats young carers to trip to Longleat
A big thank you to The Fareham pub who arranged and paid for a trip to Longleat for 36 of our Young carers in the South-East region!
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Support our work
Just £5 a month would pay for a sensory toy for KIDS' Home Learning Service, helping disabled babies reach their development milestones. Donate now.
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Gift in your Will
By leaving a gift to KIDS in your will, you can help transform the lives of disabled children and young people for years to come. Find out more.
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