Summary
Working across Edinburgh we delivered weekly 1:1 support for children with disabilities. Starting from the family home we carefully matched each child with a worker who engaged them in fun activities for 3 to 4 hours for up to 9 months. We encouraged parents and carers to think about when support delivered would benefit for the family as a whole , encouraging parent/carers/siblings to use their respite to do activities that they enjoyed and that recharged their batteries.
What Flexible Family Respite did
Children and young people up to the age of 16 who had a diagnosed disability received tailored 1:1 support over a period of between 6 and 9 months – spending 1:1 time with their worker, usually at weekends, for 3 – 4 hours.
Sessions usually started and ended at the family home with activities taking place locally and further afield depending on the interests of the child / young person.
Activities were varied and included spending time at the Museum of Scotland where they have enjoyed the interactive activities and participated in activities in the main hall; The Museum of Childhood, Art Galleries, Modern Art Gallery learning centre where they were encouraged to be creative etc. Some children and young people enjoyed going to the beach, the Botanics, climbing Calton Hill, travelling by tram to the Airport, visiting Lauriston Castle, going to festival shows, watching street performers etc The focus was low cost activities which were financially sustainable for the family.
Younger children have enjoyed going to local parks, having picnics, playing on the swings, going to soft play, Bookbug sessions, visiting the library etc.
The majority of children (68%) were in the age range 5 to 10 years, in mainstream education, and really struggling. Most were very anxious, isolated, found it difficult to recognise and express their emotions and thoughts, had few or no friends and did not feel they fitted in with their peers. This in turn had impacted negatively on their confidence and self-esteem as well as their social and communication skills.
Through spending 1:1 time with their worker and the trusting relationship that they developed, children were encouraged and supported to try new things and go to new places, express their emotions and learn ways of interacting with peers that was more positive.
What Firsthand Lothian has learned
We continue to listen carefully and encourage families - parent / carers, children and young people to tell us not only what they enjoyed how activities and input made a difference but also what we could do differently to improve, other things we could be doing that would help their situation etc
The challenges have been the continued reduction in the availability and range of other supports and services available to families and children with disability. It sometimes feels as if there has been more funding targeted at agencies providing advice than going into actual delivery.
In addition it appears that there is more emphasis on children with disabilities and their families attending groups - which is not always possible or feasible given the geography of the city and the practicalities for lone parents in particular being able to cross town on public transport with 2 or 3 children in tow. Also feedback would indicate that the challenge of getting to somewhere for an hour of input for their child with disability does not really feel like respite in these situations - more like a military operation!
Over the past year having Time 4 Mum, the Parent and Carer Group and delivering the Health and Well being sessions we are aware of reaching more parent / carers - not just those receiving input from Firsthand Lothian for their child with disability. Parent/carers who are accessing other supports for their disabled child are engaging in the projects we have developed in recent years and are benefiting from spending time with other people who understand the challenges they face day to day.
Other learning has been to hear how much parents and carers have looked forward to sessions being delivered on a Monday as " keeps me going all weekend when I am struggling alone with my children - it is something for me and I know it will recharge my batteries and ready to face the week ahead"
Other learning has been that parent / carers benefit from a flexible approach to engaging with supports and activities for themselves ie they do not need to sign up to attend every week or every session. We know that many parent /carers will have medical appointments to attend, meetings with the school etc so it is important that they know it is okay to only attend sessions as and when practical for them.
The number of parent/ carers who report struggles with their mental health has significantly increased over recent years and whilst some of this can be attributed to Covid and the periods of lock down, it appears that as we have come out of Covid many services have not resumed and there are less supports available for children with disabilities and their families. From feedback from parent/ carers school attendance and support for learning in schools has significantly reduced - though it is not clear is this is because of higher demand or fewer resources available.
Positively for families with children with disabilities parent / carers have had more opportunities to meet others and build networks and friendships of their own and some parent/carers have subsequently arranged to catch up with each other and their children over the school holidays and arranged days out together.
Funding continues to be a challenge - particularly multi year funding - and we continue to apply to trusts and foundations who are interested in supporting children and young people with disabilities and their families. What we are finding, however, is that some funders are interested in supporting parent / carers / mental health but not children and other funders are only interested in funding support for children. We ideally would like to identify other funders who recognise the need for support for the family as a whole.
