Summary
Our Youth Clubs provide regular, weekly social opportunities for young teenagers, with a wide range of disabilities. The clubs offer a safe, fully supported space, where young people can enjoy spending time with their peers, trying new activities, unveiling new hobbies and enhancing existing ones.
What Can Do Youth Clubs did
We delivered 2 weekly youth club sessions over 34 weeks, on a Tuesday and Thursday evening from a specialist secondary school in East Lothian. 35 young people with a wide variety of disabilities, including those with severe and complex care needs were supported over the extensive 34 week period. They built and maintained friendships, developed new skills, grew in confidence and independence and most importantly had a safe space from which to have FUN, whilst all their care needs were met. Carers benefitted from regular, weekly respite which allowed them a break to look forward to, providing support to enable them to maintain their complex caring roles. They reported improved wellbeing, better relationships with siblings, feeling recharged, and having time to maintain employment due to the support of the project. Nine volunteers participated in the project delivery, providing befriending support and generating a fun youthful atmosphere. These volunteers aged 15-18years, gained certificated training and first hand social care experience which they have taken forward into future employment or future education. We are delighted that three of the volunteers have chosen to stay within the care sector directly as a result of their volunteering experience. This project delivered against 5/6 BBs priorities; complex needs, sports & active leisure, independence, transition into adulthood & diversity. The overall project was a great success, and although supporting less children than first predicted due to low sessional staff and volunteer availability, the overarching reach of the project was hugely beneficial for the 35 children who participated. It is a platform which we hope to build upon and will continue to develop and expand to address the growing demand for our service.
What Can Do has learned
Targeting families most in need of support: This project was able to reach 35 families who experienced social isolation as result of their child's disability. They felt excluded, marginalised and forgotten about within their society. Inclusion in the Can Do Youth Clubs has helped these children and families, have regular social contact, boosting the wellbeing of the whole family unit. They feel valued, included and have something to look forward to on a weekly basis.
Partnership Working: We have build strong connections with other local partners working collaboratively to offer a variety of activity opportunities for our members. This has enabled a knowledge exchange, encouraging other local providers to explore what more they could do to make activities accessible and enjoyable. Our visibility in our local community, helps to break down barriers to exclusion and challenges the norm.
Dealing with unexpected challenges: The main challenge we have experienced in this funded period is in attracting more volunteers to join our project. Despite intensive advertising, our volunteer campaign has not been fruitful, limiting the number of children and families we are able to offer support too. We are experience a rise in distressed, challenging behaviours from the members we are supporting, which has resulted in higher staffing ratios behind required, further limiting the availability we gave to extend our offering to move families. This rise could be due to the covid pandemic, making interaction and re-engaging in communities more challenging for children. It could also be due to other changes and transitions in their lives as they move between primary and secondary school provisions. We have temporarily capped the number of children we are supporting in order to ensure safe operating procedures. Impacting on the number of children and carers benefiting from our project.
How Can Do has benefitted from the funding
Our Better Breaks funding has enabled the continuation of a much needed service in East Lothian. Our waiting lists are growing in size, demonstrating the lack of other suitable leisure opportunities in our region that can accommodate the complex needs of young people with disabilities. The continuation of funding has allowed our service to provide sustainability for families who already face so much uncertainty in their lives. Offering a lifeline of support for young people and carers alike to have planned regular social opportunities, enabling them to feel better connected and valued in their local community.
Project Outcomes
Outcome
Our Can-Do youth clubs will be running twice weekly at full capacity. Offering 50 children and young people the chance to socially interact with peers, try out new activities, have their voices heard on what activities they want to take part in. They will be included and part of a club.
Results
This outcome was partially achieved. We were able to offer a full cohort of youth clubs running twice weekly for 34 weeks of the year, including an additional 'staycation weekend session'. We didn't achieve the full 50 children and young people predicted due to low sessional staff and volunteer availability, but did provide regular weekly support to 35 children over the 68 sessions.
Case study
Our Youth Clubs have been able to run for 34 consecutive weeks, opening up opportunities within our local community for young people to access wide range of activities. For many, the reintroduction to community activities has been challenging following the pandemic. Our supported provision, has allowed members to explore this at a slow, gentle pace building up to engaging in group activities once again. Swimming in particular has been a challenge for our members, readjusting to the noise, busyness and sensory stimulation the pool brings. With our high staffing levels and volunteer support we have been able to break this down into stages for our members, giving them time to adjust and process the changes. This has led to many members re-joining their school swimming sessions, and accessing leisure activities out with the club which impacts positively on their health and wellbeing and that of the wider family unit.
Outcome
Carers will benefit with having time out with their caring role. Carers will have time to interact and engage with family, friends etc. Carers will have time to reset and take part in a hobby they enjoy or just enjoy the respite youth club is offering.
Results
This outcome was fully achieved. 70 parents/carers received regular weekly planned respite, which allowed them to have a break from their complex caring responsibilities.
Case study
We have supported two members at our Youth Clubs this term who have been non-school attenders. The complexities of exam build up and periods, when already struggling to navigate the education system with a disability have not made a full time school placement sustainable. These members have continued to attend youth club on a weekly basis, giving them a focus and an outlet to enjoy socialising in a group setting again. This has elevated huge amounts of pressure from their carers, whom are anxious the longer they remain out of school, the harder it will become to reintegrate. Involvement with Can Do Youth Clubs provide a stepping stone from which confidence can be rebuilt, and coping mechanisms introduced to work towards school attendance again.
Outcome
Parents and families will have improved wellbeing knowing that they have a regular short break from their caring routine. This should help to improve their own health and wellbeing which in turn helps to sustain their caring routine.
Results
This outcome was fully achieved. This outcome was fully achieved. 70 parents/carers received regular weekly planned respite, which allowed them to have a break from their complex caring responsibilities, reporting improved wellbeing as a result of the support provided.
Case study
We have supported two members at our Youth Clubs this term who have been non-school attenders. The complexities of exam build up and periods, when already struggling to navigate the education system with a disability have not made a full time school placement sustainable. These members have continued to attend youth club on a weekly basis, giving them a focus and an outlet to enjoy socialising in a group setting again. This has elevated huge amounts of pressure from their carers, whom are anxious the longer they remain out of school, the harder it will become to reintegrate. Involvement with Can Do Youth Clubs provide a stepping stone from which confidence can be rebuilt, and coping mechanisms introduced to work towards school attendance again.
Outcome
The child or young person will be enjoying their weekly youth club and the parent/carer will have reduced stress or worries.
Results
This outcome was fully achieved. The weekly attendance of our members was high, evidencing members were happy to be accessing the provision on a regular basis.
Case study
Testimonial from Parent (Carer):
My son joined Can-do (East Lothian Special Needs Playscheme as it was known at the time) when he was about 7 years old.
He was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3 and he was very much a loner and quite withdrawn. We, as a family, were still getting to know him and we had some challenging times.
Can-do was a valuable lifeline and has been since with playscheme during school holidays, a weekly youth club when he entered his teens and residential weekends away to encourage his independence.
The staff and volunteers at Can-do have helped to bring my son out of himself, give him the confidence to try new things, provide ideal surroundings when things get too much for him, befriend and encourage him and generally influence him in positive ways.
My son is almost 16 so he won't be able to attend playscheme and youth club for much longer. We are thankful for the opportunities our son has been given as part of the Can-do family. With thanks, in part to them, my son has become a wonderful, polite and kind young man.