Providing support for Jane and her children

Through funding from United Way Sydney donors, Learning Links has been able to provide a counsellor to support families in need in the Bankstown community.

Jane has mental health issues, and has two boys, both with learning difficulties. The 5 year old has language delays and the 3 year old has autism. In addition to this, child protection issues and relationship issues in the family make it very difficult for Jane to cope.

This funding has enabled Jane to receive support via playgroups and home visits designed to develop her parenting skills, promote her children’s development and her relationship with them. The older child has remained in preschool this year and the younger child has also now started preschool with financial support from DoCs which was initiated by the learning Links counsellor.

The counsellor also facilitated sessions with the parents within the playgroup, providing a safe environment for parents to discuss their concerns with a trained counsellor and receive support from other parents in a similar situation. This is extremely important as parents of children with disabilities are often isolated and lack time, due to the extra demands of parenting a child with a disability, and do not easily form networks in their community.