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

Photo of Richard Stapleton"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."
Richard Stapleton, Another Way Project Manager

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.

Photo of two children smiling and having funMany families we have spoken to say how they wish they could have talked to someone who would listen and understand how they were feeling. All our telephone befrienders have children, or experience of caring for children, with additional needs, and will draw upon this experience to offer 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.

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