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Seashell Trust set up a weekly Stay and Play scheme in May 2017 as part of the Trust’s early intervention and prevention services. Research has shown that early intervention for children with complex needs has a positive impact on improving both their life outcomes and those of their families.

Stay and Play is for preschool children with complex needs and their parents and carers.   With the help of The Zochonis Charitable Trust funding, the scheme has helped to promote resilience, confidence and wellbeing in families.

Every child needs the best start in life to reduce health inequalities and have access to positive early experiences and a good early foundation.  The Stay and Play early intervention scheme supports the early development of children with complex needs, while providing support for parents and families.

The sessions seek to develop early skills in movement, communication and sensory exploration through a range of fun stimulating activities.  They create opportunities for new experiences through activities supported by specialist staff and therapy, providing ideas that parents can try at home.

Parents and carers come together in an environment where they can chat and form friendships.  They meet with the specialist staff who can offer advice and support around their child’s individual needs and development, as well as signpost their local services in education and care.

What families have to say about Stay and Play:

‘Fantastic session, George has made so much progress in the short time he has been coming. He has become more vocal, more patient and really enjoys coming to the sessions.’

‘Thank you for having us, both the boys and ourselves had a fantastic afternoon.’

‘We have found the group helpful and fun!’

Who Stay and Play helps
Stay and Play is for children with complex needs, including significant visual impairment and/or central processing problems of vision and/or a moderate to profound hearing loss, or a (probable) loss of auditory processing mechanisms, with additional severe to profound learning disabilities.

This includes infants with:

• additional complex physical/medical needs
• progressive sensory impairments
• autism and behavioural difficulties associated with sensory impairments and developmental and communication delay

Find out more
Stay and Play takes place every Monday between 10am and 12pm and Wednesday between 12pm and 2pm (term time only) at Seashell Trust, Cheadle Hulme, near Stockport and Manchester.  Find out more about Stay and Play

Seashell provides a range of outreach services including early intervention services. Find out more about our Outreach Services.