A new one-of-a-kind centre in outer-Melbourne has opened to meet the needs of disabled children and adults providing allied health services, respite care and play space.
The centre at Pakenham is the second stage of My Puzzle House and extends their work with the disabled. The new centre provides a fully inclusive facility offering a play space for able-bodied and disabled children together with respite care. The new fully inclusive centre delivers a range of professional services, play space and one on one respite care for children and adults with disabilities.
My Puzzle House Director and co-founder Mandi Marchant says the idea for the new centre came as a result of rapid development in Melbourne’s outer suburbs and the new centre is designed for the entire community as it cares for all people regardless of their physical, cognitive, sensory, language, speech, or communication problems.
She says that “assisting children and adults to further engage in solitary and social play helps encourage many skills including locomotor, language and social.
Mandi says, “this new centre doesn’t just help children with disabilities interact with each other or interact as adults. For some, it’s about whether they play and interact at all.”
She says her desire for the centre to be inclusive has seen the centre provide facilities for adults that even include a swing that will hold up to 300kg.
Her goal is that the new centre will be a hub for community care for the eastern suburbs of Melbourne and West Gippsland providing, space, care and allied health services including occupational therapy. The centre is already keyed into the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
My Puzzle House offers a range of services for children of all abilities and their families and will soon be an NDIS registered organization. Mandi has made a point of making it as easy as possible for her clients to access the support they need.
When it comes to respite care, Mandi hopes that by matching carers with individual needs, the centre will be able to help people to find their much-needed escape.
Drawn for personal plight
The new centre grew from Mandi Marchant’s family experience. A year ago, single mum Mandi struggled to find help for her autistic son Rayne. She was desperate to find somewhere. That search left her feeling alone and with nowhere to turn.
Rayne’s severe autism meant he had behavioural problems that made inclusion in a mainstream school impossible and respite difficult.
Mandi became socially isolated as Rayne’s behaviour meant it was impossible for Mandi and Rayne to visit friends. As her friendship circle diminished, Mandi became desperate. Rather than feeling increasingly hopeless and depressed, Mandi founded My Puzzle House with the help of her mother Robyn. Mandi explains that her centre is named My Puzzle House because she wants everyone that visits to feel like it’s “a part of them.”
The dynamic duo took on the task of building a play centre for children of all abilities, so all children could flourish, play and feel safe or parents could find respite.
When it came to building the original centre Mandi’s father, a carpenter got to work helping them build what has become a hub for the entire community. Eventually they created My Puzzle House and Rayne has somewhere that welcomes him and children like him.
Along the way, Mandi and Robyn took advice and guidance from occupational therapists, other mothers of children with disabilities and even their children to ensure the centre was the best it could be.
Together with their community, Mandi and Robyn have built a place where all children feel safe and included. Mandi insists the new centre will have the same “heart and soul.”
Mandi says “My customers are my friends. It means everything to me to see these kids happy”. For Mandi, helping her community to succeed is at the heart of everything she does.
