Helen

PSDS is a charity supporting children and young adults with Down syndrome. It was founded 19 years ago by three mums who had babies with Down syndrome.

PSDS is a charity supporting children and young adults with Down syndrome. It was founded 19 years ago by three mums who had babies with Down syndrome.

The funding for services that the children needed was so scarce, we decided we'd try and fund it privately and then obviously through the charity. As a new parent, you're navigating a landscape unknown anyway. As a new parent with somebody with additional needs, it's a completely different layer that comes over all of that. So the support of others going through the same thing...

The funding for services that the children needed was so scarce, we decided we'd try and fund it privately and then obviously through the charity. As a new parent, you're navigating a landscape unknown anyway. As a new parent with somebody with additional needs, it's a completely different layer that comes over all of that. So the support of others going through the same thing...

was really important to all of us, I think.

was really important to all of us, I think.

one of the big things these children need is to learn how to live independently. So we get six young people in here cooking, making sure they can create quite simple meals.

one of the big things these children need is to learn how to live independently. So we get six young people in here cooking, making sure they can create quite simple meals.

A large part of what our children need is different therapies to make sure that they can move, speak, interact and be part of society. It's so scarce from the local authority, really, really difficult to come by. And a godsend, you know, this will help the children be mobile, it will get them walking, gets them moving around. And the joy on a parent's face...

A large part of what our children need is different therapies to make sure that they can move, speak, interact and be part of society. It's so scarce from the local authority, really, really difficult to come by. And a godsend, you know, this will help the children be mobile, it will get them walking, gets them moving around. And the joy on a parent's face...

When a child that's been struggling to take a step at age three finally does that is priceless. It's something you just have to see.

When a child that's been struggling to take a step at age three finally does that is priceless. It's something you just have to see.

So PSDS is providing support for individuals with Down syndrome, but actually it was also right at the beginning, very important to us, that we thought about the child and young adult as an individual, and then PS, they happen to have Down syndrome. So we do have a philosophy of no label, no limits. We don't like to make assumptions on...

So PSDS is providing support for individuals with Down syndrome, but actually it was also right at the beginning, very important to us, that we thought about the child and young adult as an individual, and then PS, they happen to have Down syndrome. So we do have a philosophy of no label, no limits. We don't like to make assumptions on...

on what our people with Down syndrome will be able to achieve in their lives. And actually, our objective as a charity is twofold. It's to make sure those individuals with Down syndrome absolutely achieve their potential. And secondly, to ensure the community and wider society understands how they can help and support and encourage those people to be a really valuable part of society.

on what our people with Down syndrome will be able to achieve in their lives. And actually, our objective as a charity is twofold. It's to make sure those individuals with Down syndrome absolutely achieve their potential. And secondly, to ensure the community and wider society understands how they can help and support and encourage those people to be a really valuable part of society.

So we use it for two things at the moment. The first is a communication group for the young adults. So they come in here, they have sessions that are facilitated by a speech therapist, but very much led by those individuals to talk about topics that they might want to share with each other, grown up topics, you know, that they may not just want to talk to mum and dad about. So it's a safe space.

So we use it for two things at the moment. The first is a communication group for the young adults. So they come in here, they have sessions that are facilitated by a speech therapist, but very much led by those individuals to talk about topics that they might want to share with each other, grown up topics, you know, that they may not just want to talk to mum and dad about. So it's a safe space.

But also we do provide formal training in here for professionals who are working with our children, for our own teams that work with our children and also for our parents. So parents being able to understand how best to support their children as they go through the different stages of life.

But also we do provide formal training in here for professionals who are working with our children, for our own teams that work with our children and also for our parents. So parents being able to understand how best to support their children as they go through the different stages of life.