june 2012 newsletter 1727465 - contact a family...national freephone helpline 0808 808 3555 monday...

Contact a Family Ealing and Southall Main office: St Georges Community Centre, 8-12 Lancaster Road, Southall UB1 1NW Telephone no. 020 8571 6381 Email : [email protected]

Website : www.cafamily.org.uk National Freephone Helpline 0808 808 3555 Monday to Friday 9.30am – 5.00pm

Contact a Family incorporating The Lady Hoare Trust Registered Charity no. 248912

INSIDE THIS ISSUE • News from the office • Staff Introduction • Our Southall and Ealing office telephone numbers, addresses and maps • Carers Groups dates at

Southall office • New ADHD, Autism

and support group at Lido Centre, Ealing

• Theatre tickets £5 • Local information and

News • Summer 2012 family

outings • Terms & conditions for

family outings • Booking form for summer outings - deadline for return 9 July.

News from the office... Hello,

Welcome to the summer issue of our newsletter.

This issue contains information about many interesting summer trips and activities. This year we are organising trip to Brighton seaside and aquarium, Kew gardens and palace, Snakes & Ladders, Thames nature safari walk & boat ride, Southend seaside and adventure island, Olympic big day out at Dulwich college and fun filed sports activities to keep you all fit. Don’t miss these awesome trips. Send your booking form along with the payment by Monday 9 July 2012. Allocation confirmations will be sent after the deadline around mid July. Due to limited spaces we will be prioritising all the bookings, priority will be given to new families who have not been to the trips with us in the past and secondly all families who did not manage to go with us in the past and then all the other families will be prioritised after that. As you may know, Contact a Family reconfigured and re-launched its services in the Ealing borough in January this year. We are available to help with any issues that affect the disabled child or young person, parent, family and professional. Many thanks, Asha Manager-Contact a Family Ealing and Southall Contact us at 020 8571 6381 / 020 8280 2267 or Email at [email protected]

Ealing and Southall Newsletter June 2012

Hello, my name is Asha Yadav and I have been working with Contact a Family for over 2 years. I oversee all functions of Contact a Family Ealing and Southall in the Ealing borough. We are always keen to hear from you. For any queries or suggestions you can contact me at 020 8571 6381 or email me at [email protected]. Here’s our team to serve you in the best possible way. Manager (Asha Yadav) Development officer Development officer Coordinator (Southall) (Ealing) Raj Kataria Yasmin Choudhry Jasbinder Rooprah Please note that I’ll be on maternity leave from Sep 2012-Mar 2013. We will keep you posted about any new arrangements. So watch this space!

Looking forward to see you during the summer trips! Asha Hello everyone, most of you already know me and for those who don't my name is Raj Kataria and I am based at the Southall office. I am the Project Co-ordinator and my main job is to organise family outings, events, activities and the parties throughout the year.

Lately I have been real busy organising some fun outings for the summer, please find attached information for these family outings. If you have any queries regarding these or any future family outings/events i.e. booking forms, payments, allocations, special requests then please feel free to contact me. I am normally available Monday to Thursday from 9.30am to 2pm.

Look forward to seeing you all during the Summer. Raj

Ealing and Southall Project - staff introduction

Contact a Family Ealing & Southall : 020 8571 6381

Our office locations:

St Georges Community Centre 8-12 Lancaster Road Southall UB1 1NW Tel: 020 8571 6381 Mon-Fri between 9.30am-3.00pm

Lido Centre, 63 Mattock Lane West Ealing W13 9LA

Tel: 020 8280 2267 Mon-Thurs between 9.30am to 2.00pm

Asha Yadav- Manager

Raj Kataria - Project co-ordinator, Southall

Hello! I am sure most of you know me but for those who don’t, my name is Yasmin and I am the Development Officer for Contact a Family Ealing and Southall. I have been with Contact a Family for over 5 years now and have met many families over these years. I am based in the Southall of-fice. Here are some of the things that I can help you with: 1. Filling in forms including DLA, letter reading, phone calls, benefit checks, referring you

to the right place, one-to-one sessions and anything pertaining to your child’s special needs.