How Firsthand Lothian has benefitted from the funding
We have hugely benefited from the grant as it has enabled us develop our support for parent/carers and families as whole through taking time to listen and respond to direct feedback. We are really pleased to be able offer tailored support for parents and carers as well as children and young people with disabilities.
We have been encouraged by how parent/carers access the various strands of our service delivery in a flexible way – i.e. perhaps through Time 4 Mum in the first instance and then realising they are a parent/carer and seeking 1:1 support for their child with disability; attending the parent /carer group meetings before coming to some of the Health and Well-being sessions etc.
We feel it is positive that some parent/carers who participate may not require 1:1 input for their child / young person due to their age or having other family supports – but benefit from being able to undertake health and well being activities or re discover a hobby or interest through Time 4 Mum that recharges their batteries and enables them to continue in their parent/carer role day to day.
Mum A reports "It's been really good talking and meeting with B since we both have an autistic child. It's also just nice to get out of the house and talk to another adult who understands”.
We are really pleased to hear that coming together to do Health and Well-being activities has had such a the positive impact . Not only has it created more opportunities for parent/carers to come together but parent/carers have told us that by focusing on the activity on the day they can completely switch off from other people and their day to day stresses and worries which is really beneficial for them - and then enjoy the social chat over lunch.
We are also pleased that we have attracted parent / carers from across the city - not just those receiving support for their child from us. In addition we are able to offer opportunities to parent/ carers to meet others even if, due to high demand, we are not able to meet the needs of their child at the time of application.
At a recent feedback session with Parent/carers to look at what we could do better or differently it was positive that some parent/ carers offered up ideas for low cost activities eg collecting shells and pebbles from the beach one week and then decorating them at the next session etc. One parent / carer, with a strong interest and background in creative art, volunteered to deliver a session to parent / carers over the coming months and we are hopeful that this might encourage others to share their skills and knowledge with the group going forward.
Project Outcomes
Outcome
Children and young people with disabilities will have looked forward to spending 1:1 time with their worker every week, engaging new activities and visiting new places which are stimulating , fun and that they enjoy.
They will spend time away from home with their worker/volunteer on a regular weekly basis for 6- 12 months
They will have tried at least one new activity or visited a new place with their worker/volunteer.
Results
This outcome was fully achieved as we carefully matched children and young people with disabilities with a trained and supported volunteer/worker who spent 1:1 time with them every week, usually on Friday afternoons, Saturdays or Sundays.
Weekends suited children and their families as they were not tired or stressed from being at school, there were more activities and places to visit and it enabled parents to spend 1:1 time with siblings or just recharge their own batteries.
Activities with each child and young person were tailored to their interests and likes and included visiting local parks, woodland walks and exploring, trampolining, Gravity, Forbidden planet, Chihuahua Cafe,Princes Street gardens, Portobello Beach, the library, St Giles Cathedral, Craigmillar and Lauriston Castle, Bowling, Soft Play, tennis, football, climbing Calton Hill, West Granton Beach, book stores Dynamic Earth, Harry Potter shop, National Museum of Scotland, Museum of Childhood, Christmas market, watching street performers and going to shows during the Edinburgh Festival, City Arts Centre, Botanic Gardens, etc
As the trusting relationship with their worker developed children and young people were encouraged and supported to try new activities, visit a new places and have new experiences which they enjoyed.
Taking things at the child / young persons place and encouraging them to suggest activities and places and make decisions as to how they wanted to spend their 1:1 time was important and it helped improved their confidence. Also when out and about children and young people developed their social and communication skills - getting on a bus or tram, asking for things in shops and cafes, engaging with other people they met etc
“He’s also getting these new experiences with D, they went to an art gallery a couple of sessions ago and he loved it, which was a surprise to me. Its about the simple things too, like going to WH Smith and looking at all the comics & books, he enjoys that so much.”
"She (S) had great fun and had always wanted to go There was a particular jump she was nervous about doing, but after we did it in small stages she was able to the jump in one go. She was really pleased with herself (Gravity at Fountain Park)."
