Category: DP News

  • Dingley’s Promise Charity Showcases 35 Incredible Years

    Leading children’s charity Dingley’s Promise showcased 35 years of their outstanding work on Monday 17th September, with an exhibition at Wokingham Town Hall attended by local stars, businesses, community leaders and councillors.  The charity, which provides life changing support to children under five years old with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), shared incredible stories of the families they have helped. One was the family of Spencer who was diagnosed with numerous conditions including Autism.  They described Dingley’s Promise as “the little miracle that saved our family”.

    Actors Winston Ellis and Alex Watts joined the evening, along with the Mayor of Newbury Margot Payne, Mayor of Slough Paul Sohal, Deputy Mayor of Wokingham Town Malcolm Richards.  The highlight of the event was the inspirational speech delivered by the charity’s new patron, Paralympic champion Helene Raynsford.  Helene, who made history in 2008 by becoming the first rowing Paralympic gold medallist for Great Britain, shared her fascinating Olympic career, demonstrating true focus and determination.

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    The evening concluded with the charity’s Annual General Meeting during which David Omrod, Dingley’s Promise Chair of Trustees, talked about Dingley’s Promise past year and how the Charity has grown. Not only has it strengthened its specialist services at its three centres in Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire but it has also become an advocate of children with SEND at a national level through their CEO, Catherine McLeod, MBE.

    Addressing the attendees on the night, Catherine said “We are so proud of what we have been able to achieve over the past 35 years, and the lives we have touched across Berkshire. We often hear from families that we are the first people to see the promise in their children, and give them hope for the future. Knowing that our work has this kind of impact is what keeps us striving to reach more children and families every year.”

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  • Helene Raynsford interviewed by BBC Berkshire

    It was fantastic to hear Helene Raynsford, our new patron being interviewed by Sarah Walker on BBC Berkshire today, 8th August 2018.

    Helene has had an incredible Paralympic career and we are honoured that she has come to join us.  The interview makes a fascinating listen and wonderful to hear how inspired Helene is by our work and the passion and commitment shown by our staff.

    Listen here: (1:08:30 in)

    [pb_iframe src=”https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06f8w0x#play”][/pb_iframe]

  • 30 hour childcare entitlement – Dingley’s Promise lobbies central government

    Last week, the Chief Executive of Dingley’s Promise, Catherine McLeod MBE lobbied members of Parliament on the accessibility of the 30 hours provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

    Recent statistics released by the Department for Education show that children with SEND are less likely to access their entitlements in the early years compared to their mainstream peers.

    Only 6.3% of 3 and 4 year olds accessing their 15 hours entitlement have SEND

    Only 2.6% of 3 and 4 year olds accessing their 30 hours entitlement have SEND

    Our research undertaken in 2017 identified a training and development need in settings in order to increase their capacity for children with SEND.  68% of settings felt they needed more support and advice, whilst 63% felt they needed better training in order to take more children with SEND.

    Our own research with families found only 4% are taking up the new 30 hour offer for their child, whilst a whopping 45% still weren’t sure if they were entitled.

    Catherine McLeod MBE attended the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Families in the Early Years campaign day.  Catherine met with Richard Benyon; MP for West Berkshire to discuss the issue, gaining his commitment to raise this with the Minister.  She also spoke with Tulip Siddiq; the Chair of the APPG on Childcare and Early Education, and Tracy Brabin MP; the Shadow Minister for Early Years, both of whom were very interested in the latest research findings, and strategies for ensuring every child is included.  After the event, Catherine also met with Windsor and Maidenhead MP Adam Afriyie in his offices to raise awareness about the same issues.

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    Our recommendations to MPs include a duty on Local Authorities to ensure SEND early years sufficiency, increased training and support for early year’s settings and further support for families to help them understand and access their entitlements.

    Catherine McLeod MBE said “It was heartening to see so many MPs attending the lobbying day, and I do believe there is a strong will to ensure inclusion for all children in the early years.  However, in order to achieve this, there needs to be a clear focus on enabling children with SEND to access their entitlements, using direct actions and support for both settings and families.  Without this, the gap between children with SEND and other children will continue to grow and the life chances of children with SEND will continue to be limited for many.  We cannot let this happen in our society and must take a stand now to ensure equity for all of our children.”

  • Paralympic gold medallist, Helene Raynsford, becomes patron for leading children’s charity, Dingley’s Promise.

    Dingley’s Promise, a Berkshire charity supporting children aged 0-5 with additional needs and disabilities, has welcomed Paralympic champion Helene Raynsford as their new patron.  Helene made history by becoming the first rowing Paralympic gold medallist for Great Britain in 2008.  Her other accolades include two Paralympic Basketball silver medals and twice winner of BBC South Sportswoman of the year.

