Thriving Families

We'd love to see parent carers represented here...if you know anyone who is able and willing to get involved please pass on this information. Thank you 🙏

At last...

The UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act came into force yesterday, enshrining 54 children's rights into Scots Law.

What will this mean for young people with additional support needs?

The truth is, we don’t know exactly what will change yet, or how fast.

What we do know, is that incorporating the UNCRC means that the people designing and delivering public services will have to know, understand and work to fulfil children’s rights.

Every year, the Scottish Government will now have to report on the work it is doing to fulfil children’s rights, including how children’s rights have been considered in budget setting.

When gaps are identified, the Government will have to set out how it will address them.

We know that children with additional support needs often don't have their rights fulfilled.

We'll work closely with young people to make sure they can use the new legislation to protect their rights 🧑‍⚖️

We'll also work with partners to monitor the difference the law makes 📈

We’ll also continue to fulfil children’s rights in all of our work, ensuring that children have a voice in our service, support to have their rights protected in school, and the ability to challenge if things go wrong.

Find out more on our website: https://myrightsmysay.scot/

Sometimes we just need to ask a question to find out if there is an answer.

This sounds great fun tomorrow. Go Care and Learning Alliance!

Come and join us in Carpark 3 at the UHI Campus this Tuesday (16th July) between 10am and 1pm. See below for further details ⬇

We are so excited about this new project in Inverness, with Thriving Families working in collaboration with Care and Learning Alliance and Home-Start East Highland, through the Highland Community Planning Partnership's Whole Family Well-being programme. Please help us to find our new team members by sharing this information with anyone who might be interested in this fantastic opportunity to be part of something really special. Full details here: https://goodmoves.org/vacancy/a4sP1000000PWJFIA4/Whole-Family-Support-Workers-%E2%80%93-2-posts

Sometimes we all need a bit of escapism and our imagination can help us. This is a something you can do yourself or as a family.

At Thriving Families we understand the challenges families can face and although we don't have a magic wand we will try and do everything we can to support and help. Sometimes we wish we could do more and it frustrates us too, we want families to know we are navigating the barriers with you.

Some days are really worth celebrating. Happy World Chocolate Day!

This weeks wellbeing tip may seem a bit random but it being school holidays we are thinking about how best for everyone in the family to keep their wellbeing balanced. Foodtimes can for some families bring stress and anxiety, picnics can allow early preperation, buffet style eating, variations for individuals and the option to just eat when you are hungry. So it may not be a countryside walk and a family group on a blanket it may be lots of prepared snacks inside on the table for the day. It can save the what's for dinner questions and give you a break from planning the next mean just picnic all day!

We are delighted that High Life Highland Libraries have purchased an additional number of eBooks for their Pines Neurodivergent Collection.

There are some great new titles available including Paws, a lovely children’s book about friendship and difference A Day with No Words for families with a nonspeaking child, A Different Sort of Normal and A Kind of Spark for autistic girls and Raising a Sensory Smart Child. There are also new titles to support anxiety, ADHD and education.

See the full collection here:

https://highlifehighland.borrowbox.com/product-group/37827/pines-neurodivergent-collection-national-autistic-society-scotland

You can borrow titles at no cost, just sign-up for a free account: eBooks and eAudiobooks - Libraries (highlifehighland.com)

Sometimes we really just need to know someone else cares about us and our family. We care and we understand.

The school holidays are intense, life is intense. Sometimes we can get overwhelmed, talking to a Samaritans volunteer can really help us to release our anxiety. So if you are struggling please reach out.

A wellbeing tip which we can all do no excuses!

At Thriving Families we know you know your child best. Our aim is to help you find additional services, support, information or strategies to help you all thrive.

Application deadline is tomorrow - last chance to apply for this fantastic opportunity!

We are so excited about this new project in Inverness, with Thriving Families working in collaboration with Care and Learning Alliance and Home-Start East Highland, through the Highland Community Planning Partnership's Whole Family Well-being programme. Please help us to find our new team members by sharing this information with anyone who might be interested in this fantastic opportunity to be part of something really special. Full details here: https://goodmoves.org/vacancy/a4sP1000000PWJFIA4/Whole-Family-Support-Workers-%E2%80%93-3-posts

This weeks Wellbeing tip may seem impossible to find but just try. Find some silence and focus on your own breathing. No phone, no tv, no noise. We overthink everything as we juggle our lives and even when we rest we don't always give our mind a break. So try...

Our friends at Inspiring Young Voices are holding lots of sessions for young people over the summer. This incredible group achieve phenomenal things. If you know of any young people who might be keen to get involved please share this info with them. Thanks so much 🥰

⭐️INSPIRE HIGHLAND GROUP MEETS⭐️

🌍Where?
Cafe 1668, Church Street, Inverness

📆When?
➡️Thursday 27 June
➡️Thursday 11 July
➡️Thursday 25 July
➡️Thursday 8 August
➡️Thursday 22 August

🕠Time?
5.30pm - 7.30 pm

Come join us to find out more about Inspire Highland, meet some new people and try out some great arts and crafts activities! 🎨🖌

For more information contact Kirsteen Wood, Youth Participation Worker:
📧[email protected]
📞07867 667880

Just a reminder about this fantastic event taking place this weekend...🥰

We are delighted to be hosting a Transitions event to gather families' and carers' views on the transition to adulthood process for young people with additional support needs. ARC Scotland is collecting views on behalf of The Scottish Government to develop a new strategy aimed at improving this crucial transition period. This will include a series of workshops, talks & Q&A’s.

