Children Matter

There are still spaces available on the Urban Saints 'All Inclusive?' - Supporting Families - online training session next Wednesday evening 17th July.

You can see more and book places via the link below, or just contact me directly for details. It would be great to see you there! 😃

'All Inclusive?' - Supporting Families Supporting Families - understanding and supporting, practically and pastorally, families of children and young people with additional needs

We had the privilege of taking part in the recent Father’s Day episode of BBC Songs of Praise. I hope that our segment highlighted the challenges, but also the joys, of our story, and echoed the stories of families like ours across the country.

How Our Time On Songs Of Praise Gave Learnings For Us All I hope that our segment highlighted the challenges, but also the joys, of our story, and echoed the stories of families like ours across the country.

As summer seems to have finally arrived, here's a reminder of my blog containing some top tips and resources to help children and young people with additional needs cope with the heat..

How To Help Children With Additional Needs Cope In The Heat  “Phew! Wot A Scorcher!” screams the newspaper headlines as the temperature rises to new record levels once again, but for families with children with additional needs, the screams are all too…

If we can’t do the best we can for the weakest in our society, then that is a damning inditement on us all. The incoming Government must address the SEND crisis immediately, and we must all hold them to account to make sure that they do... please read, and act.

Why The Next Government Must Prioritise The SEND Crisis If we can’t do the best we can for the weakest in our society, then that is a damning inditement on us all. The incoming Government must address the SEND crisis immediately, and we must all hold th…

As we prepare for the June online gathering of 'The Dads' Fire Circle' next week (Thursday 27th June, 8pm), here is a blog post about it and how it has helped Dad's and Dad figures with children (of any age) with additional needs...

You can also see more info on next weeks gathering on the 'Events' tab of the same website.

The Dads’ Fire Circle – Supporting Dad’s Of Children With Additional Needs The Dad’s that come along are from all over the UK and even further afield in some cases, but each one finds a place where they are understood, seen, listened to, and are no longer alone& #823…

"In desperation, they reached out to their church and asked if there was anything that the church could do to help… and their church stepped up magnificently. Here are just some of the things the church did..." My latest blog explores whether churches can help reverse the catastrophic figures for families of children with additional needs splitting up.

Can Churches Help Families With Children With Additional Needs Stay Together? …In desperation, they reached out to their church and asked if there was anything that the church could do to help… and their church stepped up magnificently. Here are just some of the things…

As a parent of a child with additional needs, and especially as a dad, I so often need to be reminded of the importance of counting our blessings each and every day. Each day is rich with blessings, but we can often miss them, or dismiss them, without realising how important they are... Here's my blog about them:

Counting Each And Every Blessing Try thinking about three things to give thanks for today. Write them down. Do it again tomorrow. You will soon get into the habit of identifying those blessings. And on the tough days, when everyth…

The range of Urban Saints 'All Inclusive?' additional needs training programmes are available during summer term. If you book your places soon and use the promo code 'EARLYBIRD' you will also get 20% off, meaning you pay just £8 per programme!

Every participant gets a full-colour A4 workbook (sometimes two!), a link to a video playlist, and a place on the online training session, for each programme booked!

Spaces are limited and demand is usually high, especially for new programmes like 'How to Include Children and Young People with ADHD in church'.

It will be great to see you on one (or more!) of these recommended programmes! 😃

“I highly recommend these courses taught by Mark Arnold from Urban Saints! The fact he speaks from experience and is passionate about children and young people with Additional Needs makes the course so enjoyable and informative!” Lizzy Price, EDGE - Every Day God Encounters

Mark Arnold - The Additional Needs Blogfather Mark Arnold is the Additional Needs Ministry Director at leading national Christian children’s and youth organisation Urban Saints and is Co-Founder of the Additional Needs Alliance, a vibrant and fast-growing online community. He is an enthusiastic national and international advocate and ally for...

