Coco Mission Africa Explores Partnership with Inclusive Family Alliance to advance social inclusion

 Coco Mission Africa, a non-governmental organization dedicated to advancing social inclusion, has taken a significant step toward partnership with Inclusive Family Alliance, a leading advocacy group for families of children with disabilities.

Mr Abraham Udom, Executive Director of Coco Mission Africa on Wednesday met with parents of persons with disabilities who are part of the Inclusive Family Alliance Community platform to know at first hand their lived experiences and explore ways they could unite to build suitable support systems for families.

The meeting focused on exploring practical ways to strengthen support systems for families of children with disabilities across Ghana.

Mr Udom who lives in the United States, has a 16-year-old son with cerebral palsy and other condition, he said in the States he had access to respite services which greatly helps his family but in Ghana and other Africa countries those kinds of support systems were lacking

He expressed commitment to partner with like-minded organisation to provide sustainable support systems in Ghana and beyond

Mrs Hannah Awadzi, Executive Director of Inclusive Family Alliance who welcomed the partnership and the need for collaboration said there was the need for families to unite and build a formidable support system for themselves.

“it is only families going through the process of nurturing persons with disabilities especially cerebral palsy who will understand the everyday challenges that families go through and will be able to build formidable and sustainable support systems

Mrs Awadzi emphasized the importance of building strong partnerships to amplify impact

The Inclusive Family Alliance has long been a platform for caregivers to share their voices and influence policy, and this partnership promises to expand its reach and effectiveness, she added

Discussions centered on the urgent need for collaborative strategies that address the challenges caregivers face, including access to resources, psychosocial support, respite services and inclusive education opportunities.

 Parents shared their lived experiences, highlighting both the progress made through Inclusive Family Alliance’s advocacy and the gaps that remain in service delivery.

Mrs Mbiatke Thomas, Team Lead, at Peapod International School, an inclusive educational facility in Nigeria and a member of the Coco Mission Africa team took parents through exercises and practical ways to handle their children.

Mrs Thomas who is also a psychologist by profession answered questions from parents and gave them pep talks to help them in nurturing their children

 “Families of children with disabilities deserve coordinated support that empowers them to thrive. By working together, we can create sustainable systems that respond to their needs,” Mrs Thomas noted.

Both organisations committed to develop joint programs and advocacy campaigns that will enhance community-based support and strengthen national dialogue on disability inclusion.

2025 Annual Report :The Year the Project Transitioned into an Organisation

 

Introduction

The year 2025 marked a defining turning point for the Inclusive Family Alliance. What began as the Special Mothers Project evolved into a fully registered organisation with a clear mandate: to amplify the voices of parents and caregivers of children with disabilities, with a special focus on cerebral palsy, and to advocate for policies that recognise and support their lived realities.

This report highlights the milestones, advocacy efforts, collaborations, and impact achieved during this transformational year.

From Project to Organisation

At the beginning of 2025, the Inclusive Family Alliance operated as a project focused on broad advocacy for children with cerebral palsy and their families, often collaborating with like-minded organisations to advance inclusion.

In April 2025, with the support of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD), the project secured funding to formalise its governance structure. A Board was constituted, bringing together individuals committed to guiding the organisation’s vision and growth.

At this inaugural board meeting, a landmark decision was taken:
the transition of the Special Mothers Project into the Inclusive Family Alliance as a formal organisation dedicated to advancing the inclusion of parents and caregivers of children with disabilities.

All statutory documentation was completed, and the Inclusive Family Alliance is now registered as an organisation limited by guarantee, operating as a social enterprise.

Our Mission

To advocate for the inclusion of parents and caregivers of children with cerebral palsy in policy formulation processes and to push for policies that recognise unpaid care work and address the needs of families of persons with disabilities.

Governance
The Inclusive Family Alliance is overseen by a Board of Directors responsible for strategic direction, oversight, and accountability.

Strengthening Institutional Capacity

Throughout 2025, the Inclusive Family Alliance remained an affiliated member of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD). Through this affiliation, the organisation actively participated in several capacity-building programmes aimed at strengthening disability-focused advocacy in Ghana.

 These included training workshops on:

• Mobilisation and data collection
• Effective advocacy strategies
• Leadership and organisational development

These engagements enhanced the Alliance’s ability to operate strategically and contribute meaningfully to national disability discourse.

In recognition of its leadership, the Executive Director of the Inclusive Family Alliance, together with other parents of children with special needs, was tasked by the GFD to spearhead the formation of a National Association of Parents and Caregivers of Persons with Disabilities—a critical step toward unified national advocacy.

