Our vision (the future HELP would like to see):
A society in which the educational, social, and emotional needs of HLP children (whatever their background) are better recognised and met.
Our mission (the means by which HELP intends to achieve it):
To improve the quality of childhood for HLP children by:
- Bringing together European practitioner organisations, to offer support to each other and enable an active exchange of ideas and good practice;
- Working to change society’s mainly negative attitude towards HLP children by raising awareness of their needs so they are more readily accepted for who they are and what they are capable of achieving;
- Encouraging the process of turning research into practical action in answer to the question: ‘What should we do differently on Monday morning?’;
- Developing, providing, and raising awareness of appropriate ways of meeting HLP children’s needs, abilities, talents, and potential;
- Encouraging and enabling all those involved in supporting HLP children (parents/carers, educators, psychologists, etc…) to do so also;
- Encouraging HLP children to strive for personal excellence in fields of enquiry or endeavour that catch their interest and imagination, and inspire them to achieve;
- Making the children feel it is safe to excel by working to ensure there is equal esteem for achievement in the widest variety of interests and skills – technical, practical, sporting, artistic, interpersonal… as well as academic;
- Creating and encouraging a team of ‘doers’ offering evidence-based practice;
- Evaluating the effects of what we offer and sharing good practice;
- Collaborating with each other, and with others who share our vision, to build on success and to raise awareness of the positive outcomes that can be achieved.
