Raising a child with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) is deeply rewarding, but can also be challenging and isolating. From navigating systems to managing daily life, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and alone.
We started SEND Parent Mentors in 2021, and since then many parents have reached out for support. The project links local families with trained volunteers who have been through similar experiences. Our wonderful mentors offer short-term, tailored, and confidential support by phone or online. This might mean listening and offering reassurance, giving practical guidance about services like CAMHS, or sharing tips for everyday challenges like sleep.
Parents tell us they feel more connected, stronger, and more confident. They feel part of a network that really understands what they are going through. One parent shared, “My mentor was so positive, she has given a desperate mother hope,” while another said, “I can’t tell you what an amazing thing this SEND mentoring is. I’m sure you know what a lonely place it is for a SEND parent.” Our SEND Parent Mentors are very committed and also report personal benefits: “Being a SEND volunteer is amazing, and seeing families thrive with our support and knowing we are helping them to believe in themselves is so rewarding.”
So many families ask for this free service, but funding stopped a few years ago. However, Home-Start Bedfordshire has continued the service so we can keep helping families who need us. That is why we are so thankful for a grant from the Whitbread PLC Chairman’s Fund, managed by the Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation. This funding means we can keep offering SEND Parent Mentors to local families for another year. Thank you to the Whitbread PLC Chairman’s Fund, BLCF, and all the SEND Parent Mentors for giving their time to help others in need.