“G is now very chatty and confident during our sessions. She is not afraid to ask for what she wants”. “She also demonstrated increased participation in social situations as she made a new friend at Clambers and played with her for over half an hour”
"C was resistant to visiting museum at first, but when he arrived there he was excited about exhibitions of cars and planes"
"E is creatively expressive, also often sharing stories and confidently making suggestions of activities she fancies doing. Even when passing the primary school playground, E has overcome shyness, sometimes saying hi and engaging in quick chats with older children"
Case study
Background & Situation
Mum and Dad live at home with their 2 children. A is 8 years old and has ASD. He also has an associated language impairment which means he takes a little extra time to process information so needs to be spoken to clearly and slowly. A loves music and riding on his scooter, going to The Yard and the local community centre with his Mum.
Mum and Dad applied for support so that A can get to know another trusted adult and spend some time apart from them to enable him to grow and learn independently. Mum and Dad hoped that A would become more confident and try new things and be better able to manage transitions. The family also expressed their concern about A not making friends easily and his very limited communication skills.
Mum and Dad were also keen to have some respite to be able to spend 1:1 time with their other child .
What we did
We went out to visit the family initially to get to know them more and understand their needs. Mum and Dad really opened up to the Family Support Co-ordinator, going into a lot of detail about their struggles with A and their efforts to get him the support that he needs.
The family were provided with information regarding other services that may be able to support them including a speech and language therapist. It was also suggested that they should contact the council’s Social Work Disability Team and they were made aware of the Section 23 needs assessment that might lead to more support for A being available in the future.
Worker F was introduced to the family and agreed they would start gradually with sessions with Mum and A at first until they all got to know each other better. To begin with they went to places that A was familiar with – The Museum, The Yard and Soft play. Positively A and the worker went together without Mum on the 3rd session and it was a great success. Sessions then continued 1:1 allowing Mum and Dad to spend much needed quality 1:1 time with their youngest child.
The worker introduced new strategies for A to help him understand & process information and shared these with Mum and Dad who started to use them in between sessions which ensured there was consistency in approach with A.
The worker explored new places to go with A, tapping into his love for sensory and movement, and sessions included going swimming, exploring new parks, going on the big slide at the play park (which he used to resist), riding a bike, travelling on different bus routes etc. A is now much more confident and willing to try new experiences and go to new places.
A is mainly non-verbal with only some key words but positively through the trusting and positive relationship he has developed with the worker they are, together, finding new ways to communicate with each other.
OUTCOMES AND THE DIFFERENCES MADE
• A has tried many new things and gained a lot more confidence.
• A responded well to sensory experiences and was encouraged to use the swing at The Yard. Although it took a few tries and lots of encouragement, eventually A allowed F to strap him in and have a go. He loved it! (Mum said that she hadn’t been able to ever get him to try it before).
• A was able to practice and get much better at managing transitions. The worker was patient and gave lots of warnings before it was time to leave places and he learned to manage these really well.
• A improved his language/communication skills as the worker helped A with his words and communication. encouraging him to be confident enough to speak out and express himself. He began to use new words and was able to say “bye bye” to the worker at the end of every session, GO when playing anticipation games with the worker eg. Ready, Steady GO etc
• A interacted with other children and, through his improved his social skills, he made a friend and interacted/played well with him.
Feedback from parents
“The pre-service meetings and conversations with our family was exceptional, providing us with valuable insights and instilling confidence in the quality of care our son would receive from Firsthand Lothian team. The support delivered to him and our family has been truly remarkable. Our gratitude goes to Evie, F and the entire team at Firsthand Lothian for their services. We are extremely grateful!!!”
“Thank you so much, we all had fun at today’s session…”
“F is doing an amazing job. She easily connected with our son and the entire family. A is always looking forward to every Saturday and its obvious he enjoys every moment spent with F.”
Mum fed back that was surprised and happy when her child was able to leave The Yard without difficulty as she had always found transitions very challenging.
Firsthand Lothian – April 2024
Outcome
Parent / Carers will have engaged in activities that they enjoyed and that recharged their batteries on a regular weekly basis whilst confident that their child is being cared for and having fun with their worker
Parent /Carers could look forward to regular weekly time to do something for themselves knowing that their child / young person looked forward to spending 1:1 time with their worker and they were doing activities and going to places they enjoyed.
Results
This outcome was fully achieved as we took time at the beginning to encourage parent/carers to think about what they wanted and needed for themselves. Encouraging them to think about activities they used to enjoy that they might want to take up again or think about what they would like to look forward to doing every week when they did not have caring responsibilities.
