For parents, carers and those considering adoption, guardianship or fostering.
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Some of the most wonderful people are the ones who don’t fit into boxes."
- Tori Amos.
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One of the greatest challenges for parents is knowing where to start!
FASD is complex. Untangling it is an ongoing process. To know the difference between FASD, personality, other factors (such as trauma, attachment) or even other conditions is no small feat.
By the end of this course, parents have a starting point and a tangible strategy to use, helping turn feelings of overwhelm to feelings of empowerment.
Another main issue, that is rarely spoken about, is how to talk about FASD in a way that is discrete and sensitive while being effective.
How do parents talk to their child, the school, friends and family without giving away private information, sounding overprotective and in a way that others, unfamiliar with FASD, can understand?
By removing the technical language, we'll take an insightful look at what FASD is, what it looks like in reality and consider how to address the core issues and explore ways to communicate it to others so they can access the support their child needs.
We'll also look at the challenges of getting, having and not having a diagnosis and explore how to get financial, educational and emotional support regardless of the stage of diagnosis.
We'll look at the flip side of FASD and explore ideas to grow the children's self-esteem and protect the parent's mental health.
For schools and other settings.
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"FASD is in fact the most common, non-genetic cause of learning disability in the UK''
British Medical Journal
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Ask any teacher - there's never enough time in the day!
Educational settings are busy places where staff are already under time and workload pressure. They have many children to care for and educate, all with equal value and importance but often with vastly different learning styles and abilities.
Throw in to the mix the complexities of FASD and you will likely find a teacher who feels overwhelmed, especially when interventions start to fail.
The sad fact is, children with FASD who are left without effective provision can quickly become a disruptive influence in the classroom. Children often choose to look "naughty" over "stupid" and the nature of FASD means that despite an average IQ, they can appear as easy targets to their peers. It's the perfect recipe for a very challenging, very unhappy, time-consuming student.
These workshops are designed to deliver maximum impact in minimum time.
We look at current outcomes for children with FASD, why they fall through the cracks in education, discuss how to talk to parents and other staff members, explore practical solutions to support socially and emotionally as well as academically and most importantly, make suggestions of where to find their hidden talents to increase their engagement in school life!
Suitable for teachers, support staff, youth workers, SENDcos and designated teachers.
For Social Workers and other professionals.
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“No one should ever be asked to parent a child without all the information that is available to professionals about the child. Foster and adoptive parents need to be archaeologists of a child’s past before they can be architects of the child’s future.”
Brown and Mather, 2017
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It can feel like an impossible situation for the professionals who work to support children...
Social workers duty bound to disclose all the information about a child to future parents/carers but know that the information, thanks to stigma, poor outcomes and a negative narrative, will like damage their chances of finding a family.
Part of their role is to support struggling families but with every child affected by FASD presenting so differently, how can they do that in a way that makes a difference?
In this training we dive into the complex issues surrounding FASD and use it to inform future practice. We address the critical nature of recording, the importance of clear communication between teams and explore ways to support families effectively from within the different roles.
We look at the challenges of getting a diagnosis and discuss how to level the ground between those who have one and those who do not.
We identify misconceptions, address the gaps in knowledge and take a realistic look at the joys and challenges of children with FASD to bring a more balance view to this condition..
This information is also suitable for panel members, students and other professionals and can be adapted for other professionals.
For help creating an FASD pathway within your organisation, please use the contact form below.