Families First
Vision impairment support for the whole family
Supporting blind and partially sighted children and young people and their families
Our Families First team are here to support you and your family. Having the right advice and guidance from the start will be vital in ensuring that your child can achieve everything they want from life. But we know that, when you receive a diagnosis that your child has a vision impairment, you, your child and your family might need some extra help along the way.
You may have recently had the diagnosis that your child is blind or partially sighted, there may have been a change in your child’s vision, your child or your family may be going through some changes or challenges that are difficult to manage, or perhaps life just feels a bit tough right now.
Please do get in touch, and let one of our Family Practitioners be there to support you.
Who is this service for?
We’re there for the whole family:
- Any child or young person in England and Wales who has a vision impairment, from 0-25 years old.
- Anyone in your family who has been affected by your child’s vision impairment – brothers or sisters, you as a parent or carer, or anyone in the extended family.
How does the Families First service work?
Your Family Practitioners will spend time with you to get to know your family to understand how best they can support you and ensure our service suits you and your family’s needs.
They might hold 1:1 sessions with your child at home, school or college, or meet with you at home or online to give you some space to confidentially talk about how vision impairment feels to you. If it’s right for your family, we can meet with your other children too, to see how we can help.
Your Family Practitioner will then help you understand how you can better manage your feelings, so that you can feel more confident about the future, empowered in your role as a parent or carer, and be stronger and more resilient for the future.
We can also, with your permission, work with other professionals who support you and your family to ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals.
How will Families First help me and my family?
Building family strengths
- We offer you the space to explore yours or your child’s feelings, or any issues and concerns that are important to you and your family.
- We provide support throughout your family’s journey, from the point at which you receive a diagnosis of vision impairment until you no longer need us.
Giving practical support
- We can offer suggestions and possible solutions on practical coping strategies with your child, like setting boundaries.
- We can advise on how to support your child’s learning and development.
- We can provide support at meetings, e.g. school reviews or meetings with Social Services.
- We can provide support with applications and paperwork to ensure that you’re receiving the correct benefits for your family.
- We can introduce you to other organisations, so that your family always receives the right services.
- We can offer habilitation advice and support through our in-house habilitation specialist.
How do I get in touch?
If you’d like to find out more about the RSBC Families First service, or if you have any questions, no matter how small, please fill in the form below or contact us at connections@rsbc.org.uk.