Event Details:
- Date: 22nd of June 2024
- Time: 10:15 AM Start - 2:30 PM Finish
- Lunch Break: Half-hour break for lunch
- Activities: Several sessions throughout the event for discussions and feedback. Families/ Carers will be able to speak with various services about the opportunities they can provide.

Support for Young People:
To enable parents and carers to participate fully, SNAP staff will be available to support young people in the Haven during the event. Support will be available for a limited number of young people, and prior registration and paperwork are required if they don't currently attend SNAP.

How to Register for a Place:
- Contact: Jenni
- Email: [email protected]

This event is an extremely valuable opportunity to share your experiences and contribute to shaping a better future for young people with additional support needs. Your input will help inform the new strategy aimed at improving the transition to adulthood.

We will always do our best to sign post you to resources you can access in your own time as we understand how precious time is!

This weeks wellbeing tip is to play. Play can allow us to disconnect from the reality of life and enjoy the moment, laugh, imagine and connect with others.

We are so excited about this new project in Inverness, with Thriving Families working in collaboration with Care and Learning Alliance and Home-Start East Highland, through the Highland Community Planning Partnership's Whole Family Well-being programme. Please help us to find our new team members by sharing this information with anyone who might be interested in this fantastic opportunity to be part of something really special. Full details here: https://goodmoves.org/vacancy/a4sP1000000PWJFIA4/Whole-Family-Support-Workers-%E2%80%93-3-posts

Love this post over on Instagram from the fantastic Penny Wincer. Sure this will resonate with lots of you. You can see the original post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C8BopEiIZCC/?igsh=MWoyamY3ZjJlbDl3&img_index=1

"Happy Carers Week! I got to sleep from midnight to 2am. What a great start 🙃🙃🙃

I’ll be posting a little about carers this week starting today with - what’s the point of Carers Week?

Did you know it takes some people up to 5 years supporting another person before they identify as a carer? In the mean time they lose out on all kinds of support, but most especially, they often beat themselves up for not coping with the situation because they have not acknowledged that there is a *situation*.

Acknowledging our caring responsibilities can really lift a weight off our shoulders, even if nothing else changes in that moment.

Why is it so hard for some of to identify as carers?

This is a long complex question which I attempted to unravel in my book Tender - but at the heart of it is our ablest society that looks down on humans needing support from other humans (even though humans are a species that survive through inter connectedness).

Oh and also, because if you’re a woman you’re supposed to do all unpaid work with a big fat smile on your face, no matter how much it’s tearing you apart. So why would we need a separate word for it?!?

Anyway, as you can see from my mug (by the brilliant ), I’m not one to be quiet about this crap.

Give me a shout in the comments if you’re a carer and tell everyone what you’d most like them to understand about being a carer?"

This will be a fantastic event and we'd love to see as many families as possible benefiting from this event. We will be there too so you can pop over and say hello 👋 Please share 🙏

We are delighted to be hosting a Transitions event to gather families' and carers' views on the transition to adulthood process for young people with additional support needs. ARC Scotland is collecting views on behalf of The Scottish Government to develop a new strategy aimed at improving this crucial transition period. This will include a series of workshops, talks & Q&A’s.

Event Details:
- Date: 22nd of June 2024
- Time: 10:15 AM Start - 2:30 PM Finish
- Lunch Break: Half-hour break for lunch
- Activities: Several sessions throughout the event for discussions and feedback. Families/ Carers will be able to speak with various services about the opportunities they can provide.

Support for Young People:
To enable parents and carers to participate fully, SNAP staff will be available to support young people in the Haven during the event. Support will be available for a limited number of young people, and prior registration and paperwork are required if they don't currently attend SNAP.

How to Register for a Place:
- Contact: Jenni
- Email: [email protected]

This event is an extremely valuable opportunity to share your experiences and contribute to shaping a better future for young people with additional support needs. Your input will help inform the new strategy aimed at improving the transition to adulthood.

Mikeysline are there to help and their local drop ins can be a great way to check in and help keep yourself regulated.

This weeks wellbeing tip is to remember that sometimes we just need to rest! No guilt, no judgement just let yourself rest.

Our friends at Connecting Carers have a great line up planned for Carers Week next week. Check it out! We will be at Frankie and Lola's on Wednesday too 🥰

We are delighted to announce our events for 2024!

From family events, cafe meet ups to online informational sessions we will be dotted all around Highland to celebrate Carers Week with you all.

For more information and to book our family/online sessions please see our website here: https://connectingcarers.org.uk/fabulous-carers-week/

Pop us a message if you have any questions!

Parents and carers of children with additional support needs we see you. We understand that raising a child with additional support needs comes with joys and challenges and we are here to let you know we get it!

Our next Pines session is on This Thursday, 6th June and covers a topic many can relate to. We're delighted to welcome back Dave Rex, specialist Dietician, to share some helpful information and advice. There's still time to book your place.