Special Bees, Playgroup for Special Needs Children aged 0-5 Announces 2013 Dates & Plans
SPECIAL BEES is an Auckland based play group for children with special needs and their siblings alongside their parents
and carers. Special Bees invites all children with special needs (aged 0-5) to come and have fun playing with toys,
games and a variety of sensory equipment.
SPECIAL BEES is a place where positive play is encouraged and where families have the opportunity to receive support in
encouraging their children to play and have fun. Casual attendance is welcomed and tea, coffee, biscuits & healthy snacks will be provided.
SPECIAL BEES is run by a specialist team that have experience in working with children with special needs. Headed up by
Emily Conway, who started working with children with disabilities and their families in 1995 in the UK. Emily qualified
as a social worker in 2001 and has worked in the field of disability ever since.
Conway says “I had found the work incredibly rewarding and I was humbled and inspired every day by the children, young
people and their families that I had the pleasure of working alongside.”
Emily’s first role as a social worker was within a local council disabled children's team and whilst this work was very
demanding, she found the work immensely rewarding and the challenges she faced working alongside families struggling
with everyday life were matched with the reward of families making significant positive changes that she helped
facilitate.
After 2 years in this team, Emily moved to a 'Shared Care' team recruiting, training, assessing and supporting
specialist foster carers to provide short term placements for children and young people with disabilities. Seeing the
children and young people she placed thrive, learn, develop and grow and also the carers that looked after them gain so
much from this relationship in addition to seeing all individuals involved have such a rewarding experience was both
humbling and inspiring and taught her so much about the kind of person she wanted to be.
Having moved to New Zealand in 2009 and having her son in 2011, she took a career break but when he was 18 months, she
approached PLUNKET to start a playgroup for pre-school children with disabilities and SPECIAL BEES was born.
SPECIAL BEES is on during term time and is caters for anyone that is able to attend and is on the 2nd & 4th Monday of every month during term time. Children and their parents and carers are welcome to arrive at any point
between 9.30 -11.30am and the play group is held at Zion Hill Methodist Church, Onewa Road, Birkenhead, Auckland and a
$3 donation is requested.
Please contact Emily for more details on 021 040 2215 or email specialbees@gmail.com
ENDS