2. Short and quick sessions on Wednesdays (only by appointment). 3. Carers group: We run Carers group for parents every other Thursday, term time only,

which are very popular. You can call me at 020 8571 6381 between Monday-Friday 9:30am-3.00pm or email me at [email protected] Thanks, Yasmin

Hello, my name is Jasbinder Rooprah. I’m the new Development Officer for Contact a Family Ealing and Southall and I will be based at the Lido Centre. I’ve worked in the Health and Social Care sector for the last 20 years, supporting families, developing services and working on projects to improve health and wellbeing. I’m really excited about my new role, I shall be offering you support around issues and concerns you have with regards to your child/children with disability. I will do this through one-to-one advice sessions, support groups (Autism, parent support group and ADHD) and other activities offered by Contact a Family Ealing and Southall. I’ll be working from Monday to Thursday. You can contact me at 020 8280 2267 between 9.30am to 2.00pm from Monday-Thursday or email me at [email protected] I look forward to meeting you all. Thank you, Jasbinder

Ealing and Southall Project- staff introduction


Yasmin Choudhry - Development officer, Southall

Jasbinder Rooprah- Development officer Ealing (Lido Center)

28 June 2012 Bullying Workshop 10:30am Speaker Elizabeth Holmes, 12pm Lunch, £2 charge for group 12 July The Importance of attachment workshop 10:30am Speaker Elizabeth Holmes Lunch 12:30pm Contribution £2.00 for group 4 October Aromatherapy with Pammi (Eid celebration) 10:30am Speaker from Image Action Workshop on Growing up and changes in your body 12pm Lunch £2 for group and £2 for massage 18 October Dental Hygiene workshop with Linda Cardona 10:30am till 12pm Lunch 12pm Contribution £2 for group 1 Nov 10.30am Speaker from Image Action Follow up session on Growing up and changes in your body 12pm Lunch £2 for group 15 Nov Diwali Celebrations & workshop on how to cope with siblings 10:30am Speaker Louise Derbyshire 12pm Lunch £2 for group

10 Jan 2013 3c Counselling with Leslie Shapman 10;30am Come and learn relaxing breathing techniques 12pm Lunch £2 for group

If you are interested in joining our carers group or would like to attend any sessions please call the office on 0208 571-6381 and add your name to our carers Group list. If no one is available in the office please leave a short message on the answering machine and we will get back to you.

Groups will be held at : St Georges Community Centre 8-12 Lancaster Road Southall UB1 1NW Tel: 020 8571 6381

Carers Groups at the Southall office


19June Benefit support and advice (Parent Support Group) 11am Speaker Shahnaz from helpline Lunch 12.30pm £2 contribution for this group 3 July Workshop on sensory issues (Autism Group) 11am Speaker Till 1pm 9 July Challenging Behaviour (Parent Support Group) 11am Speaker Elizabeth Holmes Lunch 12.30pm Contributions £2 for this group 17 July ADHD Group (New– first session) 11am till 1pm come and meet other parents for support Tea/coffee plus fruit and snacks provided 20 Sept Challenging Behaviour w/s (Autism and ADHD Groups ) 11.00am Speaker Elizabeth Holmes Tea/coffee plus fruit and snacks provided 27 Sept Parent Support / Autism / ADHD Groups Dental hygiene workshop with Linda Cardona 11am Come and learn about ways to brush your teeth effectively 12.30pm Lunch £2 for group 9 Oct Parent Support / Autism / ADHD Groups 11am speaker Louise Derbyshire and Pammi therapist for massage 12.30 Lunch included £2 for group and £2 for massage 6 Nov Parent support / ADHD / Autism Groups 11am Speaker Elizabeth Holmes Positive & Safe Relationship within the family 12.30 Lunch £2 for group

11 Dec Parent support / ADHD / Autism Groups Bowling and pizza 11.45am Meeting at Tenpin bowling park royal Please make your own way there, any problems let us know in advance If you are interested in attending any of the above sessions please call Jasbinder Rooprah at 020 8280 2267. If no one is available in the office then please leave a short message on the answering machine and we will get back to you. Groups will be held at :

Lido Centre, 63 Mattock Lane West Ealing W13 9LA Tel: 020 8280 2267

Parent support, ADHD and Autism Groups at the Lido Centre


New research from Contact a Family (www.cafamily.org.uk) reveals the shocking financial hardship families with disabled children are experiencing. Counting the Costs 2012, in line with findings from 2008 and 2010, shows going without essentials and getting into debt to pay for food, heating and clothes is the norm for most families with disabled children, this is before the full impact of planned benefit cuts is felt.

