Summary
Cafe Holiday Club operates 5-days per week (9 week school holidays): 2-weeks Spring, 6-weeks Summer, 1-week October. We promise to offer disabled children and young people FUN, exciting and challenging activities, supporting and extending development through Free Play, Crafts, Dance, Drama & Sport
What Cafe Holiday Clubs did
The Cafe Holiday Club provided lots of FUN for disabled children / young people (Glasgow & surrounds) enabling carers to engage in activities of choice, confident their child was in a positive, safe, fun space where they were encouraged by creating opportunities to integrate, play, learn in an environment of respect and promotion of positive behaviours. We had over 70 children/young people registered to attend our Cafe Holiday Club with an average of 25 children/young people attending our each session (5 days each week). Again in 2018 we are very proud to report that we have been able to deliver 2 projects under The Cafe Holiday Club heading: Project 1 - children aged 5 - 16 years (we delivered 360 hours of service to this group) and Project 2 - young people aged 17 - 20 years (we delivered 216 hours of service to this group). For 2018 we delivered 576 hours of service to 70 plus children and young people and their parents/carers. 2018 was an amazing year for the children and young people attending Club. We delivered a full programme of activities and events including Sports, Drama, Free Play, Arts & Crafts and many many more fun activities - resulting in 9 weeks of fun and a huge range of exciting and challenging activities. Most of the activities and events take place in and around our base at the Community Halls and grounds of Cathcart Old Parish Church, but again in 2018 we got out and about to our local parks, outdoor spaces - even joining our friends across our community in a BIG PLAY DAY and a Family Sports Day. Both these events are becoming annual activities where we can integrate with other out-of-school clubs and play schemes ensuring we help to continue our partnerships and build and develop friends across the wider community. In 2018 we delivered over 56% of our sessions outdoor - not quite reaching our target of 60%, but a real improvement on our 2017 figure (50%). It was essential that we increase our outdoor play as not all the children/young people attending the Cafe Holiday Club get regular opportunities to experience outdoor play and activities. Our project went to plan thanks to the support of staff and children/young people.
What The Saturday Cafe Clubs has learned
Planning and keeping on budget are the 2 most important factors. Over the years we have developed a process for planning the annual Cafe Holiday Club ensuring we engage our membership and keep everyone informed of the process and progress. Information shared is most certainly the path to a smooth Cafe Holiday Club.
How The Saturday Cafe Clubs has benefitted from the funding
Continued access to good toolkits like the costing spreadsheet and evaluation toolkit is invaluable. We also find the funding workshops of immense help and especially enjoy the opportunity to develop new networks.
Project Outcomes
Outcome
70 children and young people with disabilities from across Glasgow and the wider community will have had improved access to participate in fun leisure and recreation activities of choice with their peers, developing current friendships and making new friendships
Results
A total of 70 children/young people had improved access to leisure activities across the 9 weeks school breaks of 2018 with the following targets being fully achieved: An average 25 children attended The Café Holiday Club session. An average of 12 young people attended the Ozzy's HolidayYouth Club sessions
Case study
A and K are brothers - both with a diagnosis of Autism. A&K's mum says that she has real problems controlling the boys weight as they were sedentary before Club - refusing to play any sport or take part in any physical activity. She reports that there were ongoing problems because of this at school and she was really worried about the boys weight gain and how this could be affecting both their emotional and physical well-being. She also reported that she felt both boys behavioural challenges had increased as they were obviously inactive and board. Over the summer break we agreed play and activity challenges with both boys. We found that A had a real interest in football and K just loved playing the drums (no previous interest had been shown). We spent time over the holiday Clubs working with the boys on their chosen activities and we also agreed a behaviour chart (which mum took home). We saw a real improvement over the 6 week summer break so we extended this and encouraged the boys to participate in our Sunday Sports sessions. Over the period mum has reported good progress and we have recognised an improved change in behaviour in Club.
Outcome
70 children and young people with disabilities and their carers from across Glasgow and the wider community will have increased wellbeing and reduced stress through improved access to physical health and wellbeing information and support to participate in activities of choice
Results
We delivered a minimum of 9 hours / maximum of 21 hours service to enable carers to participate in activities of choice. We also provided space and opportunity for carers to meet to discuss issues that affect their wellbeing and to promote peer discussion and support to overcome these
Case study
B is a young male (15) who has been coming to The Saturday Cafe general clubs and The Cafe Holiday Clubs for a number a few years. B has a diagnosis of Autism and finds it really challenging to be in social situations. Although B is unable to communicate his own feelings we are able to recognise that over the Cafe Holiday periods (especially the 6 week summer break) B becomes more relaxed more quickly in Club. His anxiety lessens and he engages in activities at an earlier point in the day. B's mum reports that by B attending Club that she is more able to spend time with B's sibling and do general things like the shopping which are impossible to do when she is caring for B as he runs away and is unaware of danger. B's mum says, "the break makes me feel more like ME, instead of being a tired and moany mum. I am more relaxed and while B is at Club as I know he is also less anxious and more able to mix with others, play games and dance (which he doesn't do at home)". I feel more able cope.
Outcome
50 carers of disabled children from across Glasgow and the wider community will have time to access activities of choice free from their role of carer
Results
We delivered a minimum of 9 hours / maximum of 21 hours service to enable carers to participate in activities of choice. We also provided information on the leisure and recreation opportunities in the area and facilitated access to these where and when appropriate
Case study
K is a young woman aged 18, her mum reported that she hoped that The Cafe Holiday Club could provide her with some valuable time away from her 24/7 caring role as she is a single parent. K's mum also has other caring responsibilities as she has elderly parents who are quite isolated. Post Cafe Holiday Club K's mum reported, "I feel I can focus on other things which are necessary without the worry or stress of wondering how I can fit it all in. The time off during the holiday period is essential to allow me to re-focus, prioritise other things and get other essential tasks completed". She also said, "I was able to catch up with my SDS paperwork and I was able to do some gardening which is a stress buster for me". K's mum also said that she is happy that K gets to meet with friends, play safely and have fun with a group of people (not just her). She says that K is energised by going to the Club and she looks forward to every session she attends and loves being outdoors.
Outcome
50 carers will have the opportunity to engage in (supported or self-directed) social activities with other carers to exchange challenges and good news stories to develop peer support networks
Results
Our advisory group have built on last years success by engaging more people in the development of topics for the group. We have both formal and informal opportunities for parents/carers to meet over the 9 week periods
Case study
L is new to the Cafe Holiday Club for 2018. L's parents reported that they found the opportunity to discuss issues with other parents/carers invaluable as they previously felt isolated and were unaware of many of the other support services they could access including a real inexperience of the benefits system. With support from other parents / carers they now feel they have been orientated to the right professionals and armed with the right questions to ask. L's mum said, "this opportunity has certainly helped take some of our stress away.We had a budget for L, but had felt judged by professionals when utilising the budget to have care for L - I no longer feel this and I feel able and more confident to express this to those who I have to deal with in relation to L's budget".