Ruby's Fund

Who we are

Who we are- Message From Our Founder

When I had my daughter Ruby in 2007, I discovered she had a rare and incurable condition affecting her development and health; to the extent that she would always require round the clock care. It quickly became clear to me there was a lack of appropriate support services available locally for families of children with complex needs. I felt very passionately that a proactive, early intervention service was required for SEND families like mine, to help prevent them reaching crisis point. Driven by this vision of what was needed, I set up Ruby’s Fund in 2008 and, following a huge community fundraising campaign, we became a registered charity.  In 2013 the vision became reality when we opened the doors to our fully inclusive sensory play centre and community café in Congleton. Since then, the charity has grown and gone from strength to strength, providing a wealth of services and support both at our centre and across Cheshire East with our outreach programme and mobile sensory centre. Ruby's Fund is an authentically service-user driven small charity with 3 of our Board members and all 4 of our management team having lived experience of carers of children with complex needs.  We routinely consult, co-produce and seek ongoing feedback on service outcomes from the people we support to continually evolve and meet their needs.

What we do

We support families of SEND children age 0-18 and support the whole family unit.  We signpost, guide and introduce them to a new peer support network and inclusive, fun activities.  We show them that, although it's not the parenting journey they planned, it can still be a positive journey with the right people and support around them. We support children of all ages but the majority of our referrals are for families with young children with new or emerging diagnoses. 

We also provide support to non-disabled families.  This includes a project to help new parents to help them bond with their baby and meet new families with shared experiences, as well as a volunteer family support service for families who have been stepped down from an early help plan with social care.

The families we support are at risk of:

• Relationship breakdown
• Social isolation
• Mental wellbeing issues - depression, anxiety
• Problems experienced by siblings
• Financial difficulties
• Issues with overall family cohesion

We know from outcome measurement that our support services can positively impact all the above needs.  The specific benefits we offer to our service users are:

• Early identification and intervention to support families of young children and help prevent the need for interventions from statutory services
• Resilience building for families to help themselves
• Building a support network – our peer support groups are one of the most effective services we offer
• Reducing the risk of crisis for families
• Wellbeing support (physical and mental)
• Training and signposting
• Helping children have the best childhood possible