The charity’s Counting the Costs 2012 survey of over 2,300 families with disabled children shows that for those in jobs:

one in seven (14 per cent ) are missing meals one in six (17 per cent) cannot afford to heat their homes.

For those who can’t work because they are caring for a disabled child: almost a quarter (24 per cent) are going without food a third (32 per cent) without heating.

58percent of all families with disabled children fear their financial situation will worsen in the next year - up 15percent since 2010. The majority (73 percent) cited welfare reforms as the main rea-son for their fear.

Contact a Family is calling on the government to exempt families with disabled children from cuts to financial support and to target additional support to families through Universal Credit when they publish the detail of the new single monthly payment.

Counting the Costs 2012 also reveals that stigma associated with claiming benefits for disabled children is rife and taking its toll. The lack of understanding from society about the considerable extra and ongoing costs of raising a disabled child and the contribution of carers is leaving many families feeling judged as living off the state, lazy, work-shy and cheating the system.

Melanie Pither, mum to Owen who has Cerebral Palsy, said: “We have had insults from people who think we are having a free ride on the back of tax payer’s money. What they do not realise is just how much we are saving this government. My care is worth £45,990 a year1 but yet I’m made to feel guilty about claiming a tiny fraction of that back in financial support.”

Figure calculated using the Carers UK ‘Care Calculator’ http://www.carersuk.org/ and based on 7 hours per day each week.

Performances from Monday 23 July – Monday 27 August 2012

Family first nights are doing theatre tickets once again for some top West end shows for £5 per person for this summer. This is a good opportunity for parents that have not been theatre before as the tickets are normally very expensive for these shows.

We have forms in the Southall office and the Lido Centre which have to be collected and need to be posted ASAP. Please contact us ASAP if you are interested in attending. All applications must be received by Friday 13 July 2012 Please note tickets are allocated on a first come first serve basis. Please contact either office for further information.

One in seven working families with disabled children going without food


Take your family to the Theatre - tickets for just a £5

We have organised a series of Summer trips. If you would like to book a place for your family for any of the following trips, please complete the attached form indicating your choice of trips in order of preference and return back to the office with your payment by Monday 9 July. We will inform you by mid July, if you have

been allocated the trips requested.

Please note our Ealing pick up point address is - St Andrews Church, Mount Park Road, Ealing W5 2RS

Thursday 26 July

Jam packed with fun, there's something for the whole family at Snakes and Ladders. Added to the huge three-tiered climbing frame, there's slides, ball ponds, tunnels and rope climbs. Plus discover soft play areas for little ones, dedicated zones for

under 5s and more.

There’s something for the whole family, they mean adults too! All your favourite magazines provided; perfect for relaxing with a tasty coffee!

Please note there is a height restriction of 4ft 8”, approx age for up to

12 year old children to enter the playing areas

Charge for Adults and Carers - £2, All children under 12years old - £2

Southall pick up point - meet outside Southall office at 10am, Coach departs at 10.15am

Ealing pick up point - meet outside St Andrews Church at 10am, Coach departs at 10.15am

Return departure for both coaches, meet up at 1.45pm, Coach departs at 2pm

Tuesday 31 July

There's so much to see on a day out at Kew. We start off with a 40minute Explorer train journey, which takes us

around the Kew gardens. You then have full access to the gardens and also entrance to the Palace. Kew is a world

leader in plant science and conservation.

Visit the Kew Palace which has a rich history spanning nearly 400 years – from its modest beginnings as the home to a rich Flemish merchant, through to the arrival of the royal family and the ‘madness' of King George III. Step inside and explore this intimate and beautiful royal retreat.


Southall pick up point - meet outside Southall office at 9am, Coach departs at 9.15am

Ealing pick up point - meet outside St Andrews Church at 9am, Coach departs at 9.15am

Return departure for both coaches, meet up at 3.15pm, Coach departs at 3.30pm


Summer 2012 family outings

Snakes and Ladders - Syon Park, Brentford

Kew Gardens and Kew Palace

Monday 6 August

A fun packed day for all the family with the joys of the sea-side plus Sealife entrance inclusive.