Advocacy on Unpaid Care Work

Advocacy for the recognition of unpaid care work emerged as a major focus area in 2025.

The Inclusive Family Alliance was nominated by the GFD to participate in a workshop organised by NETRIGHT Ghana on unpaid care work. This engagement led to participation in three additional follow-up workshops, all aimed at influencing policy discussions and promoting recognition of the economic and social value of care work performed largely by parents especially mothers of children with disabilities.

Further advocacy engagements included:

• Participation in a policy dialogue organised by the Centre for Learning and Childhood Development
• Representation and speaking engagement at a continental webinar organised by the Caregivers Empowerment Network Africa (CENet Africa), where caregivers across Africa shared lived experiences to push for research-driven policies at the African Union level

In a significant milestone, CENet Africa appointed the Inclusive Family Alliance Lead, Mrs. Hannah Awadzi, to its Board. CENet Africa will lead a review of existing unpaid care work policies across Africa and propose new frameworks informed by research and lived experiences.

Media Engagement and Capacity Building

Recognising the media as a powerful tool for social change, the Inclusive Family Alliance prioritised media engagement in 2025.

In collaboration with the Empowering Better Life Foundation (EBLF), the Alliance trained approximately 20 media professionals on ethical and effective reporting on issues affecting children with disabilities and their families.

To deepen impact, the Alliance also conducted one-on-one mentorship sessions with selected journalists who demonstrated strong interest in disability reporting. These journalists were supported to develop compelling, accurate, and human-centred stories that challenge stigma and influence public perception.

 Public Speaking and Lived Experience Advocacy

Throughout 2025, the Inclusive Family Alliance actively engaged in public speaking as a core advocacy strategy. Parents and caregivers, including the organisation’s leadership, shared their lived experiences at forums, workshops, dialogues, and webinars. These engagements created spaces where personal narratives highlighted the daily realities of caregiving, exposed systemic gaps in service delivery, and challenged prevailing misconceptions about disability and care work.

By centring lived experience in public discourse, the Alliance strengthened calls for systemic and policy-level change. These speaking engagements moved conversations beyond theory, grounding advocacy in real-life evidence that resonated with policymakers, civil society actors, development partners, and the media. Public speaking thus became a powerful tool for influencing attitudes, shaping narratives, and reinforcing the urgency of inclusive, care-sensitive policies that respond to the needs of families of persons with disabilities.

Office Space

The Inclusive Family Alliance benefitted from a shared office space provided by the GFD for four of its member organizations.

 Media-Based Advocacy

The Inclusive Family Alliance continues to leverage traditional and digital media as a strategic advocacy tool. Through interviews, features, and storytelling, the organisation amplifies the voices of parents and caregivers and pushes for systemic and policy-level change that supports families of persons with disabilities.

 Direct Support and Donations

In 2025, the Inclusive Family Alliance received individual donations that provided critical support to families in urgent need.

These funds were used to:

• Assist parents with hospital bills
• Provide emergency food support to families facing acute hardship

Additionally, in collaboration with the GFD and the Association of Parents and Caregivers of Persons with Disabilities, the Alliance donated food items and sanitary supplies to the Dodowa Association of Parents and Caregivers, reinforcing solidarity and mutual support within the disability community.

 Looking Ahead: The Way Forward

As the Inclusive Family Alliance moves forward, it remains committed to:

• Advocating for the meaningful inclusion of parents and caregivers in policy design and implementation
• Pushing for care-sensitive policies that recognise unpaid care work

With adequate resources, the organisation plans to:

• Organise media training workshops for journalists in Accra, Kumasi, Bono, and the Northern Regions
• Empower parents and caregivers to become effective advocates for themselves and their children
• Collaborate with the Association of Parents and Caregivers of Persons with Disabilities to mobilise parents nationwide and conduct advocacy and leadership workshops

Leadership and External Recognition

In 2025, the advocacy work of the Inclusive Family Alliance received notable external recognition. The organisation’s Lead Mrs Hannah Awadzi was honoured by the Ghana Federation of Disability Organisations (GFD) with a Child Rights Activism Award, acknowledging sustained advocacy for the rights and inclusion of children with disabilities and their families.

 In the same year, she was also recognised as the Most Outstanding Female Journalist at the Ghana Women’s Awards. These reflect the growing visibility and credibility of lived-experience-led advocacy and have further strengthened the Alliance’s capacity to influence public discourse, media narratives, and policy conversations at national and regional levels.

