Physical and mental disability is an ongoing journey. Not only do the angels (special needs children) have different challenges at different stages of their lives, their family members who accompany them, are also affected by disabilities. For example, there are the issues of the angel’s education, the family’s own emotional adjustments, the seemingly endless therapy sessions and care, the sudden freak accidents, recurrent medical visits, the re-adaptation of career changes, the lack of nursing and employment institutions, the problem of the deteriorating angel and their aging parents, etc.

Therefore, the Angel Heart Family serves the parents and the healthy siblings of angels, through its five services locations in Taiwan. With an array of outstanding professors of various fields, the foundation organizes multifaceted development courses to better the parents and healthy siblings’ knowledge and ability, thus enhancing family functions.

If you have related needs, you are welcome to sign up and participate in the different local curriculum activities (check out our latest events now). You can also contact the Angel Heart Family for more complete course details (contact us now).

Parent Development Program

• Parental Seminars

Assisting parents in better parenting and self-efficacy. Promoting interactive parental experience exchanges and mutual support.

• Development Groups and Workshops

Thematic small group courses are provided according to the parents’ needs. Topics include parenting, family relationships and career exploration. This course will help encourage healthy adjustments and development for each family.

• Leadership Training

Parents learn to become other parents’ helper through a variety of training courses. With their experiences, they can then influence other parents to be hopeful and walk out of their despair.

Healthy Sibling Development Program

• Sibling Camps and Workshops

Sibling workshops and camps are conducted according to age groups to enrich life experiences, to promote self-affirmation, career exploration and interpersonal skills.

• Development Groups

Together with seminars, respite camps and related services, a series of development groups are planned by our professional staff to ensure healthy growth.

• Supporting Activities

Social activities are organized to establish good interpersonal networking.

While providing services, we found that there are individual needs or difficulties in families living with disabilities, i.e.: family tensions, parental communication barriers, personal mental state imbalances, major crisis events, etc. As a result, the Angel Heart Family assembles social workers, psychologists and other experts to cater to these specific needs, providing individualized, family-based, thorough information and assistances.

Consultation and Case Management Services

• Provide family counseling services through phone calls, interviews, home visits, etc. If a family is evaluated as one that is facing multiple issues, then the care department staff will offer standing services in identifying and connecting available family resources to restore the original family functions.
• Provide short-term financial aids for emergencies and sudden family financial needs while continuously assessing its economic status.

Individual Consultation Services

Counseling services are conducted by professional psychologists to help troubled family members face depression and stress, thus promoting healthy development of family functions.

Most of the parents of these angels are the main caretakers. However, these angels’ condition may improve for the rest of their lives. The parents are required to take care of them for many years without any break, leading them to be physically and mentally exhausted. As the parents grow old, the burden of taking care of the angel is then passed on to the healthy siblings. The Angel Heart Family provides many types of services such as parent-child respite camps or interest groups, offering them a short-term rest, to restore family relationships, thus improving each family member’s quality of life.

Family Respite Camps

• The “beginners respite camp” is mainly targeted towards the new members of the Angel Heart Family. Their curriculum was designed to encourage each family member’s self-awareness, hence having them recognize the importance of their own growth for the family.
• The “advanced respite camp” is for the families who have been to the beginners respite camp. The parents of these families benefit from parent to parent support and assistance, all the while discovering their own unique way of exerting their influence.
• Both of the camps mentioned above provided one-on-one special needs care services. Courses for healthy siblings group are assigned according to age.

Parent Interest Groups 

Diversified activities such as short trips, meal parties, choirs, art classes, parent gatherings, health rhythms courses, book clubs, etc., are organized to help parents relieve stress and to build an atmosphere of mutual acceptance and support, thus improving their relationship between each other.

For families living with disabilities, it’s a long road ahead caring for their angels. Other than social resources and professional knowledge services, it is very important for the greater community to encourage and support these families through “acknowledgement, understanding, acceptance and friendliness”. Therefore, the Angel Heart Family is committed to implementing this belief in all the corners of each city. We are hopeful that through the power of the public’s support, the angel families can gain more courage and strength to face adversities.

Awareness and Outreach

Outreach events are implemented in campuses and communities to create a more knowledgeable, accepting and disability-friendly environment.

336 Angel’s Day

Through 336 Angel’s Day and creating disability-friendly communities, we increase the public’s acknowledgement, understanding, acceptance and friendliness towards families living with disabilities.

Concerts

Thanksgiving Concerts are held in several cities of Taiwan, gathering angel families and the public to jointly enjoy inspiring music and life stories. At the same time, calling all people to action in supporting the Angel Heart Family.