Some Parent/carers wanted to spend time together as a couple - switching off from their parenting role and using the time to enjoy each others company without being on standby for their child. Other parent/carers were keen to spend focused time with siblings of their disabled child - doing things and going to places with them that they would not normally be able to manage etc
Encouraging parent /carers to think about their own needs and realise the importance of doing something that would recharge their batteries was for some a challenge - and many needed to be convinced that housework could always wait!
In addition to spending time doing something for themselves during their respite time parent/ carers were encourage to come to Parent/Carer online group meetings where they had opportunities to meet with others who understood the challenges they faced day to day and where they could share experiences and knowledge as well as having adult conversation and a bit of a laugh.
In addition we encouraged parents and carers to attend Health and Wellbeing Sessions we delivered where they again met others as well as learning techniques to help manage stress and anxiety, being creative and making things, doing outdoor activities and learning things about nature they could share with their child/ren.
Parent / carers were made aware of and encouraged to access Time 4 Mum, where, with the support of a volunteer initially , they could explore activities of interest in their local community or revisit a hobby or interest they used to enjoy and that would recharge their batteries.
Over the year 27 parent / carers attended Health and Wellbeing Sessions and 2 parent / carers engaged in Time 4 Mum.
Case study
Background situation
Mum is a parent /carer for her two children, one who has complex medical issues awaiting an autism diagnosis and another who has an autism diagnosis. When we first met Mum was socially isolated at home and low in mood. One son was only in school for one hour a day so her caring responsibilities were both exhausting and overwhelming at times. Mum is impacted my poor mental health and she has shared that she thinks she is neurodiverse herself, experiencing sensory overload and burnout at times.
What we did
In addition to providing regular respite the Family Support Co-ordination provided 1:1 telephone support and listened and signposted mum to advocacy services.She also suggested that Mum think about meeting other parent / carers through either the Parent & Carer online group meetings, Time 4 Mum or the Health and Wellbeing Sessions.
Outcomes
Mum joined the online parent carer group, initially without putting her camera on due to her anxieties, which provided some adult conversation and opportunities to hear about the experiences of other parent / carers, This helped her realise that she was not alone and that being a parent/ carer can be very exhausting and challenging.
Mum was supported and enabled to come along to some of the Health and Well-being Sessions where she connected in person with other parent/carers. ( a taxi was provided initially as navigating public transport was an extra stress and barrier for her)
Mum participated and regularly attended health and well-being sessions. She said she really benefited from meeting and chatting with other parent carers and learning new outdoor skills such as bird box making, fire building and craft and relaxation activities.
Mum now participates in the parent carer whatsapp message group where relevant support and activities for children with ASN are shared.
Mum meets up with another parent and their children during the holidays and they have supported each other with trips outings.
Mum has helped to set up a peer support group for parent carers in her local area.
Mum contributed a post for rare disease day by sharing her lived experience on our Facebook page
Mum voices appreciation that she feels supported, has made friendships and makes an effort to attend well being sessions because she knows she feels better afterwards.
Mum has recently offered to be involved in planning and facilitating the delivery of a well-being art sessions with the Lead Worker as part of future health and well-being sessions.
“Setting aside a bit of time for just me away from my caring duties. Meeting other parents/carers. Gaining some friendships. I don’t feel as isolated and I have also gained new skills”
“I very much enjoyed the well-being session (art journal making). It was fun, relaxed and grounding to spend some time to be creative whilst being mindful about myself.”
“Thank for inviting me along for today’s wellness session and for providing transport. It is such a big help and very much appreciate.”
Outcome
Parent/Carers will feel less stressed in their role, be more connected to other parent/carers and report improved health and wellbeing.
Parent carers will be supported and encouraged to engage with other parent/ carers in a broad range of ways including accessing Time 4 Mum, Parent and Carers Group, Health and Wellbeing sessions and other activities and groups delivered in their local community.
Parent carers will be encouraged to explore activities that recharge their batteries and do something for themselves on a weekly basis whilst confident their child is having fun with their worker/volunteer
Results
This outcome was fully achieved as parent/carers and their child with disability all directly benefited from our input. Children and young people enjoyed and looked forward to spending time every week, usually at weekends, with their worker and being able to play and explore places that were local to them and further afield. They were encouraged to try new activities, have new experiences and develop their confidence and decision making by choosing how they wanted to spend their time with their worker. Older children also benefited from having another adult to talk to about their emotions and worries and learn ways of managing and expressing their feelings etc . The 1:1 sessions helped children feel more independent of their family and grow in confidence.