Note of Gratitude

The Inclusive Family Alliance extends its heartfelt appreciation to all individuals, partners, and organisations who supported our work throughout 2025.

Your generosity provided relief to families in crisis, strengthened our advocacy efforts, and helped lay the foundation for a stronger, more inclusive movement. We are equally grateful to the media professionals who partnered with us to elevate the voices of parents and caregivers of children with disabilities.

Together, we are building a future where no caregiver is invisible and no family is left behind.

H4P organisation brings medical care to families of children with cerebral palsy

 The H4P Organisation, an organisation committed to promoting dignity for persons with disabilities and their families, on Wednesday organised a health screening and medical outreach programme for children with cerebral palsy and their caregivers.

The event, dubbed “Celebration of Love,” aims to bridge the healthcare gap that disproportionately affects children with cerebral palsy and their families.

More than 500 families of children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities gathered at the forecourt of the Fire City Chapel, where they were screened for various health conditions and received medications. Children with cerebral palsy also benefited from physiotherapy services offered on-site.

Bishop Dr. Charles Cofie Hackman, Founder and CEO of H4P, said meaningful societal change does not always begin with government.

He expressed the organisation’s commitment to the World Health Organisation’s Universal Health Coverage agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Three, which focuses on good health and well-being.

“My mother taught me to show love to all manner of persons, and this Celebration of Love is in honour of my late mother, Mrs. Christiana Anansiwa Hackman, who demonstrated love to all people, including her enemies,” he said.

This year marks the seventh edition of the Celebration of Love. It also coincides with the 10th anniversary of Fire City Chapel, which Bishop Hackman said chose to commemorate the milestone by supporting children with cerebral palsy and their families.

Speakers at the event included Mr. Alexander Tetteh, Founder of the Ghana Disability Forum; Mr. Christopher Agbega, Acting Executive Director of Sharecare Ghana; Mrs. Hannah Awadzi, Executive Director of the Inclusive Family Alliance; and Ms. Emelia Gynkel Bawa, a disability advocate.

 They each offered words of encouragement and advice to the families present.

As a gesture of love and solidarity, the H4P Organisation presented Christmas gifts to every person who attended the health screening and pledged to continue standing with the families in advocating for improved support systems and social benefits.

Unpaid Care Work: Another Dimension

 Momentum is building around advocacy on unpaid care work, a lot of the advocacy spearheaded by Women’s Rights Organisations (WROs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) pushing for legislation and policy.

Defining Unpaid Care Work

The shallow definition of unpaid care work is engaging in domestic work or managing household responsibilities and chores which are our culture assign to women and girls within the household.

However, discussions are beginning to extend to the care for children, care for children with disabilities, care for persons with disabilities and the elderly

Dr Faustina Obeng, a Researcher on Social Policies at the University of Ghana, at a National Advocacy Strategy Workshop on unpaid care work organsied by NETRIGHT with the support of Alinea International, a development consultancy. Defined unpaid work as all activities done to care for others free of charge.

Dr Obeng however said care work even though not valued by some sections of society, was a very productive venture that needs to be valued

She said childbirth is of economic value for countries, citing examples of countries like Japan and Canada that are experiencing economic decline because of their population.

Dr Obeng said; “Countries like Japan and Canada have had to put in an immigration programme to get human resources from countries in Africa that still have higher populations.

She said the reproductive role of women therefore contributes directly to a productive and healthy population that generates productive value.

She said unpaid care wok contributes nine percent to global GDP and in Ghana it could go up to 30 percent which could be equal to 6.87 billion dollars per the 2024 GDP

Dr Obeng said care work should thus be recognised, responsibilities shared and rewarded to prevent the country having a care deficit.

Care work and Disability

Even though everybody benefits from care work in one way or the other, there are some vulnerable members of the population who depends on care work to survive.

Some persons with disability and parents of children with disabilities may need care workers to enable them function well and at their optimum.

A mother of a child with cerebral palsy who shared her experience said: “there are some paid care work which need to be backed by policies  and subsidies to support the vulnerable.

She said: “I depend of people I call care givers to thrive and get some respite, unfortunately, it is very difficult getting people to work as caregivers especially for children with disabilities.”

“My caregiver lives in my house, I pay her monthly and she feed three times a day, uses electricity, and not pay rent but I have to pay her out of pocket and also ensure she gets another support including catering for her health.”

