Life is more difficult for families with a child afflicted with cleft lip or palate or other congenital craniofacial abnormalities than most families can appreciate. We established the Family Support Group in order to help our special children grow up healthy and happy, parents and guardians can join together to exchange medical information, share experiences, and provide mutual support.

Mission
To promote emotional support and the sharing of experiences among families affected by cleft lip and palate conditions. Further, to assist children afflicted with cleft lip or cleft palate to grow in an accepting, warm environment, and to develop a complete character and healthy social adjustment.

Services
Telephone Counseling – Support Group volunteers have established a telephone counseling network where parents of children afflicted with cleft lip/palate can find volunteers with similar experiences to help resolve their confusion and guide them on various points of care.

Clinic Visitations – Support Group volunteers provide emotional support and advice on caring to alleviate the helplessness of parents accompanying their child on their first hospital visit.

Home Outreach – Family Support Group volunteers can arrange home visits with parents of cleft lip or cleft palate children to address their unique needs.

Social Activities – Each year the Support Group conducts various social activities to bring afflicted families together to lend one another support and share related medical knowledge. Events include medical lectures, outdoor barbecues, Mother’s Day celebrations, and annual parties of our northern, central, and southern regional branches.

Community Self-help Groups – Support Group families living in the same community meet regularly to exchange medical information, share approaches to raising children, community resources, and enhance children’s social relations. Self-help groups have been established thus far in Taipei’s Shihlin and Wenshan districts, as well as the greater Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, and Tainan regions.

Campus Talk-story Moms – Coupled with the “Love Makes Whole” Children’s Literature Awards, our Talk-story Moms foster the concept of “Liking myself, and liking friends different from me” through children’s story books, helping cleft lip/palate children to become more accepting and better adjusted to school.