Tanya Spiers is the Family Support Worker for Dingley’s Promise in Reading. Dingley’s Promise was established in 1983 and became a registered charity in 1988. It was originally set up by parents of children with additional needs and disabilities that wanted more than just medical interventions for their children. Now there are three Dingley’s Promise centres: one in Reading, Wokingham and West Berks. Each centre provides specialist provision for children aged 0–5 with special educational needs and disabilities and aims to give them the best start.
Tell us about your role…
I am the Family Support Worker for our Reading centre and I absolutely love my role here. I support families whose children attend the centre, those on the waiting list, and families in the wider community that don’t wish to access a place but have a child with additional needs under 5. My job is quite varied and among other things, I run Stay and Play groups, information sessions and offer one-to-one support tailored to families’ needs.
Describe a typical working day for you…
Part of what I love about my role is how variable my days are! There is no typical day but it might look a bit like this.
Arrive at the centre and greet parents as they drop off children, checking that everyone is doing well and making myself available.
I might then have a home visit where I can share with parents what we have on offer and come up with a plan for what would be most useful for them as a family. Sometimes I might show them different ways to play and work with their child, do some form filling, or simply provide some emotional support. Part of my day is spent communicating with other professionals, attending meetings to support families and filling out contact records. Often a portion of my day will involve compiling resources to forward to specific parents and perhaps making some simple visual supports to try within the home.
I regularly run Stay and Play sessions for parents and children to attend within the centre and to make connections with other parents, as well as enjoy the time with their child in a safe environment with our support.
I try my absolute best day to day to make parents feel welcome, confident and empowered as parents as well as emotionally supported by Dingley’s Promise.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
Currently it is rebuilding support networks for families who were left quite isolated during the pandemic and helping them to access services.
What is the best part of your job?
I am incredibly lucky and feel privileged to get to know the families I work with and share this part of their journey. They are all amazing and it is a pleasure to work so closely to support families in the best way I can.
Tell us a little about yourself and your background
I am a mum to three incredible boys who all have additional needs themselves – ranging from very complex physical needs to autism. This has made me passionate about supporting parents in the right way from the beginning of their journey with their children as I realise what a difference that can make. My previous roles have included autism trainer, support worker for children with SEND and specialist early years practitioner.
Find out more about Dingley’s Promise and the support they offer in Reading at www. dingley.org.uk/reading.