She said there was the need to government and policy makers to put in place facilities and other social support systems such as subsidies, tax reliefs  among others to support families of children with disabilities in Ghana.

For example, a mother homeschooling a child with cerebral palsy may spend hours each day providing care, therapy, and learning support—work that would otherwise require paid professionals. Yet, she receives no financial compensation, social protection, or formal recognition.

For Ghanaian policymakers committed to inclusive development, gender equity, and poverty reduction, integrating unpaid care work into national planning is not just progressive—it is essential,” she added.

Unpaid care work contributes significantly to human development

Dr Naazia Ibrahim, a lecturer at the University of Development Studies, said unpaid care work is seen as essential for household stability and children’s well-being yet remained economically invisible and undervalued.

Unpaid care work is heavily gendered and undervalued limiting women’s empowerment, she added.

Participants at the workshop in formulating their advocacy strategies said there was the need for government to recognise care work as decent and valued work and integrate unpaid care work into national statistics through time-use surveys and gender-responsive budgeting.

There is also the need to reduce the burden of care by reclaiming the public nature of care through the introduction of policies such as tax reliefs for primary caregivers  especially parents of children with disabilities, introducing subsidies  for care work and reestablishing community based respite care services such as disability friendly facilities where parents of children with disabilities could drop off their children to enable them work and earn a living.

Subsidies could also be in a form of promoting flexible work arrangements, including paid family leave and remote work options for caregivers

 Advocacy

Unpaid care work is usually taken for granted in all policies, Dr Obeng said policy on care work is largely a technocratic process and there was the need to broaden participation in the policy formulation process.

There is also the need to flip the coin from the burden side of care to the value side of care

Participants at the workshop also committed to engage in public education campaigns to shift cultural norms and promote shared caregiving responsibilities among men and women.

Conclusion: A Call to Action

Unpaid care work is not a private issue—it is a public concern with national implications. By recognizing and supporting caregivers, Ghana can unlock human potential, reduce poverty, and build a more equitable society.

 Let us make care visible, valuable, and supported, care work is an economic necessity and  when caregivers thrive, Ghana thrives.

How do you navigate the heavy days

 

Every human being may have some days which seems heavier than others, however for parents of children with disabilities especially in Ghana, some of the heavy days may seem more pronounced and visible.

Sometimes thoughts about ‘tomorrow’ seem to be screaming which can easily make one bow to depression

I am a parent of a 12-year-old living with cerebral palsy in Ghana and I share with you in this article how I deal with the days that seems heavier than others.

Usually, the heavy days starts with what I will call a realistic but unnecessary thoughts about my child’s condition and situation and if I do not catch myself off guard it turns into a spiral thought of unnecessary questions which do not have immediate answers.

For instance, I woke up one morning and after bathing my daughter and helping her with the needed morning routine, I thoughts to myself, “aaaah Eyram by now  should have been the one helping with the chores and even supervising her siblings, then another thought of when will it end and will it even end followed, soon, I felt teary.

What has helped me greatly not to continue in depression for even up to an hour a day is my routine gratitude meditation that I practice.

I cultivated the habit of asking myself “what am I thankful for in these moments” and usually the answer to this question always lightens me up.

I am thankful that Eyram (that is my daughter’s name) is a very beautiful and intelligent young girl, full of laughter and grits, I am thankful that Eyram has always survived the hardest days, and I am super-thankful for the woman I am and becoming.

 The lessons from nurturing Eyram have been enormous, I can never deny that

Often, I will ask myself how I could have developed this much level of empathy, self-love and self awareness, if not for her.

I also combat such strenuous thoughts with what I will call a “holy anger” it is not an anger to self destroy or cause harm but an anger to build a formidable support system for myself.

It is during those heavy days that I am more than convinced to turn pain into purpose and use my skills as a professional communicator to advocate

Ghana has no practical corporate support systems in place for families like mine. There may be some scattered and uncoordinated support system for certain disability types but for a child with moderate to severe cerebral palsy, families are usually on their own except for some form of private support systems from entrepreneurs which usually tend to be extremely expensive for most families.

 Usually “my holy anger” will push me to ask pertinent questions like, how can I help others like me, what can I produce, what services can I offer?

One of the suggested policies, I have offered is the institution of a caregiver training programme supported by government to help families at the household level access a non-family caregiver whose services will offer respite to the family of a child with disability.

Such a caregiver programme will not only serve the families of the children or persons with disability but will also serve as an employment avenue for the teaming youth who have had education but are unable to find jobs.

