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Second Life’s No Game For Families Of Disabled Children
Second Life’s No Game For Families Of Disabled Children
Parents of disabled children face a constant battle to get help, leading many to reach breaking point.
And research shows that mums, often the primary carers, have fast become the biggest users of social networking sites Second Life and Facebook. That’s why Contact a Family, the charity which has been supporting families of disabled children for almost 30 years, has opened an advice centre in Second Life as part of its new online support network.
Srabani Sen, Chief Executive of Contact a Family, said: “Mums exhausted by night after night of broken sleep and restricted from leaving the house because of their intensive caring roles are turning to social networking sites for emotional support and information about their child’s condition.
“Contact a Family is now providing help on issues of poverty, strained relationships, childcare and short breaks on these increasingly popular sites, as well as allowing parents to contact each other for support and to share valuable experience.”
The virtual advice centre in Second Life is staffed by a parent adviser during advertised opening hours. The charity is using other social networking sites Facebook, MySpace, bebo and YouTube to provide vital information and enable families to comfort and help each other.
Srabani Sen added: “Only one in 13 families of disabled children receive help from social services and research shows these families don’t know where to turn for alternative sources of support.
“Families under enormous everyday pressures can now get a one to one support experience at the touch of a button.” Contact a Family’s project is funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) Parent Know How initiative, which is designed to deliver better outcomes for children and parents.
REHACARE.de; Source: Contact a Family
- More about Contact a Family at: www.cafamily.org.uk
