The Chester Bluecoat Charity was delighted to grant Koala North West £10,000 in 2022 so they could support young families in Blacon and Lache for a year.
Here we detail how this money helped one mum with her two young sons.
Koala NW supported a mum from Blacon after she reached out to them for support with her children’s speech and development. Koala NW invited her to a 9-week baby course, as her youngest son was just 2 months old, during which she shared her concerns about the behaviour of her eldest son, then aged 14 months, and the development of his speech and language.
At the end of course, the Mum said “The sessions have been very good, I feel like they have helped as I have been given lots of support and reassurance. I have learnt a lot despite this being my second baby, I wish it had been available when I had my first.”
Following the course, she began attending Koala NW events, including craft sessions, forest school and days out at exciting places like Bewilderwood. The mum normally struggled to go out due to her eldest son’s behaviour however she confidently attended Koala NW events as she was safe in the knowledge a member of staff would always happily help her when required. This meant she was able to go out and make new compassionate friends without the worry of how to afford an expensive day out. It also meant her children enjoyed time out of the house whilst also learning new skills and interacting with other children, which is key to their social development.
When her eldest child turned 2, the mum spoke to Koala NW as she was concerned about his speech development. She started their ‘Babbling and Beyond’ course, learning new ways that parents can support speech and language development. The family spoke multiple languages at home so they were given information and resources on how to reduce the effect this can have on speech development. Time was also spent discussing the impact delayed communication can have on behaviour and how this can be best supported, for example by using visual aids.
Koala NW’s support resulted in the child becoming more vocal, making new sounds and there was a noticeable improvement in his behaviour. The readily available support and sympathetic staff at Koala NW not only supported the child’s development but it also improved the family’s home life, for which the mum and dad were very grateful.
If you need any family support, you can visit Koala North West’s website here.
If you are an organisation looking for funding to support your work, you can read more about our grant giving programme here.