I always say and continue to say that caregiving is decent work if we pay attention to it and put in place the necessary modalities to make it work.

I continue to share my experiences because I believe that no family should walk this path alone, the reason for birthing the Inclusive Family Alliance - a community platform for parents of children with disabilities in Ghana

The Inclusive Family Alliance offers tailor made information pack for families needing help in where to seek support.

The Inclusive Family Alliance engages in peer mentoring, coaching and counselling for families of children with disabilities in Ghana in addition to advocacy and policy work

The change we need for families of children with disabilities begins with you, join the campaign.

Parents call for more research on cerebral palsy

 

A parent of a child with cerebral palsy has called on medical professionals to conduct more research on cerebral palsy to avoid unnecessary medication and mistakes

Ms Emelia Gynkel Bawa who made the call said her son vomited a blood-like substance for over nine years and doctors couldn’t link it to a specific cause till the child eventually passed on.

She said: “ Doctors treated my son  for peptic ulcer for years, but during his last moments on earth they said it was probably not peptic ulcer but rather hiatus hernia, yet he was put on medication for years for peptic ulcer.”

Ms Gynkel Bawa made the call on the Inclusive Family Alliance platform after several parents reached out to her describing similar conditions that their children with cerebral palsy were going through with no definite solution from the health care providers.

The Inclusive Family Alliance is a community platform for parents of children with disabilities mostly parents of children with cerebral palsy who engage in peer counselling, peer support and also refers families to existing support programmes or systems.

Ms Bawa said “my son endured the ordeal of vomiting a blood-like substance and passing dark stools for years, he was on medication but it couldn’t stop it, I strongly believe that there is the need for more research on such issues to help parents understand the condition and know what to do.

Other parents who shared similar experiences said, their children have been vomiting the blood like substance and have run several laboratory test but nothing concrete is said about the cause of that.

The parents urged government to pay extra attention to cerebral palsy as a condition and support families of children with cerebral palsy in Ghana by putting in place the necessary support systems.

Policy suggestions to support parent caregivers of children with disability in Ghana

 Preamble

Primary Caregivers of children with disability, especially Mothers are often left out when drafting policies to support persons with disabilities and children with disabilities.

 

In Ghana, there is currently no accurate statistics of children with disabilities. Again, Children with disabilities do not all fit into one cup and there is no one-size fit all solution to support them.

 

The Parent, usually the mothers are left to struggle to take care of children with disabilities.

 

The Special Mothers Project, a registered not-for profit organisation that advocates for children with cerebral palsy and their families and families raising children with disabilities in general advocates that there should be policies to support parents of children with disabilities in Ghana.

 

Parents of children with disabilities do not fit into the various categories of disability and yet as Parents of children with disabilities especially the  mothers literally become disabled for their children dealing with stigma, exclusion and everything associated with disability

 

At the workplace, most of them are seen as ineffective due to the many hospital appointments and the demand of caring for a child with disability.

 

Many organisations especially privately owned organisations tend to lay off parents of children with  special needs.

 

However, it is three times more expensive to take care of a child with disability than it is taking care of a regular child.

 

Most parents need money for assistive devices, medication, paying for caregiver services, therapy, extra transportation cost among others. Managing a child with disability in Ghana is very expensive

 

The Special Mothers Project suggests the following policies to government and political parties to help enhance the lives of especially Special Needs Parents

 

Respite Programmes

 

Government should put in place programmes that will help provide respite for especially mothers of children with disabilities by:

 

Creating Respite Centres or facilities where parents of children with disabilities could leave their children during the day or even at the weekend to enable them to work and earn an income.

 

These centres could employ trained Senior High School graduates to support the children with feeding, and para-therapy services.

 

It will also serve as a source of employment for the youth and those with a passion to work with children with disabilities

 

Ensure respite caregivers are trained to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities.

 

Caregiver Support Programme

 

The government should also institute a caregiver support programme to support children who cannot be taken to such centres at home.

 

A directory of professionally trained caregivers by the Department of Social Welfare could be a good resource for parents to get daily, weekly or monthly respite at affordable prices, possibly subsidized by the Government.

 

SHS Graduates could also be engaged to be trained and work as Caregiver support for families, some will identify with it as a passion, and it will serve as an employment avenue for many youths.

 

Caregiving is decent work and it’s a big deal in some developed countries. Caregiving jobs cannot be replaced by Artificial Intelligence.

 

Implement Inclusive Education Policy

 

Government should implement the Inclusive Education policy – Every government school should create a unit where children with different categories of disability could be schooled and integrated with the mainstream students.

