Free resources to help families with children with special needs access outings in the local Mornington Peninsula region

One of our goals at Sprout is to improve the lives of families with children with special needs. One of core values is about connection – and this means not just with the families we work with, directly but also with our wider community. One of the best ways we can improve the lives of our families is to meet with organisations in our local Mornington Peninsula community and develop ways families with children with special needs can have more successful experiences with getting out and about.

Our aim is not only to help families with special needs kids get out but to educate these organisations and venues too in ways they can make their settings more accessible.

For each location the Sprout team develops a pack which typically includes;

Tip Sheet- which provides information to families to make accessing each service easier. Tips may include: the best way to purchase tickets, best days/times to take your child, calming areas at the venue and much more.
Customisable Social Story- each Social Story includes a dialogue and photos to guide your child through what to expect when they visit each particular service.
Visuals- these visuals can be used to support communication or as a visual schedule to use with the child and work in partnership with the social stories.
Map- the maps highlight important areas at the service, including: quieter areas for calming, toilets, and specifically recommended activities.

One of our main partners is Amazing Toys in Mornington. Together with them we run free community talks, our VIP Christmas shopping night and the Sensitive Santa photos for Christmas.