Niall has two brothers and a sister who each have complex disabilities including autism, ADHD and a congenital heart defect.
Ten-year-old Niall has ADHD himself but helps his mum and dad, Gary and Alison, in caring for his siblings.
Gary, a full-time carer, says, “Niall has ADHD, but he’s a very smart kid – he’s top of the class in maths. He supports us 100%. We could be doing homework with the children and if he’s finished his he’ll help his brother go on the potty or get in... his pyjamas. He’s always on hand to do something, or if we need help cleaning up the house. The other kids are too young and have no sense of tidying up. They try to help but his sister is so introverted with ADHD that we’re lucky to get her out of her bedroom. He is such a good support and loves his brothers and sister.”
One year ago, the family were signposted to Action for Children through their social worker and since then Niall has been supported by Young Carers Belfast. He’s been on day trips and short breaks and met other young people in similar situations.
This week we celebrated everyone who goes the extra mile to make sure Action for Children is there for the UK’s most vulnerable and neglected children, young people and families at our annual Stephenson Awards. The Stephenson Awards are named after our founder, Thomas Bowman Stephenson.
Thank you to all of our incredible supporters, volunteers, staff, young people, foster carers and corporate partners - and congratulations to the winners and runners up.
Action for Children added 3 new photos.
Missed out on the Great North Run ballot? Why not run for Action for Children instead? The Great North Run is one of the UK's biggest half marathons, and takes place in Newcastle on 9th September 2018.
Register today for a guaranteed place: www.actionforchildren.org.uk/greatnorthrun
Struggles with mental health and loneliness are a reality for many children and young people across the UK.
This #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek - we must do more to help ensure good mental health for all.
Of all the apps out there, Snapchat has become one of the most popular – with over 150m active, daily users. But – particularly on #SaferInternetDay – how much do you know about this app and what it can do?
Today is #SaferInternetDay – do you know the minimum age at which each social media channel and app should be accessed?
Take a look below, share this with family and friends, and make sure children know:
1. Never to share – or feel pressured into sharing – images of themselves they’re not comfortable with.
2. If they see anything online they’re worried about – bullying, a strange comment from a friend, extreme material – you’ll listen to their fears, without judgement.
WE'RE OPEN! Get your giant wriggle on and order your free Giant Wiggle fundraising pack today - get involved in our fun-filled sponsored walk, perfect for schools, families, nurseries, children’s groups – everyone!
The pack is stuffed full of fun activities and fundraising ideas to get your little one learning all while helping to support our work. More information on why you should get involved today: http://bit.ly/2Ez9EDP
Battle it out in our dragon boat race to become the MASTER OF DRAGONS! Thursday 15th March, in Surrey Docks, London. Gather your colleagues and register your team now: http://bit.ly/2DMrdCl
What kind of fundraiser are you? Office aficionado, a sociable sport or are you happy at home? Take our quiz to see what you could be doing to raise funds for Action for Children: http://bit.ly/2ExQVZh
Camilla struggled with postnatal depression and is opening up about her experience to urge others in the same situation to talk about mental health and seek support. It's #TimetoTalk.
Last week, we released analysis which found that nearly 1000 children's centres have not been inspected by Ofsted for over 5 years. The government suspended inspections in September 2015 pending a consultation on the future of children's centres, which has not yet taken place. This is unacceptable. And we want this to change immediately.
Emily, a Service Coordinator at one of our services in Hertfordshire on her best day while working at Action for Children.
"We support young disabled people to have fun, develop friendships, independence skills and experience new opportunities. I had the privilege of spending the day with a group of young people for a flying day run by Aviation Without Borders. On this day I was invited to have a flight with a young person we had been supporting for many years at our service.... He has Cerebral Palsy and a moderate learning disability. He was very excited and was asked to sit up front with the pilot who explained it would be an actual flying lesson and that he would receive a certificate with the flying time that could be used to gain a formal pilot’s licence.
The pilot went through the pre-flight checks with our young person and then, with support, he was supported to fly the plane! He was able to do the take off and fly the light aircraft for half an hour before the pilot took over the controls to land the plane. What I took away from this fantastic day was the wonderful smile on his face when he climbed out of the plane and received his certificate. It was honestly the best feeling in the world."
Children at risk of online grooming should be sent automatic alerts as part of the government's internet safety strategy, has been suggested. Existing algorithms could be used to flag suspected groomers to moderators.
"By the age of 15, my life was all over the place. In the middle of my GCSEs I was drinking regularly and using drugs. Most days I missed school – I’d wake up late and then not bother to go in. Whatever rules were set in front of me I never abided by them.
Due to my heavy drinking and drug intake I was taken into hospital and had to stay there for seven weeks. While in hospital, I was referred to Action for Children by my social worker because of my home situation and substan...ce use. I wasn’t getting along with my mum and I was at the risk of being homeless, which was really scary, but another part of me wasn’t afraid. I thought I was invincible and that nothing could happen to me.
My mum didn’t know how to cope with me anymore and arranged for me to live with my dad but he had his own family and kids so there wasn’t much room. I was going back and forth from his to my friend’s house. People were sick of me staying and I was really close to being homeless. I was lucky that I was referred to Action for Children, because if it wasn’t for them, I would have probably ended up on the streets.
They helped me with overcome my substance and alcohol misuse and helped develop and re-build the relationship with my mum. I was able to stay with her until I saved enough money to rent my own place as we felt living independently was best to maintain our new relationship. I fell pregnant shortly after my 17th birthday. Action for Children were there for me again and helped in so many ways. I attended a parenting course as being a new mum, I needed all the help I could get. I attended a cooking course so that I could learn to make us healthy meals and a money skills course Children which helped me to budget effectively.
I’m 18 now and I feel so good. The support I received has been life changing and the relationship I have with my mum now is just brilliant."
