At the beginning of lockdown we knew that big changes were on the horizon for our little team. Very quickly it became clear that we were going to have to move all of our support online which was a huge leap for a team who are so used to face-to face meetings and interactions! And amongst this was our wee group work team who spend about 50% of their time planning activities for families to take part in however on the 23rd of March our programme was scrapped and our slate wiped clean… a worrying time indeed!

After many zoom meetings and talks with our families within a week we had a new online programme drawn up. We’ve been chatting with our families via group chat every week and have also created a private group page where families and the team share useful information, hints and tips on how to manage this strange situation and it also gives a platform for us all to share things that make us smile and laugh. Our very own Lesley has even been using this page to record and share storytime sessions with our families.

A big topic of discussion over the last few months has been well-being and mental health. This is a topic we are used to talking about at groups however it’s never been as important as it has been recently. We’re lucky to have a great relationship with well-being coach and all round wonder woman Marie-Claire who ran a block of online yoga and meditation sessions for families and the team – the benefits both of these activities have for our mental well-being are vast. The group work team have also been hard at work in their own time to better their physical and mental health by going long walks, trying new recipes and workouts and Emily and Lesley have even taken up running! We’re sure our families are sick of us rattling on about them using this time to challenge themselves and try something new!

As we move forward and begin to look at life after covid we really hope that the important lessons learned over the last few months will remain. Not taking our health for granted, being grateful for the little things in life, prioritising the things that matter to you most and making changes to the things that are not serving you anymore are all but a few of the lessons we’ve talked about with our families. 

We’ll leave you all with this thought, what lessons has lockdown taught you and your family? And as we move to our “new normal” are there any changes you’re going to make? 

We need to sit tight for the time being but can’t wait to get back out there and spend some time with our lovely families.

Emily