    Helene described how she was “humbled” to be asked to become a Dingley’s Promise patron, and explained why she was so keen to join them.  “The charity does incredible work, really changing the lives of the children and families they work with giving them a supportive and nurturing environment to thrive”.

    Helene went on to say; “Having acquired my disability later in life I experienced many people placing limitations on what they expected I could achieve and I had to overcome these hurdles of people’s perceptions.  I can imagine for young people and their families these perceptions might be stronger if they have an identified additional need in their early years.   Thus, it is important to me that we give children the best opportunity to excel at whatever level is appropriate for them, having an engaging life with opportunities to thrive and show the world their abilities”.

    Dingley’s Promise has centres in Wokingham, Reading and Newbury.  They support children across Berkshire who have a wide range of disabilities and special educational needs, providing vital care to them and their families.  As Helene notes, “the early years are so important for children to set them up with the best chances in life.  This is even more important for children with additional needs.”

    David Ormrod, Chair of Dingley’s Promise said “We are honoured to welcome Helene Raynsford as a Patron of Dingley’s Promise.  Helene is passionate about improving the lives of children with disability and, working with Chris and Naomi Khoo who joined as Patrons in May, Helene will be a valuable asset in our drive to increase our reach and impact.”

  • Meet the Team: Hannah Spence

    NAME: Hannah Spence

    JOB TITLE: Centre Manager At Reading.

    Hannah Spence is the Centre Manager at Dingley’s Promise in Reading. The centre looks after 25 children each week, and has nine in its busy team. We caught up with Hannah to find out more about her role.

    How long have you worked at Dingley’s Promise, Hannah?

    I’ve worked here for about three years – before coming to Dingley’s Promise I worked in mainstream education, but always in Early Years.

    Describe a typical working day:

    A typical day involves having a team meeting first thing and ensuring the staff have answers to any questions they may have, and we’re prepped for the children’s arrival. It also includes a bit of admin, and generally making sure the morning goes to plan and that everything runs smoothly. It’s quite a varied role – I manage the centre as a whole; the team, the welfare of the children and their families and the other professionals who we welcome each week.

    Our children may have a range of therapists working with them outside of Dingley’s Promise, such as speech therapists, physiotherapists and educational psychologists. The team at Dingley’s Promise will work with them and include any advised exercises in the individual programs we devise for the children.

    How did you become an Early Years Practitioner?

    I initially wanted to work with kids who were a bit older, but I went to an Eary Years setting and it happened quite naturally – I found it very rewarding. So I decided to go to college to study an Early Years NVQ in Childcare.

    What is the most rewarding thing about working at Dingley’s Promise?

    There is so much that I find rewarding about working here. Specifically – in the role that I do – it’s the relationships that we build with the families, and the difference we make to them that is the most rewarding aspect of my job.

    The families who join Dingley’s Promise will face various difficulties and challenges, and when we can help them progress positively and move on in a positive way, it means a brighter future not just for the child but for the whole family which is a great thing.

    When families first receive their child’s diagnosis it can understandably be an uncertain and challenging time for them, and we see that when we welcome families here. After their time with us, though – you can see how they leave in a different, positive, frame of mind and have a very different outlook on their child’s future.

    We stay in touch with many families here, even when their children have moved on, which I think is testament to the role we play in the families’ lives, which is something we’re all very proud of.

    In your opinion, what makes Dingley’s Promise such an invaluable service?

    It is such as bespoke service – we focus on learning through play, and have a big focus on inclusion. We aim to boost the confidence of the children and the families, and work on interaction, communication and physical progress skills. No child is the same and we work flexibly and individually, often with one-on-one care. We recognise that we’re a rare service, and where possible we share our knowledge so other Early Years centres have the skills to work with children with additional needs, too.

    No two days are the same – it doesn’t come without its challenges, but working with the children and their families is what matters most to me.

    Hannah Spence is the Centre Manager at Dingley’s Promise in Reading. To contact the Reading centre, please call 01183 277424 or email [email protected].

    Support our work this Christmas.  Donate before 12noon on Tuesday 5th December to see your donation doubled!

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  • Dingley’s Promise achieves RAN Quality Standard

    Chief Executive, Catherine McLeod MBE was pleased to receive our RAN Quality Standard Certificate on behalf of Dingley’s Promise at the Reading Advice Network’s AGM.

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    The RAN Quality Standard delivered by Reading Advice Network supports charities to give quality information and advice.  It is designed to enable clients, funders and other organisations to feel confident in the service that Dingley’s Promise delivers.  After all, the right information and advice, given when people are facing a crisis or at their most vulnerable, can transform lives for the better.

    The Quality Standard focuses on various areas, including ensuring client’s needs are at the centre of service delivery and properly supervising service delivery.

    Recognised by Reading Borough Council, the Quality Standard will enable Dingley’s Promise to be part of a strong ‘unified voice’ to help shape service provision in Reading.