Our visit to bibic

We recently shared that we were taking a visit to bibic – a small national charity that offers holistic therapy to children, young people and adults with neurological, behavioural and developmental challenges. To celebrate the wonderful work our clients do, we decided to make a donation at Christmas in their name to this amazing charity. To say thank you for our donation, the team at bibic invited us to go visit their centre to find out more about the work they do for their service users.

TLDR: Read along to find out about our recent visit to brain injury charity, bibic, here in the South West of England.

Who are bibic?

bibic are a charity local to us that supports individuals with developmental and neurological disabilities and difficulties. They provide practical support for children and adults with SEND across the UK, treating every young person as a unique individual and taking a “whole person” approach, ensuring more effective and lasting positive outcomes for those they work with.

bibic supports children and young people with a vast range of disabilities and additional needs, aged from just six months to 25 years old; however, the majority of the children they support are aged between 6-10.

Many families come to the charity having experienced intense stress, isolation and exhaustion. That’s why they take a 360° approach, working with the whole family, while creating a blend of sensory, cognitive, emotional, developmental and physical exercises that support the child or young person’s specific needs.

While they’re based in Somerset, and many of their service users are based in the South West of England, bibic offers assistance to people all across the UK, from Cornwall, to Norwich, to as far as the Shetland Islands and Ireland. There’s a map of the UK on the wall at the centre – anyone who uses their services is encouraged to take a sticker and place it on the map to show where they come from, which ultimately displays bibic’s reach and impact across the nation.

Why did we go to visit them?

The team at bibic invited us to come and learn more about the work they do, as well as to have a tour of their facilities, based in Langport, Somerset. We had the pleasure of meeting Lauren and Gemma from bibic’s Fundraising and Marketing team. They told us the story of the charity, describing what they do and how they’ve achieved the incredible impact they have. They also described how they’ve continued to deliver their programme, while adapting to many challenges – such as COVID – while not receiving any direct government funding.

As a specialist digital provider to charities, we love having the opportunity to get to know the people behind an organisation – however, this visit was also close to our Director and Technical Lead, Ben’s heart, as he and his family are currently navigating the trials and tribulations of raising their young autistic son.

The team showed us the areas they’ve devoted to assessments and therapy for the children, young adults and adults they support. These rooms are specifically set out to make those visiting the centre feel at home – they want to provide a warm, welcoming space where they can assess their service users and give guidance.

What did we learn?

Each therapy plan is unique to individuals and their families. Many parents say that because of our support, they are more aware, confident and able to make informed choices about issues affecting their child’s life, for example: with the recommendations bibic provides, children are able to engage more at school, and with their peers and teachers, and feel less isolated.

Bibic also provides a support and advice line free of charge for parents, carers, guardians and teachers. They use this to give general advice, strategies and sign-posting to assist in navigating any difficulties or challenges they’re facing.

We also learned about their workplace training: they showed us how to best support neurodivergencies in the workplace, as well as how neurodiverse people can be well-suited to specific roles and industries.

What issues are they facing?

65% of the children and young adults they see haven’t yet had a diagnosis and demand for bibic’s services is rapidly growing, with the wait time for assessments increasing – this is because of a lack of funding for more therapists that would help them reduce the long wait.

This is why donations are so important, as the money the bibic team receives allows them to provide care much more quickly to those that need it.

We’re glad we were able to offer a small gift to help further bibic’s work, and are grateful to get to learn more about how they work and the services they offer.

We’re also very pleased to continue building our relationship with bibic further. There’s an announcement we’re excited to talk about when we’re able to share more details – keep your eyes peeled for that in the near future.

We’d also really encourage you to discover more about the work bibic do and the support they offer. While you learn more, why not consider dropping them a donation? Or perhaps contact them to arrange a visit? The work bibic does is imperative for many families across the UK, and with the growing numbers of diagnoses, now is such an important time to give to this vital charity.

If you’re interested in talking to us about how we can help your charity grow, why not get in touch with us and find out what we can offer?