LETTER FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dear Friends and Members of SNFC,

A Happy New Year to you all. What an exciting start we are having!

We are delighted to announce that we have 100 Free Family Memberships now available. One of our Committee Members Mr Sunny Dhown has kindly agreed to pay the Membership fees for the first 100 families who complete and send in their Membership Application forms. The form is attached to this Newsletter and is also available to download from our Website. It can then be emailed, posted or brought along to our next meeting on the 21st January. Please take particularly care when printing your email address.

Mr Dhown has also kindly purchased a large number of sets of Tony Turtle Books which we have available to give to members when they join. These books are particularly good for children with Autism but are also suitable for all children. These can be collected at our meeting.

Our next Parent Support Meeting will take place at Hope Academy on Wednesday 21st January at 6pm. It will be an opportunity to hear about the launch of our new Home/School Liaison Programme and to meet with Alice Wilson-Raymont who will deliver this service.

The Special Needs Foundation has secured funding so that we can provide our families with this valuable support. Do come along and hear how you can get free support for your family once you become a member.

Your Committee’s are hard at work and have some wonderful ideas for supporting you and your families this year. Don’t forget to join so that you are eligible for services and funding once they become available.

SNFC Board of Directors

POSTAL ADDRESS FOR THE SPECIAL NEEDS FOUNDATION OF CAYMAN (SNFC)
Please now address post to:
The Special Needs Foundation Ltd
PO Box 12141
Grand Cayman KY1-1010
Cayman Islands

New Home/School Liaison Programme

Would your child and family benefit from having support from a Home to School Liaison Worker?

My name is Alice Wilson-Raymont; I am a Home to School Liaison Worker but also a qualified Senior Social Worker. I have specialized experience working with children, adolescents and adults with special needs, learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders and behavioral and emotional difficulties.

The Special Needs Foundation has kindly asked me to provide additional support to its members in managing some of the difficulties faced caring for a child with special needs. For some, this may be a daunting experience so I would like to take this opportunity to explain what support I can offer to your child and family. Firstly, my role will be as a Home to School Liaison Worker, although I will bring my social work skills and knowledge to this role, I will not be working in this capacity.

Initially, I will meet with you and your child and complete a comprehensive Strengths and Needs Assessment of your child and family in order to understand;
– Your child’s strengths and their needs
– The needs and strengths of you and your family
– Other resources you and your child have access to and strategies that you have used to resolve previous issues.
– Any other issues or concerns you may have

This assessment can be completed in your home environment or wherever you and your child feel most comfortable and will be at your own pace. I will then analyze the information gathered, discuss with you and your child and determine what you and your child’s goals and aspirations are. Together, with other key agencies involved in your child’s care, we will formulate plans to ensure that the identified needs, goals and aspirations are met and everyone is working together to achieve better outcomes for your child.

Following the assessment process I can then;

� Provide case management. This means the co-ordination of support for your child, liaising with various organizations to promote the best interests of your child and family.
� Offer social groups to children to promote social inclusion, positive lifestyle choices, develop new skills and improve confidence and self-esteem.
� Design individual support sessions for your child addressing key issues and concerns either within the school, home or wider community.
� Complete home and school visits and work in collaboration with a range of professionals to ensure the set goals and outcomes for your child are being achieved.
� Reviews of intervention plans
� Referral and sign posting to other organizations when needed
� Advocacy
� Practical and emotional support to parents/guardians and families, offering direct work addressing issues impacting on the functioning of your child at home or at school.

This list is not exhaustive and I will work with your child and family to support you to overcome any difficulties you may have and signpost to appropriate agencies when necessary. I work flexibly to meet the needs of the families I work with and I am dedicated in supporting individuals to reach their full potential. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me, or the SNFC.

[email protected], Tel. 923-6473

WEBSITE

Our Website can be found at:
www.specialneedsfoundation.ky. Please do check it out.

From the website you will be able to download back copies of this newsletter, download forms and check up to date news on upcoming events. Please put those dates in your diary.

The website will be updated regularly, so please pop back often.

UPCOMING EVENTS

FEBRUARY 25th – Member Happy Hour – details to follow on our website

MARCH 18th – Community Meeting – Dr Alexandra Bodden, Behavioural Health Associates
Cayman (BHAC)

APRIL 2nd – Autism Awareness Day – followed by a Family Picnic on the green at Camana Bay

SNFC annual memberships are now aligned from 1st January each year through 31st December. Membership is now open for 2015. Access to SNFC services such as the Home/School Liaison programme are only available to members and these services will be prioritized based on renewal dates. DON’T MISS OUT – SIGN UP NOW!

You will be able to apply or renew at any Community Meeting/Event or by mailing the membership form included at the end of this newsletter with a cheque to the address on the form. Any questions may be forwarded to mail to: [email protected].

NEW PHONE NUMBER FOR SNFC: (345)-321-2957 (Cell)