Lagan's Foundation

"Providing support and at home care to families with babies and children under the age of 5 diagnosed with Congenital Heart Defects and / or feeding difficulties."

Mission Statement

Families who live with a child who has congenital cardiac defects have a stressful and difficult task ahead. Respite of any kind is invaluable.

Lagan's Foundation is a non-profit making organisation that aims to help families who have babies and children up to 5 years old, diagnosed with cardiac defects and/or feeding difficulties.

Lagan's Foundation's purpose is to provide an at home respite service staffed by trained volunteers to support parents in their caring role.

About Lagan's Foundation

It has been recognised through the experience gain whilst caring for Lagan, that coordinating and accessing, care and support services, once baby or child returns home from a specialist unit where they have received diagnosis, treatment or care, it is a challenging, overwhelming experience for parents to identify what services can and should be in place.

Lagan's Foundation has been founded with a focus on bridging the gap between NHS Services and Community Care by providing an extra avenue of communication, support and information.

Our aim is that with support from the appropriate Care Centres and the Community Teams we can try to ensure parents and carers of babies and young children with CHD and/or feeding difficulties, receive the care and support at home that they need, deserve and are entitled to.

Lagan was a baby affected by complex congenital heart defects, due to this Lagan experienced feeding difficulties and was subsequently fed using the Gastrostomy PEG.
Once Lagan was discharged home it became obvious that it was difficult to source any appropriate help to support caring for Lagan to enable her family to have a short break. This may have included a weekly sitting service to help the parent do simple tasks such as get a shower, have a short but well needed sleep or maybe make a meal.

The vision of Lagan's Foundation is to provide trained volunteers to assist families for just a few hours a week so that primary carers can take a short rest etc.
All volunteers will be fully CRB checked and have specific needs training to enable them to care for a child confidently.
At no time will the volunteer be left in the house alone with the child.
The purpose of the volunteer will be to give the parent a break when they most need it, by offering an extra pair of hands to care for the a specific child while the parent takes 'time out' in the home.

Lagan's Fountation has five appointed Trustees to look after the charities affairs,
Carren Bell
Ewan Bell
Nancy Peplow
Richard Hunter
Michelle Jackson

Along with the caring role, Lagan's Foundation hopes to provide simple support, information and guidance to parents so that they understand the level of care and support they may be entitled to receive from the NHS, Local Authority and other services in their area.

This additional support will be via a designated website www.lagans.org.uk.
From here family and friends will be able to look for advice and information about where to go should they need extra help.

There are a few children's heart charities around already providing levels of support and research and we hope that we will be able to link with these charities and between us we will be able to provide a comprehensive level of care and support for all families affected by CHD and feeding difficulties.