Melissa was awarded custody of her grandson, where her son lost custody of him. She knew it would be a struggle due to her grandson’s complex issues as he struggled with his mental health and his Autism and ADHD diagnosis. He was harming himself at school and when he felt overwhelmed he would display challenging behaviour. She struggled to know where she could take him socially and where he would feel comfortable to take part in new activities. She wanted him to have the opportunities given to other children to meet others and have a social life, as he struggled to make new friends at school. Children were a bit scared of him as his behaviour could be erratic.

Melissa started to come to our family support groups held on a Tuesday term time and found herself chatting to other parents and family carers who understood the challenges she was facing. She found it a huge relief, “I really liked that they understood my situation and they suggested things to me about my grandsons situation at school  that I found really helpful. I liked that there was no pressure  and i found myself taking part in some of the other programmes that Grace House offer like its You Are Not Alone Programme where i have tried yoga, gong baths and Mindfulness”.

Family carers like Melissa can often feel isolated and wondering where to access help once they are either undergoing a disability diagnosis or when they have their child’s diagnosis and our Family and Nurturing Support Officer can really help signpost them to both internal services at Grace House and external services to help each individual.