About Us
Since its inception in 2008, Heel and Toe Children’s Charity has been dedicated to offering free and subsidised therapy to children with profound physical and neurological disabilities. Located in County Durham, the Charity operates from two specially adapted buildings, staffed by highly specialised paediatric therapists.
The Charity provides a comprehensive range of therapeutic interventions, including free conductive education, hippotherapy and rebound therapy, as well as subsidised physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, massage therapy, hydrotherapy, and intensive physiotherapy block sessions. Additionally, the Charity offers outreach services, parent support groups, a signposting service, advocacy services, and proactive information dissemination to local schools, GP surgeries, hospitals, and social services.
Serving over 180 children aged 0-19 across the North East region, the Charity delivers tailored, multidisciplinary therapy plans designed to maximise the benefits of each child's time at Heel and Toe. As a non-profit organisation, the Charity relies on paid-for services and fundraising activities to sustain its operations. To continue providing its vital services, the Charity requires £900,000 in annual funding.
Our Aims
Heel and Toe Children’s Charity is committed to enhancing the quality of life and independence of children with disabilities. Our goal is to create a future where possibilities and opportunities are not limited by disability. Through our specialised team and comprehensive range of services, we ensure that no child in need is turned away. Our holistic, multidisciplinary approach addresses the individual needs of each child, providing comprehensive support.
Impact and Outcomes
The impact of our services can be transformative for children, their families, and caregivers. Many families who seek our support have previously encountered limited support or encouragement from statutory services. Through our 16 years of operation, we have consistently witnessed the remarkable progress children can achieve with early, targeted therapy. Children who were once believed to be incapable of independent movement have, at Heel and Toe, learned to sit upright, stand, walk, hold a pencil, feed themselves, and achieve other developmental milestones. These accomplishments are fundamental building blocks for improving their quality of life and independence.
Our Project
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges in early childhood development, leading to a rise in children experiencing developmental delays and sensory processing difficulties. Due to the pandemic, children born in its early years may have lacked access to crucial social and sensory development experiences, contributing to challenges in social interaction, school performance, emotional regulation, and independence. To address this critical need, we established a fully equipped sensory integration room within our hydrotherapy centre extension, completed in January 2023. This dedicated space allows us to provide tailored, multi-sensory support for these children and their families.
In 2024, a £17,036 grant from the National Lottery Awards for All England enabled us to pilot our "Sensory Processing for Children and Families" project, specifically designed for children with autism and neurodevelopmental delays. This 24-week pilot project, serving three groups of five children, provided a holistic approach, helping children reach developmental milestones while empowering parents with the knowledge and tools to understand and effectively support their child's unique needs. We recognised that navigating the complexities of neurodevelopmental delays can be overwhelming for parents, who often struggle to access accurate information and implement effective strategies due to limited specialist access, conflicting advice, and the unique challenges of their child's condition. Our pilot successfully addressed this gap.
The overwhelmingly positive pilot results and significant demand, evidenced by a current waiting list of suitable children, clearly demonstrate the urgent need to expand this valuable Heel & Toe project and reach more children and families.
Why is this project needed?
Effective sensory integration is fundamental to healthy childhood development. Typically, the brain efficiently processes and integrates sensory input. However, for some children, this process is disrupted, resulting in sensory processing difficulties that impact their ability to organise and interpret sensory information. This can lead to significant challenges in attention, behaviour, learning, and social interaction, significantly affecting a child's daily life and overall well-being. At Heel & Toe, we frequently encounter children experiencing sensory overload, where the brain is overwhelmed by sensory input, leading to distress, emotional dysregulation, and behavioural challenges. It is crucial to recognise that sensory processing difficulties can have a significant and long-lasting impact on an individual's daily life and overall well-being.
Research consistently shows that targeted therapeutic interventions and parent guidance can significantly improve outcomes for children with developmental challenges. Building on the success of our pilot and leveraging our dedicated sensory integration room, this project aims to provide critical support to children with sensory processing difficulties, giving them a good foundation for further development by helping them achieve key developmental milestones and gain greater independence at home, in nursery, and at school.
Critically, this project also prioritises parent support, recognising its crucial role in maximising children's development and well-being. Informed and empowered parents are better equipped to advocate for their child, implement effective home strategies, and create a nurturing environment. Parental support reduces stress, improves family dynamics, and connects families with essential resources. Ultimately, empowering parents makes them their child's strongest advocates, leading to improved outcomes and a higher quality of life for the entire family. Research indicates that children with actively involved parents show greater developmental gains, and these benefits can be long-lasting. While the level of engagement and specific activities influence effectiveness, parent involvement remains a valuable component of sensory interventions, contributing significantly to children's progress and potential.
While the NHS provides valuable services, significant gaps remain, particularly in accessibility, parent support, and early intervention. NHS services face long waiting lists, meaning children and families may experience substantial delays in receiving assessment and treatment. Crucially, comprehensive parent education and training programmes are not always available through the NHS, leaving parents struggling to understand and effectively manage their child's sensory needs at home. Our project directly addresses these gaps.
Recognising the financial strain often experienced by families of children with disabilities, this project will be offered free of charge. Research indicates that these families face disproportionately high rates of financial hardship due to caregiving responsibilities that often require parents to reduce or forgo employment. Offering this project free of charge ensures accessibility for all eligible children, regardless of their family's financial circumstances.
What are the benefits?
This project employs a multi-faceted, play-based therapeutic approach, combining structured exposure to sensory input, movement therapy, balance exercises, and customised physical activities. This approach enhances the brain's ability to process and integrate sensory information from touch, sound, sight, and movement. Research demonstrates that children receiving this type of therapy often show improvements in self-care skills and social interaction, reducing their dependence on parental assistance.
Participating children will experience improved modulation of sensory systems, enhanced self-regulation, and increased functional abilities across various settings (home, school, community). Specifically, we anticipate improvements in:
- Independence in daily living activities: dressing, feeding, toileting
- Motor planning and coordination: catching a ball, writing, navigating stairs
- Engagement and exploration of the environment: playing with peers, participating in classroom activities
- Communication and cognitive skills: following instructions, expressing needs, problem-solving
Furthermore, parent training will equip them with strategies to manage their child's sensory sensitivities at home, reducing sensory overload and improving family routines. For example, parents will learn how to create a calming sensory environment, implement sensory breaks, and understand their child's specific sensory triggers.
The pilot project demonstrated significant progress in participating children. Parents gained invaluable insights into their child's unique challenges, the underlying reasons for their behaviours, and effective strategies to support their development. The enclosed evaluation report provides a comprehensive overview of the pilot results.
What would we like to do?
This project will provide six structured therapy sessions per child, followed by a review and reflection session with parents. These sessions will actively engage parents, with professionals explaining the underlying reasons for a child's behaviour and providing guidance on effective accommodation strategies to implement at home. We plan to deliver this 7-week project to five children per block, running six blocks throughout the year, serving a total of 30 children annually. This structured approach will allow us to provide intensive, individualised support to children with sensory processing difficulties and empower their families to continue supporting their development at home.