All set for today’s Urban Saints ‘All Inclusive?’ training session at Christ Church Purley today! 😀

Looking forward to working with the children’s, youth, families, and other team members after this morning’s service.

Zacchaeus wasn’t physically taller as a consequence of his encounter with Jesus, but he was a better man in the ways that mattered most. Here's my blog about him...

Was Zacchaeus Disabled? And What Can We Learn From Him? Jesus didn’t treat Zacchaeus differently because of his short stature, he didn’t talk to him like a child, or pity him, or ridicule him. He noticed Zacchaeus, he looked into Zacchaeus’ heart and so…

If you can't make it to church on this Easter Sunday, maybe my accessible Easter Sunday resource will be helpful...

Journeying With Jesus To Easter: Episode 3 – Easter Sunday! This time we will be looking at the story of Easter Sunday, which is the day that Jesus rose from the dead and left the tomb. He did it to give all of us that believe in him new life, just like he …

If you are looking for some ideas for use tomorrow on Easter Sunday to help explain the Easter story, you might find my Sensory Easter Story resource helpful...

Sensory Easter Story As one of the most important times in the Christian calendar, Easter is a key teaching time for parents, as well as children’s and youth workers. A time to remember, be thankful, and to celeb…

Here's the accessible Good Friday resource I put together last year... hope you find it helpful today.

Journeying With Jesus To Easter: Episode 2 – Good Friday! This time we’ve arrived at Easter and will be looking at the story of Good Friday, which is the day that Jesus died on the cross. He did it so that all the bad things that we have done would die wi…

Hi Everyone, it's survey time! 😃

A friend of Urban Saints is trying to gather data on how best to facilitate partnership and collaboration amongst those who work with children and young people (i.e. under the age of 18).

They've made a short (~5-minute) survey asking for feedback from Christian parents, teachers/governors, parachurch staff and volunteers, and those passionate about reaching the unchurched young. Would you be able to take five minutes to fill it in and also forward it on to anyone else who you know in the field?

I know they would really appreciate the help getting this vital research off the ground... Thank you! 👍

Impacting the Next Generation Together – Partnerships Survey | Cognito Forms

If we don't appropriately support children and young people with a sensory hyper-sensitivity, we not only leave them struggling this time, but create stress and anxiety about a repeat of their sensory overload next time; a double whammy!

With the right measures in place, children and young people with a sensory hyper-sensitivity can take part in activities that otherwise could be off-limits for them.

Sensory Overload And How We Can Help If we don’t appropriately support children and young people with a sensory hyper-sensitivity, we not only leave them struggling this time, but create stress and anxiety about a repeat of thei…

It's great to be back where it all began with my 'partner in crime' Kay Morgan-Gurr. Pondering Platypus Training & Consultancy. at the Hand in Hand Conference for children's and families workers this weekend

11 years ago the Additional Needs Alliance was founded by us at Hand in Hand as a way for anyone who cares for and journey's with children and young people with to find community, support, resourcing, encouragement and more.

Neither of us could have imagined the impact this work has had, but God knew. He led, we followed, praise be to him. 🙏

Had a delivery of workbooks for the new Urban Saints 'All Inclusive?' training course - 'How to Include Children and Young People with ADHD in Church.

They look great! A special shout out to Dan Shepherd for the amazing design work! 😃

The first 'open' online course runs on the evening of 6th March, you can see details and book places here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/all-inclusive-how-to-include-children-and-young-people-with-adhd-in-church-tickets-794063143237

Malchus was the last person that we have record of that Jesus physically healed during his ministry on earth, and in this act of healing he taught us much that is relevant to us today...

Jesus Heals Malchus, The High Priest’s Servant, During His Arrest Malchus was the last person that we have record of that Jesus physically healed during his ministry on earth, and in this act of healing he taught us much that is relevant to us today…

There is a new addition to the UUrban Saints'All Inclusive?' series of additional needs training programmes! By popular demand we are launching 'How to Include Children and Young People with ADHD in Church'

The first 'open' online session is planned for the evening of Wednesday 6th March, and you can find out more about it and book places now here:

All Inclusive? How to Include Children and Young People with ADHD in Church Supporting children and young people with ADHD in church; creating accessibility, inclusion, belonging, and spiritual development for all.