There are more than 40 fascinating displays, from shrimps to sharks, octopus to eel, housed in a magnificent Victorian

aquarium. It also boasts England’s longest walkthrough underwater observation tunnel. Youngsters can enjoy close encounters with various species in the touch pools, while all the family can sit at the edge of a diving hatch to hear the story of captain Nemo and the Nautilus. Full programme of feeding demonstrations and a captivating collection of seahorses, one of the

ocean’s most fragile and endangered species.

Other places of interest at the seaside: Pier, amusement Centres, restaurants and shops.


Southall pick up point - meet outside Southall office at 8.45am, Coach departs at 9am

Ealing pick up point - meet outside St Andrews Church at 8.45am, Coach departs at 9am


Friday 10 August

We have organised with The Thames Explorer Trust a Richmond boat trip and nature safari for the families.

Boat trip - All aboard the Merrie Thames. Travel from Richmond Landing Stage to Teddington Lock and back. The trip lasts about 40 minutes. Along the way, the staff will keep you informed and entertained with activity sheets to help spot and record wildlife and river features.

Nature Safari - Lasting an hour we explore the riverside through activities and games such as a scavenger hunt, nature palettes and bark rubbings. Go hunting in the long grass of Richmond Hill catching grasshoppers and other creepy crawlies.


Southall pick up point - meet outside Southall office at 9.30am, Coach departs at 9.45am

Ealing pick up point - meet outside St Andrews Church at 9.30am, Coach departs at 9.45am

Return departure for both coaches, meet up at 3pm, Coach departs at 3.15pm



Brighton Seaside and Sealife experience

Thames nature safari walk and boat ride, Richmond

Tuesday 14 August

No Charge for Adults, and Carers. All children under 19years old pay £2 each

Families to arrive by 10.45am for registration, session starts from 11am to 1.30pm

Featherstone Sports Centre, within the grounds of Featherstone High School, 11 Montague Waye, Southall, Middlesex, UB2 5HF

Saturday 18 August

Contact a Family have organised a special Olympic event, at Dulwich College in South-east London. The following

Olympic-themed sports will be available on the day: archery, Uni-hockey, football, swimming and tennis. In addition, there will be other fun activities for families to do, including bouncy castles,

face-painting, indoor soft play, juggling and circus skills.

Every child will receive a complimentary ice-cream. At the end of the day, there will be a short awards ceremony – to reward effort and achievement.

Children of any age and ability can take part – as can parents, siblings and other family members. Families will be able to choose between either 1 or 2 activities for each one-hour time

slot, by ticking their preferences on the booking form.

There will be about an hour for a picnic lunch, or families can opt out of any activities and enjoy a rest in the beautiful grounds of Dulwich College.

Charge for Adults and Carers - £4, All children under 19years old £3






Fun sports morning, Southall

Olympics fun day, Dulwich college

We have organised a fun packed morning with lots of different sports activities at the Featherstone Sports Centre in Southall. There will be fun and games, table tennis, bouncy caslte and soft play area. Children of

any age can take part in the activities.

Families must make their own way to the Featherstone Sports Centre, ample parking available.

Refreshments will be provided.

Tuesday 21 August

A fun packed day for all the family with the joys of the seaside plus entrance to the Adventure island

Other places of interest at the seaside: amusement Centres, restaurants and shopping centre.





Thursday 23 August

No Charge for Adults, Carers. All children under 19years old pay £2 each

Families to arrive by 10.45am for registration, session starts from 11am to 1.30pm

Featherstone Sports Centre, within the grounds of Featherstone High School, 11 Montague Waye, Southall, Middlesex, UB2 5HF



Fun sports morning, Southall

Southend-on-Sea Seaside and theme park

We have organised a fun packed morning with lots of different sports activities at the Featherstone Sports Centre in Southall. There will be fun and games, table tennis, bouncy caslte and soft play area. Children of any age can take part in the

activities.

Families must make their own way to the Featherstone Sports Centre, ample parking

available. Refreshments will be provided.

theme park. The Adventure Island is packed with over 40 rides and activities. Attractions include the Vortex and Scorpion for exhilarating thrills, the Green Scream &

Barnstormer roller coasters for breathtaking speed, the giddy heights of Sky Drop & magnificent Ramba Zamba. Younger children will love the kiddies corner, Choo Choo train, Magic Monsters, the Crooked House and Beelzee Bob's Trail.