 

We suggest that in line with the Inclusive Education Policy, every Government school will have a Special Unit attached where parents within the community could leave their children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities to enable them to go and work and come back to pick their children.

 

This will give children the opportunity to know and learn about children with special needs at first hand. It will also increase empathy in regular children, and it will reduce stigma.

 

Government should absorb the trained Community Based Rehabilitation graduates to help with the handling of children with cerebral palsy in all government school setting, in line with the Inclusive Education Policy

 

Recently graduated teachers should also be trained and attached to selected schools and community centers to help with the handling of children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

 

Government  should employs National Service Persons who have studied Disability and Rehabilitation Studies and attach them to the unit to run an eight to five system that fits the schedule of most working parents

 

The Special Mothers will be happy to provide practical training to the National Service Persons if need be.

 

Most regular children enroll into crèche as early as six months, however a child with cerebral palsy is not allowed into school or an educational centre sometimes forever in their lives due to their disorder. We therefore appeal to the President to direct the creation of Inclusive Community Early Childhood Centers for CP children.

 

 

Health Sector Reforms

 

The government should engage unemployed nurses, to be trained in basic physiotherapy and assigned to selected polyclinics and schools to cut the distances mothers have to travel to the major hospitals for physiotherapy.

 

The need for early identification and intervention of children with cerebral palsy should be prioritized. Most parents have had to contend with either the lack of diagnoses or late diagnoses of their child’s illness which denies them the opportunity to seek early intervention; or push many of them to resort to spiritual help.

 

The National Health Insurance Scheme should absorb the cost of medications needed for children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities and also the cost of therapy such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy as well as the cost of seeing a counselor or psychologist for emotional support.

 

Disability Support Fund

 

Government should create a fund that supports parents of children with disabilities. This fund should be used to support healthcare and medication. The purchase of assistive devices, Education and also as start-up capital for parents who may want to engage in entrepreneurship.

 

Transportation Policy

 

Ghana lacks accessible transportation:  There is the  need for the government to provide accessible transportation options, including wheelchair-accessible vehicles and public transportation.

 

 Transportation subsidies:  Government could also offer transportation subsidies or reimbursements to support families in transporting their child with a disability.

 

 

Workplace Policies to support Parents of children with disabilities

 

Flexible Work Arrangements

Flexible hours will allow parents to adjust their work schedules to accommodate their child's needs, such as medical appointments or therapy sessions.

 

Telecommuting: Offer remote work options to enable parents to balance work and caregiving responsibilities.

 

Compressed workweeks: Allow parents to work longer hours on fewer days to accommodate their child's needs.

 

Family leave: Provide paid or unpaid leave for parents to care for their child with a disability, including medical appointments, therapy sessions, and hospitalizations.

 

 Sick leave: Allow parents to use sick leave to care for their child with a disability.

 

 Bereavement leave: Provide leave for parents to grieve the loss of a child with a disability.

 

 Support for Caregiving Responsibilities

 

 Dependent care assistance: Offer financial assistance or resources to help parents pay for dependent care, such as childcare or respite care.

 

Employee assistance programs (EAPs): Provide access to counseling, therapy, or other support services to help parents manage caregiving stress.

 

Disability awareness training: Offer training to employees and managers on disability awareness, inclusion, and support.

 

Regular check-ins: Regularly check-in with parents to discuss their needs, concerns, and progress.

 Open-door policy: Encourage an open-door policy where parents feel comfortable discussing their needs and concerns.

 

Government support for Parent Support Platforms

 

The Special Mothers Project among other things guides parents on the pathway to effectively handle their children, provide counselling support and point them to available resources and support systems.

 

The Project links parents with one another as a form of peer support and guidance, however, there is absolutely no support for such a programme and many parents tend to wander till they find it.

 

The Special Mothers Project supports parents of children with disabilities to develop individualized support plans, addressing their unique needs and concerns as well as provide emotional support and counseling to family members, acknowledging the emotional impact of caring for a child with a disability.

Government support for publicity, education and awareness creation could also help provide early counselling and intervention for most families.

 

In Ghana, many people tend to lump all children with disabilities together, however, a child with autism may be entirely different from a child with cerebral palsy, a child with autism may have completely different needs from a child with cerebral palsy.

 

In developing a policy, care must be taken to address the uniqueness of each disability to ensure that no group of children with a specific special need is left behind in our attempt to achieve Inclusive development.