{"id":31506,"date":"2026-08-18T09:10:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T23:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.relationshipsnsw.org.au\/?p=31506"},"modified":"2026-08-18T09:30:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T23:30:53","slug":"the-snug-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.relationshipsnsw.org.au\/ar\/blog\/the-snug-program\/","title":{"rendered":"The SNUG Program: Connecting Families of Children with Rare Health Conditions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For more than 15 years, the SNUG Program<\/a> has brought together families raising children with complex health conditions and disability.<\/h6>

Run by the Family Action Centre at the University of Newcastle<\/a>, SNUG holds residential retreats where families can meet others with similar experiences, take part in activities and spend time together.<\/p>

Since 2009, the program has supported more than 330 families and 1,280 individuals. Relationships Australia NSW has been involved in SNUG for more than a decade, providing pro bono therapeutic support to families attending the retreats.<\/p>

Now, with a major source of funding coming to an end, the future of the program is uncertain.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A place to connect with other families<\/h2>

Families raising children with rare and complex health conditions can have experiences that aren’t always well understood by others. For some, SNUG is the first time they’ve met another family navigating similar circumstances.<\/p>

Senior Counsellor and Art Therapist, Lucy Butler, has supported SNUG retreats throughout her seven-and-a-half years with Relationships Australia NSW.<\/p>

\u201cI don’t think there are many programs where you literally see such a difference in families’ and children’s lives,\u201d says Lucy.<\/p>

At each retreat, Lucy and Group Facilitator Leanne Schubert run creative family therapy sessions focused on connection, confidence and communication, while recognising each family’s strengths.<\/p>

Activities are adapted so people with a wide range of abilities can participate. They have included badge-making, family mandalas, collaborative sculptures, community murals and shared storytelling.<\/p>

Lucy says an important part of SNUG is simply the opportunity to spend time with people who have had similar experiences.<\/p>

Parents can meet other parents facing some of the same challenges, siblings have the chance to connect with other young people who have a brother or sister with a complex health condition, and children with disability have opportunities to form friendships <\/span>with other children and young people.<\/p>

\u201cThere’s nowhere in my life where I go and I just feel so accepted and so understood,\u201d one sibling involved in SNUG told us.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A post shared by The SNUG Project (@thesnugprogram)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n