Parent/carers benefited as they could see their child looked forward to and enjoyed their 1:1 time with the worker. Knowing that their child was being cared for and having fun meant they could switch off from their caring responsibilities and do something for themselves and/ or spend quality time with siblings.
"Things are going well with W. R is so comfortable with her. He enjoyed The Yard last week with her. She's so interactive and responsive to him. It's lovely to be able to relax a bit when I am out"
In addition to parent/carers being able to look forward to regular respite they were also made aware of and encouraged to connect with other parent / carers through our on line Parent and Carer group meetings, Time 4 Mum and Health and Well being sessions which we delivered. For many parent /carers, particularly lone parents and those who were more isolated, the opportunity to have adult conversation with other people who understood the challenges they faced day to day was really beneficial. Not only did they realise that they were doing a good job day to day, but they learned from other peoples' experiences and knowledge eg dealing with schools and education, places to go with their child, other services that were available etc
Positively over the year 27 parent / carers attended Health and Well being Sessions and 2 parent / carers engaged in Time 4 Mum.
Case study
Mum lives at home with her 2 daughters aged 6 and 15 years. Her youngest daughter has Autism and is being assessed for ADHD . Whilst her daughter enjoys sports, gymnastics, arts and crafts etc Mum describes her as being quick to anger and Mum finds it very difficult to keep her occupied.
The family were seeking support and respite as Mum was struggling to manage her own mental health ( high levels of anxiety and depression) and having only recently had a diagnosis for her daughter she felt she needed support to help her manage in her parent/carer role. She also felt her daughter would benefit from spending 1:1 time with another adult doing things she enjoys.
A worker was introduced to the family and spent time with F and Mum to get to know how she managed F’s behaviour. After a few weeks it was felt that F had bonded well with the worker. Mum said she looked forward to and was excited to see her worker every week and enjoyed that they played games together. As sessions progressed, they visited local parks, library, museums etc which F really enjoyed.
The family support co-ordinator maintained regular contact with Mum , providing both a listening ear and guidance and information about other supports for herself that she might want to explore. Mum was made aware of Time 4 Mum where she could be matched with a volunteer who would meet with her weekly and support her to try activities in her local community that she might enjoy and would recharge her batteries. She was also made aware of and encouraged to come to Parent & Carer online group meetings and Health and Well-being Sessions which would provide opportunities for her to meet other adults who understood the challenges of being a parent / carer as well as learning techniques to help manage her stress and anxiety day to day.
Mum applied to Time 4 Mum and was matched with a volunteer and they met weekly, initially going for walks and a coffee and explore the local area. Mum was encouraged and supported by the volunteer to come to the Health and Well-being sessions which were really beneficial for her – not only learning techniques such as hand massage, aromatherapy, mindfulness but also having some respite time to focus on her own needs and engage with other adults over lunch at the end of the session.
Mum continues to engage with other parent / carers and now recognises the importance of taking time out for herself on a regular basis and she fed back that having something to look forward to on a Monday morning helps her get through the weekend and sets her up for the week ahead..
Outcome
Families who have one or more children with a diagnosed disability will be matched with a worker who will spend time with the child/young person with disabilities, and if requested the family unit, on a regular weekly basis for 6-12 months.
Parent / carers will be encouraged to spend their “me” time in a way that recharges their batteries and will supported to access places and activities of interest, meet other parent / carers and come along to health and well being sessions.
Results
This outcome was fully achieved and children and young people with disabilities benefited from spending 1:1 time with their worker on a regular weekly basis doing activities and going to places that were stimulating and that they enjoyed. Both their physical and mental health and well-being improved as a result of being outdoors, being more active, trying new things, achieving personal goals and having another adult who they trusted to talk to every week.
Parent/ carers had improved well-being from having regular respite to look forward to every week and having a "listening ear" in the shape of the worker who was spending time with their child and the Family Support Co-ordinator who offered support and guidance as and when required. Parent/carers who were more isolated were able to meet others who could understand their day to day challenges through the parent and carer on line group, Time 4 Mum and attending Health and Well-being sessions. Knowing that they were not alone and having adult conversation and " a bit of a laugh" also helped to improved their well-being.
