Establish a Support Group
Limbs 4 Kids is keen to support parents and carers to establish a Support Group in their local community. Over time we hope to have Support Groups operating in various parts of Australia, allowing parents and families to connect with others in a friendly, private and safe setting.
Support Groups can be made up of parents, carers, family members and adult amputees that share common needs and experiences. Being part of a Support Group can have many benefits for members, including:
- Practical information, tips and resources. Members can share information about local services, information and tips to assist parents and carers assisting a child with limb difference. Having other members (such as adult amputees) as part of a Support Group can also be useful as often these individuals have been through many of the experiences a parent or their child is experiencing.
- Emotional support. Members can find relief by talking about issues and concerns with others who may also be experiencing similar matters or have done so in the past.
- Friendship. Support Groups can assist members to connect with others socially and feel less isolated.
- Guest speakers. Sometimes Support Groups benefit from having a guest speaker attend a meeting and talk to the members about a specific issue.
Limbs 4 Kids can assist Support Groups by:
- Training. We can assist any individual wanting to set up a Support Group (the ‘Support Group Leader’) to understand their role, how to establish a group and ways of organising meetings.
- Source members. We can promote individual Support Groups to potential members in local communities.
- Finding meeting venues. We can assist the Support Group Leader to source community meeting venues in local communities.
- Funding. We can provide a small amount of funding for venue hire, resources and guest speakers.
- Sourcing guest speakers. We can assist Support Groups to source a guest speaker (such as a health care professional, community leader or disability advocate) to attend a meeting.
If you are interested in learning about Support Groups or thinking about establishing one in your community please contact Fiona at fiona@limbs4life.org.au or 1300 782 231 (toll free)