Let's Take Care - Support for Carers of Disabled Children and Young Adults

Let's Take Care - Celebrity Parent Carers and their journeys

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2518012/fan_mail/new] In Episode 11 of Let's Take Care, we explore the growing number of celebrities and public figures who are sharing their experiences of raising disabled children and young people. From social media posts to TV interviews and documentaries, these voices are helping to bring SEND family life into the mainstream, raising awareness, challenging stereotypes and helping other parents feel less alone. We discuss the impact of this increased visibility, the opportunities it creates for advocacy and change, and whether there is still more to be done to ensure disabled children, young adults and their families are truly represented. We also reflect on the much-loved poem Welcome to Holland by Emily Perl Kingsley, recently shared by Jesy Nelson, and ask why it continues to resonate so deeply with parents nearly four decades after it was written. Join us for an honest, thoughtful and uplifting conversation about visibility, advocacy, acceptance and the power of sharing our stories. https://www.bftf.org.uk/ Email us at: letstakecare@bftf.org.uk #DisabilityAwareness #ChronicIllness #HiddenDisability #SENDParent #AdditionalNeeds #SpecialNeedsParent #DisabilityCommunity #InclusiveFamilies #CarersUK

Episode 10: Steve's story - being a neurodivergent Dad to neurodivergent adoptive children

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2518012/fan_mail/new] What's it like to find out you have autism as an adult?  In this episode Melissa and Jane sit down with Steve, an adoptive dad and charity volunteer, to talk honestly about parenting two teenagers with neurodivergence. Steve shares the story of his own autism diagnosis as an adult, and how that helped him support his children. We also get into self-care that actually works for neurodivergent adults: reducing the constant mental noise, setting boundaries around socialising, and finding environments where you can thrive. Steve reflects on work, inclusion, and why he sometimes prefers a bit of chaos, plus what he has learned from volunteering with adoption and disability communities where “like recognises like” and families finally feel seen. If you know someone parenting through diagnosis, disability, adoption, autism or ADHD, share this conversation with them, and if it helps, please subscribe and leave a review so more carers and dads can find it. https://www.bftf.org.uk/ Email us at: letstakecare@bftf.org.uk #DisabilityAwareness #ChronicIllness #HiddenDisability #SENDParent #AdditionalNeeds #SpecialNeedsParent #DisabilityCommunity #InclusiveFamilies #CarersUK

Episode 9: Practical tips to help parent carers - before there’s a crisis

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2518012/fan_mail/new] One cancelled care shift can wipe out a whole day. Parent carers often seem able to do it all -  because they have to, but that can make friends, family, and professionals assume they can cope without them, and because of that, sometimes, people let them down. Caring for a child with profound disabilities is not just “busy”. It is a constant mix of medical needs, physical lifting, education battles, and the emotional weight of being the only person who truly knows what “normal” looks like for your child.  In this episode Melissa and Jane discuss what "help" really looks like when you're mum to a disabled child, and how friends, family and even strangers can lighten the load.   They talk about why asking for help can feel impossible when your child has complex medical needs, and why respite care can be something you desperately need yet still dread.  If you’ve ever felt guilty for needing a break or judged for not taking one, you’re not alone. Listen now for real-life tips for supporting parent carers, and a clearer picture of what “showing up” really means. Subscribe, share with someone who needs this conversation, and leave us a review with the kind of help you wish people offered more often. #ParentCarer #CarerLife #Caregiving #DisabilityAwareness #SpecialNeedsParent #SENDParent #ComplexNeeds #DisabilitySupport #InvisibleLoad #ChronicCare  #YouAreNotAlone #RealTalk #HonestMotherhood #MentalLoad #CaregiverBurnout #ItsOkayToNotBeOkay #ParentingReality #UnseenStruggles  #SupportMatters #ShowUp #CommunitySupport #HelpingOthers #BeThere #StrongerTogether #KindnessCounts https://www.bftf.org.uk/ Email us at: letstakecare@bftf.org.uk #DisabilityAwareness #ChronicIllness #HiddenDisability #SENDParent #AdditionalNeeds #SpecialNeedsParent #DisabilityCommunity #InclusiveFamilies #CarersUK

Episode 8: How being a carer changes you forever

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2518012/fan_mail/new] When you've seen your child almost die numerous times and you've been living on your nerves for years, your priorities change. You change. Forever. Friendships lapse and new friendships form - forged through common hardships. In this episode of Let's Take Care, mums Jane and Melissa discuss how handling their daughters' illnesses has shaped them. The two friends explain how trauma has changed their take on life - but they wouldn't have it any other way. In their usual warm and witty way, Mel and Jane's love and compassion shines through as they talk about their experiences and offer support for other parents of children and young people with disabilities.  https://www.bftf.org.uk/ Email us at: letstakecare@bftf.org.uk #DisabilityAwareness #ChronicIllness #HiddenDisability #SENDParent #AdditionalNeeds #SpecialNeedsParent #DisabilityCommunity #InclusiveFamilies #CarersUK

Episode 7: The power of laughter when you're a carer

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2518012/fan_mail/new] The runaway wheelchair and the havoc of the hoist!  Jane and Melissa look on the bright side in this episode of Let's Take Care, as they remind us laughter really is the best medicine, especially if you're the carer of a young adult or child with disabilities. The pressure of being a full-time carer is immense and the two mums discuss how looking back on disasters with a smile has helped them face many challenges.  Mel reveals how she put a ghastly social worker in his place and Jane tells us about a toy of Kitty's that went rogue. This episode is sure to put a smile on your face, whether you're a parent carer or not - and there's help for people who don't know how to act around people with disabilities. #ParentingADisabledChild #DisabilityParenting #SpecialNeedsParenting #CarerSupport #ParentCarers #CarerLife #TiredParentsClub #CaregiverSupport #ParentingJourney #InvisibleLoad #newyeartips #selfcaretips  https://www.bftf.org.uk/ Email us at: letstakecare@bftf.org.uk #DisabilityAwareness #ChronicIllness #HiddenDisability #SENDParent #AdditionalNeeds #SpecialNeedsParent #DisabilityCommunity #InclusiveFamilies #CarersUK