Chaos & Calm seeks to enrich the lives of children with a range of complex needs and those who care for them, by providing opportunities for training, play, care, and support.

Our sessions are open to all families in Southend and the surrounding areas. Before you attend your first session please do get in touch with us, this helps to ensure you attend the session most suited to your child’s needs.  To do this, just email [email protected] or send a message via our Facebook page Chaos & Calm and we will get back to you.

For details of the session and timetable see links below:

Sessions
Timetable

Chaos and Calm was established during the COVID pandemic in response to seeing a decline in the range of early intervention services and support available to families caring for children with more complex needs and disabilities.

All of our services are planned and delivered by two experienced project managers Elaine and Hannah.  Elaine is a Portage worker and nursery nurse who has over 20 years’ experience working with children with disabilities and their families. She is an expert in sensory and messy play and brings warmth and joy to all of her sessions ensuring every child is able to participate. Hannah is a qualified teacher who has a special interest in communication and alternative and augmentative communication methods, she is also a foster carer specialising in looking after children with complex medical needs and life limiting conditions. Together they are a formidable team who have been able to support children and families through some of their darkest days. For further information see our About Us page.

Chaos & Calm services have steadily expanded to meet an increasing demand, and we currently offer five sessions per week for children with complex needs and their families:

• A session for younger children who are not mobile, offering sensory play, messy play, music, sensory massage and story time. This session is a lifeline to new parents and carers coming to terms with the challenges of raising a child with a disability.
• 2 x sensory story time sessions: one for children who find sitting or concentrating challenging; and one for children who are less mobile and may require more time and calm. Sessions support families to explore alternative and augmentative communication strategies including Makaton, switching, symbols and gesture.
• 2 x play sessions offering themed free play, messy play, arts and crafts. These sessions are a great opportunity for children to play with and alongside one another and to begin to develop early social skills.

Our sessions create a network for families who support a child with a disability, and provide essential social and emotional support and prevent isolation.

We also offer individual signposting to further community or statutory services and support. We offer home visits to families caring for children whose medical needs mean they cannot attend sessions in person, and we also offer support via phone and e-mail on personal issues including benefit applications, and education health care plans.