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A new project for parents with a learning disability started in the United Kingdom. The project is called Mellow Futures. It helps parents with a learning disability care for their children. Mellow Futures is made by Mencap. Mencap is an organisation fighting for the rights of people with learning disabilities living in the United Kingdom. Mencap is a member of Inclusion Europe. |
Mencap has launched Mellow Futures, a programme facilitating professional assistance for pregnant women and parents of children younger than two years old. Currently in its pilot stage, Mellow Futures is part of Parent Pioneers, a wider specialist support platform run by Mencap for parents with a learning disability.
The newly-launched programme encourages positive parent-child interaction, while helping parents with a learning disability develop their care-giving abilities. Mellow Futures holds the wellbeing of participants as its main focus, providing a constructive learning environment in which they can examine and improve their relationship with their children.
The initiators have designed two separate segments, targeting important aspects of a child’s life: pre and postnatal care. Therefore, Mellow Bumps was created as a six-week course providing pregnant mothers with assistance during and after their pregnancy. The goal is to make it easier for future mothers to unwind, share experiences with other mothers-to-be and openly discuss important topics in their lives. The second segment, Mellow Babies, stretching over 14 weeks, teaches newly parents how to provide care and bond with their young-one(s), with the weekly assistance of a parent mentor.
The umbrella project under which Mellow Futures operates, Parent Pioneers, plans to empower and parents with a learning disability, as well as raise awareness of the difficulties they are facing within society. By training children’s services and early-years workers like GPs, midwives and other health and social care personnel, the desired outcome is creating a closer connection between families and local support services.
Part of Inclusion Europe, Mencap is the UK’s leading learning disability charity working with people with a learning disability, their families and carers. Mencap works collaboratively, fighting for equal rights, campaigning for greater opportunities and challenging attitudes and prejudice.
More information about the project, along with contact details, can be found at the following link.
