Ups and Downs Southwest

With dedicated teams based in Somerset and Bristol, our membership and reach covers the majority of the South West; from Devon to Bristol, including Dorset, Somerset, North Somerset, and Wiltshire. Whether you are a new parent, family member, professional involved with a child who has Down Syndrome or someone who has an interest, we hope you will be able to find the support and information you seek from Ups and Downs Southwest.

MISSION STATEMENT

It is our mission to support every child and young person with Down Syndrome to ensure they enjoy a secure, informed environment that meets their emotional, social and educational needs.

OUR AIM

To support families, professionals and all those involved in the care and education of children and young people who have Down Syndrome.

FAMILY SUPPORT

You may have a child or have just had a baby with Down Syndrome and just feel out of your depth. That is exactly why we are here. We are parents, just like you and know the challenges. We want to provide you with friendly help and support.

We are happy to support individual family members and/or families as a whole. The family includes immediate family members, such as parents, siblings, carers, and extended family members such as aunts and uncles, and grandparents, who may perhaps feel anxious about the future for a child with Down Syndrome and would like support, information and advice.

HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS

Helping everybody involved with Downs Syndrome is our aim. Whatever your involvement with the care, health, education and joy of these amazing people, we can help.

We provide training, information and advice to educational and health care professionals; this can include consultant paediatricians, registrars, community paediatric nurses, midwives, health visitors, obstetricians, teachers, support assistants, special educational needs coordinators, educational psychologists and representatives from Social Care. All with the view of supporting professionals also to be able to provide up to date information, understanding and empathetic support to vulnerable children and families.