SNAP Charity: Putting families first for 30 years
For over 30 years, SNAP has been a lifeline for Essex families, supporting children aged 0-25 with additional needs or disabilities. Without requiring a diagnosis, SNAP offers tailored services, from counselling and helplines to inclusive activities and sibling support.
Partnering with parents, SNAP supports families whose children, aged 0-25, have any additional need or disability by providing compassion, guidance and hope. SNAP's charitable mission is to stand alongside families, offering steadfast support and tailored resources. Crucially no diagnosis or professional referral is needed to access their services.
Over the past 30 years, SNAP has developed a range of services in response to the needs of Essex families including a variety of sessions for children, Information Network and online Directory, specialist talks, and email and telephone Helpline which provides an essential listening ear for parents and carers. Whether a family needs specific information or just needs to chat an issue through, SNAP’s team of Family Support Advisers are ready to help.
Rebecca and her family came to SNAP in June 2020 when the family was at a crisis point. Her son, Thomas, had been diagnosed with ASD and ADHD and was not in school. The family felt completely alone and rejected by the services that were supposed to help so she called the SNAP Helpline.
We will be eternally grateful to SNAP for the compassion they show to our family. The SNAP Team really are local heroes, and I can’t thank them enough for their support and warmth towards my family. We are never letting them go! - Rebecca
SNAP set up weekly individual sessions for Thomas and after a few months of sessions, the family started seeing a change.
These weekly sessions benefitted the rest of the family too. Whilst Thomas was occupied and happy, Rebecca attended SNAP counselling and Thomas’s younger sibling enjoyed quality time with his father at home. Thomas’s sibling also attended SIBS4FUN, SNAP’s annual sibling support week, focused on making the young carers, brothers and sisters the centre of attention.
