For families
If you have been holding it all together, this is for you.
Support for families caring for an adult with complex needs — and for the people who love them. You do not have to have it all worked out before you call.
“Most of the families who come to us are tired.”
Vierka Hiscock, DirectorWe know what families carry
The weight is rarely just practical
Caring for an adult with complex needs is not only the appointments and the routines. It is everything you carry underneath — often for years, often without anyone noticing.
Exhaustion
The relentlessness of it — the broken sleep, the being permanently on call, the holidays that never quite happen.
Responsibility
Being the one person who truly understands them, and knowing how much depends on you being well.
Guilt
Wondering whether you are doing enough, or too much — and whether asking for help means letting them down.
Fear
Of crises, of getting it wrong, of services that come and go, of the next difficult phone call.
The future
The quiet question underneath everything: what happens to them when you are no longer able to do this?
Loneliness
Feeling unheard by services that don’t understand, and carrying it largely alone.
What families tell us
You are not the first to feel this way
These are the things families say to us, again and again — anonymised, but true to almost every first conversation we have.
“I am so tired, and I feel guilty even saying it.”
“We have tried other agencies. Nobody stayed long enough to really know him.”
“I just want to know he’ll be alright when I’m gone.”
What changes when support works
From managing a crisis to having a life
When the right support settles in, the change is rarely dramatic — it is the quiet return of ordinary things.
The person comes back into view
Once daily life is stable, who they are — their interests, humour, friendships — has room to return, instead of everything revolving around crisis.
You get to be family again
You can be a parent, a sibling, a partner — not only a carer, a coordinator and an emergency service.
Trust replaces vigilance
The same two or three workers, week after week, mean you are not constantly checking, re-explaining, or bracing for the next change.
Progress becomes possible
With stability in place, small steps toward independence and confidence can finally hold.
We support the family, not just the individual
Family relationships matter to us
We support the individual — but we never forget the family system around them. We keep you informed without overwhelming you, we listen to what you know better than anyone, and we work with you rather than around you. Good support should lighten the load on a family, not add another relationship to manage. When we take someone on, we are quietly supporting everyone who loves them too.
Questions families ask us
The things you are probably wondering
How quickly can support start?
For urgent situations — a hospital discharge, a sudden change, a carer who needs immediate respite — we can usually begin within days of the first conversation. For planned support, the typical lead time is one to two weeks once we have agreed we are a good fit.
What if my son or daughter won’t accept support workers?
This is one of the most common worries, and we expect it. We introduce people slowly and carefully, building trust at the person’s pace. The fact that we use the same small team — not a rotating cast of strangers — is exactly what makes acceptance possible over time.
What if support has failed before?
Many of the families who come to us have already tried other providers. We are used to stabilising situations that have broken down — see our page on when support has broken down. We will be honest about whether we can help.
What happens if needs increase?
Packages are flexible. We can step support up — from a few hours a day to round-the-clock — as needs change, without you having to start again with a new provider.
Can we stay closely involved?
Absolutely. We work with families, not around them. You will have a clear point of contact, and you are as involved as you want to be.
Which areas do you cover?
Our core work is across Bristol and South Gloucestershire, with some selected partner areas. The quickest way to check is to call us.
“You do not have to have everything worked out before you contact us.”
Care HorizonsThe first step is just a conversation.
Tell us what is happening. We will listen, tell you honestly whether we are the right people, and explain what could happen next. Nothing has to be decided today.
0117 405 4320 [email protected] Request a confidential conversation Confidential and unhurried. You reach senior people who know the work — Jo Sparrow and Jessica White take enquiries, with Vierka Hiscock overseeing every case. We normally respond within one working day.