Choice Wellbeing Service (CWS) has been awarded a £500 grant through our Aspire Grant programme.
CWS was founded in 2023 by Tracey and Dun Huggins, a Sunderland couple who have their own personal experiences of raising a child with additional needs.
Tracey, being both a parent carer and someone who had struggled with her mental health since her daughter’s diagnosis, had realised there was a big gap in the system, where care for the parent and not the child was lacking.
From recognising an additional need, services for the child would be an instant, well ran process. However, these services would not take into consideration the parent, their needs or their physical and mental wellbeing.
Since their launch, just last year, the couple have brought together a team with varying knowledge and successfully began to support parent carers in the city.
CWS have used the awarded funding to print their new special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) directory. Hayley Harrison, the community connector at Choice, worked hard to gather all of the information and work with the organisations involved to ensure the guide was full of the correct information. The directory was created to be used as a guide by parents and carers during and after receiving a SEND diagnosis.
Susie Thompson, Executive Director of Housing at Gentoo said: “Gentoo is delighted to be able to support CWS with the printing of their new SEND directory.
“The directory will provide invaluable support at a crucial time in people’s lives.
“It’s great to see the difference CWS has made to people’s lives in the short 12 months they’ve been operating. We’re looking forward to following their journey and seeing what else they go on to achieve.”
CEO at CWS Tracey Huggins said: “The Rainbow guide has been a long time in the making. It is something I wish I had, back when we embarked on our road into the SEND world. It was tough. It was tough and isolating, no one can prepare you for what you may go through, but if we can give families some idea where to start, which is more than we got, then we’ve done our job.”
The colourful directory contains a range of invaluable information about organisations that can provide support, grants, and funding across the city.
The directory will be distributed to Sunderland Royal Hospital, Family Hubs and other organisations across the city making it accessible to all families who maybe in need of some support, signposting, or inspiration.
CWS run a variety of sessions, targeted at supporting the mental health of families who have undergone the diagnostic process. The sessions range from fitness classes, craft sessions, information support groups, Citizen Advice sessions, and counselling. For more information about the support and services offered by Choice Wellbeing Service visit: www.choicewellbeingservice.org.
Launched in 2003, our Aspire Grant programme offers grants of up to £500 and has benefited hundreds of local groups and organisations over the years. This includes art, music and drama clubs, toddler play groups, local football clubs, older people’s clubs and resident and community associations.
You can find further information and the application form on our website here: www.gentoogroup.com/aspire