I made a Christmas card flip pack for James this morning, using our old Christmas cards... helps the transition 'back to normal' to have a little reminder of Christmas to look at!

For more ideas to use with your taken down Christmas decorations, tree, wrapping paper etc. have a look at my latest blog!
https://theadditionalneedsblogfather.com/2024/01/04/make-a-post-christmas-fidget-box/

Why not make a post-Christmas fidget box! Whatever you’ve got, make your fidget box together and have fun playing with it! It may also help the transition from full-on ‘deck the halls’ to ‘back to normal’ again, by keeping a few nice Christmassy items to hand...

Make A Post Christmas Fidget Box Using Your Christmas Decorations Whatever you’ve got, make your post-Christmas fidget box together and have fun playing with it! It may also help the transition from full-on ‘deck the halls’ back to ‘normal’ again, by keeping a fe…

As we approach a New Year, it's a great time to check that what we do as children's, youth, and families workers is accessible, inclusive, and meets the needs of all children and young people. We want everyone to belong.

Here's 12 things we can all do to make a positive difference as we go into 2024...

12 New Year Resolutions For Inclusive Children’s And Youth Work I don’t know about you, but I’ve tried to keep the festive season going as long as possible, hanging on to the Christmas tree until the last needle had dropped and stretching out the leftover…

During this 'quiet' period between Christmas and New Year, we may have some opportunity for reflection. If that's you too, here's some thoughts from me about how the Good News of Jesus, celebrated this Christmas time, is especially great news for children and young people with additional needs...

Why The Christmas Story Is Good News For Children With Additional Needs Too As we remember the nativity story it might be hard to imagine how this familiar scene can bring good news to children with additional needs and their families. Here’s eight reasons why we should th…

Hope you're doing OK and coping with the Christmas chaos!

A few years ago James and I put together this '12 Days Of Additional Needs Christmas' blog post to share our Christmas story. Hope it's helpful to you over the next few days! 🎄

12 Days Of Additional Needs Christmas Traditionally, the twelve days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and run on until January 6th which is ‘Epiphany’ or ‘Three Kings’ Day, the day that marks the arrival of the three wise men i…

Coming soon... 😀
Urban Saints

(With thanks for design to Dan Shepherd)

How can you use the story and song of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to help the children and young people you journey with to change from bullying, marginalising, and isolating their peers with additional needs to understanding, loving, and accepting them? Read this week's blog post to find out...

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: A Story of Additional Needs Inclusion How can you use the story and song of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to help the children and young people you journey with, as a parent or carer, children’s or youth leader, teacher or teaching as…

What is the ‘big picture’ of additional needs ministry? In this blog post, I'm going to share some stories, some challenging statistics, some helpful tips, and some useful resources, so why not grab a cup of tea or coffee, settle in, and let's go on this journey together...

The ‘Big Picture’ Of Additional Needs Ministry What is the ‘big picture’? In this blog post, I’m going to share some stories, some statistics, some tips, and some resources, so why not grab a cup of tea or coffee, settle in, and let& #8217…

Challenging Behaviour? Or Communication Challenges? Is there more going on here than what we might observe if all we see is the challenging behaviour itself? Perhaps if we dig a little deeper, look back a little further into the timeline that has co…

Why “Hello!” Means The World To A Child With Additional Needs We only get one shot at this, one opportunity to show a child or young person with additional needs how valued, loved and cared for they are. Let’s not blow our big chance, but let’s do all we can …

Could This Be Your Group or Church’s Story Too? There are many more stories like this that I could share of groups and churches that have recognised how important it is to create accessibility, inclusion and belonging for the one-in-five childre…