About Let's Take Care - Support for Carers of Disabled Children and Young Adults
Melissa and Jane have been caring for their daughters for over 20 years, helping them to lead hugely successful lives. But they've made some mistakes along the way, and learnt a lot. Or, learnt the hard way.
They've been tired, burnt out, broke, ignored, isolated - yet still expected to keep going.
Let's Take Care is their way of helping other carers of disabled children feel less alone - and more equipped to cope with the realities of care that no one talks about.
In each episode they'll talk about the emotional and mental weight of lifelong care - what it's like to fight the system constantly and how to survive practically, emotionally, physically.
They'll be sharing what they wish they knew 20 years ago ... and hoping to make you laugh as well.
Let's Take Care - Extreme Parenting - the latest book on raising children with disabilities
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Let’s Take Care. In this episode, we’re talking to someone who knows only too well what it means to fight for your child. Jane Holmes, CEO of Building for the Future, has written Extreme Parenting, a deeply personal account of raising her daughter Kitty, now 24, who has Cerebral Palsy. It’s a story about love, exhaustion, resilience and the constant battles that so many families of disabled children face behind closed doors. But it’s also a challenge to the m...
4 Jun 2026
Let's Take Care - Celebrity Parent Carers and their journeys
Send us Fan Mail In Episode 11 of Let's Take Care, we explore the growing number of celebrities and public figures who are sharing their experiences of raising disabled children and young people. From social media posts to TV interviews and documentaries, these voices are helping to bring SEND family life into the mainstream, raising awareness, challenging stereotypes and helping other parents feel less alone. We discuss the impact of this increased visibility, the opportunities it creates fo...
1 May 2026
Episode 10: Steve's story - being a neurodivergent Dad to neurodivergent adoptive children
Send us Fan Mail What's it like to find out you have autism as an adult? In this episode Melissa and Jane sit down with Steve, an adoptive dad and charity volunteer, to talk honestly about parenting two teenagers with neurodivergence. Steve shares the story of his own autism diagnosis as an adult, and how that helped him support his children. We also get into self-care that actually works for neurodivergent adults: reducing the constant mental noise, setting boundaries around socialisin...
1 Apr 2026
Episode 9: Practical tips to help parent carers - before there’s a crisis
Send us Fan Mail One cancelled care shift can wipe out a whole day. Parent carers often seem able to do it all - because they have to, but that can make friends, family, and professionals assume they can cope without them, and because of that, sometimes, people let them down. Caring for a child with profound disabilities is not just “busy”. It is a constant mix of medical needs, physical lifting, education battles, and the emotional weight of being the only person who truly knows what “...
1 Mar 2026
Episode 8: How being a carer changes you forever
Send a text When you've seen your child almost die numerous times and you've been living on your nerves for years, your priorities change. You change. Forever. Friendships lapse and new friendships form - forged through common hardships. In this episode of Let's Take Care, mums Jane and Melissa discuss how handling their daughters' illnesses has shaped them. The two friends explain how trauma has changed their take on life - but they wouldn't have it any other way. In their usual warm and wit...
1 Feb 2026
Episode 7: The power of laughter when you're a carer
Send us a text The runaway wheelchair and the havoc of the hoist! Jane and Melissa look on the bright side in this episode of Let's Take Care, as they remind us laughter really is the best medicine, especially if you're the carer of a young adult or child with disabilities. The pressure of being a full-time carer is immense and the two mums discuss how looking back on disasters with a smile has helped them face many challenges. Mel reveals how she put a ghastly social worker in hi...
1 Jan 2026
Episode 6: Health tips for carers
Send us a text Being a carer can take a mental and physical toll. In this New Year episode Jane and Melissa talk about how over the years, they sacrificed their health as they prioritised their children - and why they wished they hadn't. Melissa opens up about her cancer, and Jane talks about her heart condition. The two mums share their tips on staying healthy, and they discuss how looking after themselves has made them better parents and partners. From sound baths to country wa...
1 Dec 2025
Episode 5: Sir Ed Davey shares his story about caring for his disabled son
Send us a text Being Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party hasn't stopped Sir Ed Davey from taking care of his disabled son. In this frank, compassionate and at times, witty discussion Sir Ed talks fondly about his family and the challenges of being a parent carer. Caring for a loved has been a way of life for Sir Ed who first took on caring responsibilities as a child. Join Jane and Melissa in this intimate, no holds barred chat. #EdDavey #LiberalDemocrats #ParentCarer #CaringForCarers #Car...
1 Nov 2025
Episode 4 What we hate about being carers (and it's not our kids!)
Send us a text Being a carer for a young adult with profound disabilities is tough - but it's not our children that make it hard - they're a blessing. It's the system that puts carers under constant pressure. In this episode Melissa and Jane share their greatest frustrations and discuss the many difficulties families face when they're caring for a child with disabilities. This episode is a tongue-in-cheek glimpse at the worries caused by the seemingly never-ending bureaucracy that weighs them...
30 Sept 2025
Episode 3 Handling relationships when your child is disabled
Send us a text What do you do when friends and family offer unhelpful advice when you're the parent of a child with a disabilities? How can you protect your marriage or partnership from the strain of overwhelming tiredness and never-ending responsibilities when you are caring for your child twenty-four hours a day? These are some of the questions Jane and Melissa address in this episode of Let's Take Care - the podcast that supports carers of disabled children. Listen in on their heartfelt co...
1 Sept 2025
Episode 2 The Invisible Load
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1 Aug 2025
Episode 1 Staying positive after having a disabled baby: Jane and Melissas’ stories
Send us a text Unexpectedly giving birth to a baby with disabilities can change the course of your life. In this episode Jane and Melissa share their birth stories and talk us through the challenges they faced when their babies were born with complications. We hear about the mental, physical and psychological toll of raising children with profound disabilities. Jane and Melissa offer advice for other parents following in their footsteps, such as how to find your tribe, how to get&...
9 Jul 2025
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