Parent/carer feedback re young person improved well-being
"The family support has helped us so much . I can hardly find the time to do stuff with my daughter. Firsthand has helped my daughter not to feel isolated by helping with outings, planning and even help her to independent travel which has realty helped her with her mental and emotional well-being and her confidence."
Parent / carer comment re own improved well-being.
"I benefited from the family support with my son. I had a few hours respite on a Tuesday to do volunteering . It helped me so much to regain my identity as a woman rather than entirely a mum. It also helped my autistic son to cope with a different carer situation rather than always being with me. It helped with my self esteem and in turn made me more able and capable with looking after my son.
Parent/ Carers who attended Health and Well-being sessions realised the importance and the benefits of taking time out to do something for themselves and learn techniques to help manage their mental health and well-being as well.
Parent / carers looked forward to doing something for themselves and realised how important it was that they recharged their batteries - and came to realise that it was really important for their family that they looked after themselves as this enabled them to look after their child/ren.
N ( a young carer for disabled siblings and who has her own support needs ) acknowledged she needed free time and this seemed to come as a revelation to her as she said “I just don’t feel like studying today, the timetable has made me realise the importance of having some free time“.
"It is such a relief knowing I get that break during the weekend and S even said it was good for us to have some time apart. It has made a real positive start to the weekend for both of us !"
Case study
Background and Situation
Mum is a lone parent, originally from Nigeria, who lives with her 3 children on the outskirts of the city and has no family or friends to support her day to day. Of her 3 children aged 9, 12 and 14 the younger 2 have a diagnosis of autism and a learning disability and attend specialist education. Her oldest child C struggles with social skills and life skills and has missed out on opportunities due to her mum being so occupied with A and B. The family were referred by a Disability Social Worker who works with the family to support A and B as it was felt that support for C would benefit both Mum and C.
Benefits for the child/young person
It was agreed that sessions would focus on C getting out of the house and developing her social and life skills, with the aim of being increasing independence. C wanted to be able to use public transport with confidence so that she was able to go to school on her own and go out without support. C was encouraged to work out how much money she would need for the bus and ask for her ticket by herself, working out what bus, what time and what stop was needed for her to access her destination. Mum also raised that C did nothing for herself in the home and the worker and C developed a weekly planner of simple tasks that C could do including making her bed and sweeping her bedroom floor.
“The family support has helped us so much . I can hardly find the time to do stuff with my daughter. Firsthand has helped my daughter not to feel isolated by helping with outings, planning and even help her to independent travel which has really helped her with her mental and emotional wellbeing and her confidence”.
Benefits for Mum
Mum was encouraged and supported to apply for Self-Directed Support for C which enabled 1:1 support to continue. This has helped C flourish at school, be able to self-travel, learn how to manage her mental health, develop life skills, confidence and together with her worker visit a wide range of places of interest across Edinburgh and Glasgow. Mum also continues to receive weekly telephone & zoom calls from the Family Support Coordinator.
Mum was encouraged to attend the online Parent &Carer Support Group where she was able to engage with other parents & carers, share knowledge and experience, have adult conversation and “ have a bit of laugh”. This was so beneficial to mum as she realised she wasn’t alone and that the role of bringing up 3 children as a lone parent is very difficult and challenging. She also heard from other mums about the importance of doing something for herself.
"The parent group is very useful to me. It has helped me to understand I am not the only one having a hard time. Its helping me to access information and resources. Helping in developing my parenting skills”.
Mum was also encouraged come to the Health and Wellbeing Sessions which were delivered a morning a week and where she participated in activities including mindfulness, tai chi, aromatherapy, art, hand massage – all of which she used out with the sessions and was able to do at home when feeling stressed. She also enjoyed laughter yoga, drumming, nature activities, fire building etc with the other parents on the group – as well as the chance to socialise over lunch afterwards.
“ It makes me feel included because I hardly find time to interact with people where I live. I like going to wellbeing classes. Its every Monday morning and a good beginning of the week after busy weekend with children on my own . At class I can relax, chat with adults and other mums , have a hot drink and do some activity that makes my brain work , being creative and gain knowledge!”
“Evie ( Family Support Co-ordinator) is one of the nicest person I have met . She has been so helpful to my whole family. She does all she can to make sure we get the help we need.”