TLC FO​UNDATION

The TLC Foundation was created by a compassionate group of professional people who recognised the issues faced by a very lovely young girl of 17 years old (K) who is Dual Diagnosis Downs Syndrome and Autism, with severe and complex learning difficulty. From following her journey from a young child to teenager, inevitably we also learned of the issues faced by her friends at special needs school and of the many difficulties faced by their parents.  We set up a pilot parent support group and from learning and listening to the needs of this vulnerable, disadvantaged group in our community, the inspiration to create the TLC Foundation charity was born.  

Witnessing K’s journey and her additional health issues as she matures, we also saw the emotional impact upon K’s parents and her siblings.  Along this journey they knew of other families in similar circumstances as theirs, with their own personal stories of trauma and crisis and impact upon siblings, e.g.  going off to school the next day after ambulances have been called out to their sister or brother and often witnessing traumatising scenes or incidents.

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TLC has compassion and understanding of the deep commitment it takes to care for a child with special needs, the impact upon siblings and the impact upon parents’ relationships. We know that caring for a child with special needs can be a hard life and can often affect employment causing poverty. We recognise there are times of grief, sheer exhaustion, lack of sleep, fear of the future, isolation, discrimination.  We understand the lack of support and understanding for each individual parent and each individual child disadvantaged by disability, life limiting illness, sever and complex learning disability and the impact upon siblings.

TLC feel compelled to offer support and intervention to this disadvantaged group in our community.    Our aim as a charity is to support families to live enjoyable manageable lives, to enable them to care for their child/young person with dignity with a feeling of belonging to a caring community. To live their best life. To fulfil this aim we asked parents five simple questions and we ask you to join us in helping them;

1. What do you need to help make your lives easier, better, more supported?  

2. What will help your child with special needs live a happy life? 

3. What can we do to help siblings, your children?

4. How can we help ‘your family’?

5. How can we help you personally? 

We have discovered from talking with parents who feel disadvantaged by life circumstances, that to support and strengthen the family unit it is very much like the analogy of a ‘three legged stool’ holding up the family. Each leg of the stool is vital to support and to strengthen the family unit. To this aim our charity exists to support the whole family in 3 areas: -