We support physically disabled children aged 0-5 years, and their families, with six groups running in Watford and Hemel Hempstead across the week.

We recognise some of the challenges and isolation our families face and provide specialist training to enable them to have the confidence to make informed choices and to best support their children. Additionally, we provide a variety of social and respite events for parents and siblings to help build friendships and support networks. All of our services are free to families.

History of Playskill

Stories from Playskill parents

Work for Playskill

Mission statement

Playskill designs and operates treatment programmes which use the context of play for young children with a range of physical difficulties or delay to achieve measurable improvements against individually targeted outcomes.    

Treatment is designed to optimise the potential in each child and to provide support and training to parents and carers, teaching them skills for life ahead in a supportive and caring environment and strengthening the whole family unit.   

Playskill operates to the highest standards of fiscal integrity, treatment, child and parent welfare, and employment, embracing change to remain at the forefront of best practice in the field.   

Playskill follows a planned development programme to increase the number of children and parents who can benefit from its work by expanding into new UK locations.   

Meet the Team

The Playskill team is made up of many hardworking staff members and volunteers. Each group session has a group leader, a paediatric physiotherapist, speech and language therapist and an occupational therapist. Specialist family key workers and our group volunteers assist with the running of the group and help with refreshments.

Every child is given an assigned key worker for the term as well as bespoke targets to work on and achieve.

Normally, each session runs for two hours, with eight children and their families attending. During the sessions children will be welcomed with a song, and then move on to receive their therapy, snack time, messy play and finish with a visit to the soft play or sensory room, giving parents a much needed coffee break while their child is looked after.

Directors

Andrea Clarke MBE- Founder, Director and Paediatric Physiotherapist
Karen Belmont – Deputy Director and Speech and Language Therapist

Paediatric Physiotherapists

Helen Brind
Sue Upcott
Sarah Masters

Speech and Language Therapists

Jodi Binnersley
Debbie Hughes

Occupational Therapists

Lucy Edwards
Claire Lancaster
Tracey O’Brien

Trustees

Playskill is lucky to have an incredible group of trustees who give up their time to ensure the smooth running of the charity. If you are interested in becoming a trustee please email finance@playskill.org to discuss.

Meet the trustees