David
Hi I'm David, with the help of a number of friends I founded Family Equip in September 2004. This was after a career in teaching which I ended in 1985 to pursue self-employed support work, including developing a number of community-focused charities such as the Family Support Centre in Shirley, and working as a parent partnership officer for Solihull for some years with Solihull Special Needs Active Partnership.
With a small team with many different skills, we established a clear vision and set of policies for Family Equip's future, and in 2006 with enthusiastic encouragement from parents, we launched our first therapeutic clubs.
Around the same time, I studied children’s mental health services at Leicester University’s Greenwood Institute and became involved in research, especially around emotionally based school avoidance.
Today I am really pleased with everything Family Equip has achieved in the last 20 years - we have helped hundreds of families and built up an amazing community.
Heather
Hi I'm Heather, I have been with Family Equip since 2009, running the therapeutic clubs. This has expanded into helping write our workshops and support carers in schools.
I love watching how these beautiful children can learn resilience, thrive and enjoy life.
Alex
Hi I'm Alex, I started attending Family Equip's therapeutic clubs when I was about 10 years old and they made me feel totally relaxed and fully able to be myself.
David Wort, the founder of the charity was instrumental in helping me to obtain my diagnosis of Asperger’s and get into an appropriate secondary school.
I have been volunteering at the E2E therapeutic clubs for around 10 years and now help to run the charity. It is so rewarding to be able to impart my knowledge onto some of our young people and to still be in touch with many of the individuals who used to attend the clubs with me.
I now run my own business where I present talks about Asperger’s and Autism all over the UK, and I believe that Family Equip had a massive part to play in the person I have become today.
Debby
Hi I'm Debby and I have always been a passionate advocate for the special educational needs community, running Family Equip's Parent Support Group where I offer guidance, resources, and a welcoming space for families.
With my vibrant blue hair, I bring energy and warmth to everything I do. As the mother of a young autistic adult with dyslexia and dyspraxia amongst other conditions, I have a personal understanding of the challenges and joys that come with SEN, and I’m dedicated to helping other families navigate similar paths.
My local roots and commitment to the community make me a trusted resource and friend to those I support.
Chloe
Hi I'm Chloe, Family Equip found my family when I was 12 years old. I grew up being supported as a child with an autistic sibling, having a special place for each of us to come on our own, to talk to other children who were like us, who had families like us.
When I was 16, I started as a volunteer myself and remain so 10 years later. Watching children come to Family Equip, bond and gel and make a safe place to be themselves and make new friends, talk honestly about their troubles and their coping strategies, and most importantly, have fun, has been a great love and privilege. I have seen so many children learn and grow and change into fantastic young people that I am proud to know.
My love for leading the clubs, bonding with the kids and engaging them in a way that is meaningful for them has directly influenced my career as a teacher. I teach at a primary school in Birmingham, and have a particular passion for helping children with special educational needs and disabilities to love learning.
I wouldn’t be who I am without Family Equip.
Adam
Hi I'm Adam and I started going to Family Equip's E2E clubs when I was 13 and always found them an amazing experience. They made me feel so valued and appreciated and enabled me to meet so many other young autistic people like myself.
I have only recently become involved again and started volunteering with Family Equip - I am working on our publicity and am determined to get our word out to more people.
I have no idea why it took me this long to get involved again because to put it simply - this charity is nothing short of magical. Its stunning community, the lovely events we run, the lovely people we bring together and support, the friends I have thanks to this charity, the impact we have had on people's lives. It's inspirational.
Pete
Hi I'm Pete, I started volunteering with Family Equip in 2018. I feel privileged to be part of a team working to support families and their children.
We offer opportunities to talk about feelings, emotions, and to develop new friendships. It's such a pleasure to see the positive changes within each young person.
Aside from volunteering, I work as a Teaching Assistant. This is within SEN education and I've worked with primary and secondary schools.
Working with Family Equip gave me valuable experience in the skills required for working as a Teaching Assistant.
Get Involved
Family Equip is made possible by our volunteers. Every one of us adores helping to run this amazing organisation.
We are always looking for more volunteers to enable us to offer more vital support - we would love to hear from you!
Here are just some examples of the incredibly fulfilling areas where you could help us out:
- Organising and running clubs, family fun nights, and trips
- Bringing in new families - Communicating with and visiting new families
- Running workshops to support young people and/or parents
- Managing finances
- Outreach - spreading the word and helping run our social media and website
Every one of our volunteers brings their unique skills to our charity - you could have a huge impact on the services we are capable of providing.
