Karanjit’s story
Short breaks are a very important service for families with a disabled child. They can relieve the strain on families and reduce stress on parents, whilst giving a child or young person an opportunity to explore new interests and develop independence.
Karanjit is supported by our Sandwell short breaks team and his mum talks about the impact the service has had on him and the family.
Kids Sandwell Short Breaks has supported my son Karanjit, 16, for nearly two and half years. Karanjit has a diagnosis of Global Development Delay and a mild learning disability. By taking part in short breaks he gets to take part in activities that he doesn’t do at home or with school – he really looks forward to them and is always asking me when the next one will be!
Karanjit is getting older now and will be going to college in September. His short breaks are vital in developing his independent living skills, he’s learned to travel, to shop, to manage money – all things he needs to be able to do to thrive independently as he approaches adulthood. He recently went to the cinema and was able to buy his own ticket and ask for a concession ticket for his carer, demonstrating his new-found confidence when out and about in our community.
Recently one of his short breaks focused on getting him ready for the changes he will face in September – he caught the bus he will need to get to college. Not only does he now understand how to find the right bus, read the timetable and pay for his ticket, he also knows what to do, and who to ask, should something go wrong and he needs some help.
Karanjit has learned a lot, he can talk to his support worker when he finds it difficult to talk to others. I can see that his support worker is an excellent role model, and an inspiration to Karanjit, showing him that he can achieve what he wants from life with a positive attitude.
I feel more confident about Karanjit’s future now and the service from Kids has supported my aspirations for him to lead a fulfilled life, living in the community, developing life skills and continuing his education. Kids has empowered us as a family to ensure Karanjit meets his potential and we are very grateful.
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