Park opens at 11am.

These rules are put in place for the safety of everyone traveling with us and to ensure that all trips run smoothly.

• Contact a Family members must return the completed booking form to the office by date stated on the booking form, to book their places.

• Extended family and friends (non members) will be invited at full cost if there are vacancies and may call the office.

• All payments are to be made by the date stated on forms in full. Anybody who has not paid will lose their place. Refunds will only be available in case of emergencies and upon receipt of doctors note.

• We can only allocate a volunteer to provide a respite break to parents who are traveling or attending on their own with their special needs child.

• We cannot allow any last minutes changes and refunds for cancellations.

• Families cannot travel independently on any Contact a Family coach trip.

• Please note that alcohol beverages are not allowed during our outings and coach journeys.

• Parents/Carers are responsible for their children’s behaviour on the coach and at the venue. • Parents/Carers are responsible for their children’s health and safety at all times and for any

damage caused by their children.

• Under no circumstances will staff tolerate verbal or physical abuse from children, parents and carers or other relatives during family outings or other activities organised by Contact a Family.

• Families are expected to abide by our Equal Opportunities Policy: abusive language and behaviour of any sort will not be accepted and families may find themselves excluded from future outings.

• Coach journey, this can take 1 to 2 hours. On return journey the coach cannot stop for individual drop off points. All children must sit in their own seat and wear a seatbelt. Travel sickness may occur, please ensure your child has the appropriate medication to prevent this.

• The coaches will depart at the exact time stated on the trip information schedule. Any family being delayed must call the staff to inform them that they are running late. The coach will wait maximum 15 minutes from time of arrival for coach.

• On the return journey anyone being delayed should call the staff and let them know. However the coach will wait for a maximum 15 minutes. Anyone who misses the coaches will have to find their own way back. Staff will make everyone aware of public transport routes on time of departure.

• Allocation of seats during our coach trips, front seats are to be kept free for families whose • children have mobility problems and back seats near the tail lift for those whose children are in

wheelchairs using the tail lift.

Please note that in buses, coaches and minibuses with seat belts fitted, the law states that passen-gers aged 3 years and above must use them. Please also note that the new law relating to the use of booster seats which came into effect on 18th September 2006 only applies to cars, vans and goods vehicles - it does not apply to buses, coaches and minibuses. Coach companies therefore do not provide booster seats and if parents provide their own then this may mean that the coach company is no longer liable in respect to the safety of that child.

Terms and Conditions for outings and events


about Contact a Family

One in 20 children are born with a disability in the UK. Contact a Family is the only national charity that exists to support the families of disabled children whatever their condition or disability.

With over 30 years of experience, our vision is that families with disabled children are empowered to live the lives they want and achieve their full potential, for themselves, for the communities they live in, and for society.

It’s why we offer support, information and advice to over 340,000 families each year and campaign for families to receive a better deal.

Contact a Family Ealing and Southall

St Georges Community Centre, 8 – 12 Lancaster Road Southall UB1 1NW Tel: 020 8571 6381 Ealingandsouthall.office @cafamily.org.uk

the helpline freephone: 0808 808 3555

9:30am–5:00pm Monday to Friday for information: on disabilities and medical conditions for advice: on assessments, breaks, benefits and finances for signposting: to support groups, organisations and services for linking: to other families for listening

registered office:

209–211 City Road London EC1V 1JN

helpline: 0808 808 3555 www.cafamily.org.uk

reg. charity number: 284912 charity registered in Scotland, no:

SC039169 company no: 1633333

Acknowledgements Contact a Family Southall and Ealing would like to thank:

. John Lyon’s charity

• Ealing Council

• Big Lottery Fund

• Big Lottery Fund: Family Learning

• Family fund

• Southall lion’s Club

• Buttle UK

• Other statutory and voluntary agencies in Ealing

• Our National Head Office

• Other London projects

• Our Steering Committee members

• Our volunteers

for helping to make our work and events programme such a success

Data protection: Contact a Family is committed to the confidentiality of your personal information. Per-sonal data will be held and used in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and will not be shared with any third parties for commercial use.

The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of Contact a Family.


june 2012 newsletter 1727465 - contact a family...national freephone helpline 0808 808 3555 monday...

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