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The Road Ahead. Butterflies Derbyshire ADHD Support Network. The Beginning. Conceived as a result of the Derby University ADHD DAFT conference in 2008. After hearing the opinions of parents and professionals there was a consensus that there wasn’t enough information freely available.
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The Road Ahead ButterfliesDerbyshire ADHD Support Network
The Beginning • Conceived as a result of the Derby University ADHD DAFT conference in 2008. • After hearing the opinions of parents and professionals there was a consensus that there wasn’t enough information freely available. • It was recognised that support groups should be able to share their information rather than standing alone.
The Beginning • A group of parents and professionals discussed how they could make more information available and the easiest way to do it • Options included a newsletter, leaflets and a web site • It was decided that a web site would be the best option
Why a web site? • Perfect place to store shared resources where the most people could access them • Professionals, families and carers would have access to the same information • People could report their experiences for people to learn from
Going Live • Web site went live in October 2009 • Contains locations and details of support groups as well as shared documents and articles. • Forum and live chat facilities added during the next few months.
Evolution • Committee hosted scheduled live chat sessions on Thursday evenings • One-to-one help for parents and family members • Media coverage • Suggestions from professionals
What we’ve discovered • Professional involvement is valuable but rare • Everyone who lives with ADHD needs help and support • Carers, especially secondary carers, are often neglected • There is a lot of help out there, but families often have to go and find it themselves
What we’ve discovered • Schools, GPs and social services are often unable to offer aid or advice • Recognition and acceptance of ADHD is still rare in schools • Derby City and Derbyshire are very different in their approach to ADHD • Not enough integration of services (although this is improving)
Current focus • Parent support involvement with RAPID training • Attending multi-disciplinary meetings • Sharing discoveries and information from these meetings with everyone through the website
Current focus • Providing assistance for parents and carers to start up their own support groups • Publicising and signposting support groups • Providing one-to-one support to parents or carers who contact us through the website
The Road Ahead • More help for families • More information on adult ADHD • Information about related and co-morbid conditions, such as ADD, Aspergers and ASD • More involvement from professionals
Thank you Any Questions? Anyone who can help?