We work closely with statutory services who provide a fantastic service, but their resources are limited.
The therapies, equipment and accessible for all activities that we provide improve the lives of children with disabilities, over and above pure medical necessities. We seek to improve the quality of life for children so that they can gain better movement, overcome isolation, improve their self-esteem and play a larger part in the society around them, be that family or school.
We are registered with the Charity Commission, members of the Fundraising Regulator and have been approved by HMRC to collect Gift Aid.
"I was deeply honoured to be asked to become a patron of The Dorset Children’s Foundation and accepted without a moments' thought. It is a wonderful charity that is truly transforming lives and making a difference to so many families and I am immensely proud to be part of that team"
What We Do
We provide activities, resources and equipment to improve the lives of disabled children living in Dorset.
We can provide:
Specialist Equipment
We can help source and fundraise for wheelchairs, walkers, and other such disability aids.
Accessible For All
We offer our families a wide range of events and activities from football to dancing, and everything in between.
Counselling
We have an in-house mental health advisor and offer a free counselling service to parents and primary carers.
Paddy's Purpose
A fun, interactive educational initiative, designed to break down barriers and change.
Life experiences
We also provide life enriching experiences for children and their families.
Family Support & Advice
we offer a range of services including advice and guidance regarding benefits, entitlements, plus a befriending service offering peer-to-peer support.
Mental Health
The mental health of our families is very important to us.
Being the Parent of a child with additional needs is very isolating and can lead to loneliness and depression.
This impacts on all members of the family and the child themselves.
We now have a dedicated mental Heath advisor, Hayley Cheshire MSc Neuropsychology, who recently produced a scoping report from interviewing a cross section of our parents. This clearly identified that many of our families are in crisis with their mental health.
We are now able to offer one to one counselling sessions and are able to signpost and refer to appropriate local agencies. This is offered to parents, siblings and the disabled child.
Hayley@thedcf.org
What We Do:
Our shops cover our overheads, so your donation will always go to the child in need and not on operational costs.
We enter into partnerships with local companies for support, both with fundraising and expertise.
We organise sponsorship by local companies for our events to maximise their profits.
We encourage others to fundraise for us in any way they can: cake sales, sponsored walks, for example.
We pro-actively work to raise our profile in Dorset by engaging with the local community using Social Media, local press and networking.
We:
Visit each family to tailor make their own fundraising package and provide posters and collection pots etc.
Apply for grants from Trusts and other charitable bodies.
Link parents, carers, and children together to form a vital support network.
Offer individuals the chance to take up a personal challenge for us: Marathons, Skydives, Wing Walks etc.
We offer local schools the opportunity to participate in Paddy’s Purpose, an interactive workshop designed to break down the barriers on disability.
Arrange fundraising events such as annual: Football Tournaments, Fun Casino Nights and Comedy Shows.
