Another Way -
a telephone network for families with children with additional needs

Sometimes having a child with additional needs can make you feel isolated and alone, as well as placing extra pressure on the family.

Another Way is a telephone befriending service that offers support and encouragement from other parents in similar circumstances, and lets you know that you're not alone.

These families can sometimes find that ordinary things in life can become a major issue. A child’s first steps, going to school, moving from childhood into adulthood, and looking for a job – these are momentous occasions in the life of all parents. But for those who have a child with additional needs, it may be a time of fear, uncertainty and misunderstanding.

Maggie and Richard Stapleton, who co-ordinate Another Way, say "Talking to someone who has some understanding and insight into the challenges you face can be helpful and a huge comfort. So please get in touch if you'd like us to put you in touch with an Another Way telephone befriender. Each befriender has a child, or experience of caring for a child, with additional needs and will draw upon their personal experience as they offer you friendship and support.

Call Another Way today if:

• You feel alone and misunderstood
• You want to speak with someone who really understands
• You want to hear how others have coped
• You want to say the ‘unsayable’ things to someone
• You don’t know anybody else in the same situation as your family

"Whilst relatives and friends gave me a shoulder to cry on, what I really wanted was to talk to someone like me." Sarah - parent of a child with additional needs

If you would like to talk to someone who understands your situation, please call (029) 2081 0800 and we will put you in touch with one of our befrienders. Befrienders are not counsellors, but will informally share from their own personal experience of being part of a family where someone has additional needs.