Summary
83 children and young people with complex needs in the Scottish Borders enjoyed 1:1 and group friendships with peer-age volunteers while their families had a break. They did fun social & leisure activities, particularly focusing on arts projects, and some groups went on overnight trips.
What Children & Young People's Befriending Project did
Beneficiaries
105 children and young people with learning disabilities aged 8-20 were registered with us at the start of the project. 11 new members joined and 8 left during the year.
We reached members and their families through schools, Social Work, parents groups, local publicity and our website.
We accepted requests for service in respect of any child or young person with a learning disability or autism.
Volunteers
40 new volunteers from schools were trained and checked over the summer holidays and started volunteering in August (a similar number having left in July). Around 80 volunteers were involved at any one time.
Activities
There were 28 1:1 friendships and 67 members with learning disabilities were in befriending groups. We supported a total of 83 children and young people (target 80).
1:1 links met fortnightly or monthly for 2-3 hours.
• 7 of the 28 friendships were newly created this year.
• 18 involved young volunteers. Most of these met at members’ homes, while links with older volunteers were out and about in the community.
Ten befriending groups met fortnightly on weekday evenings for 2-3 hours in community centres in Kelso, Hawick, Selkirk and Peebles. They were supervised by Interest Link staff and senior volunteers and did typical youth group activities as well as multi-week arts projects aimed at personal development. 3 of the groups went on overnight trips (1 less than planned, due to practical issues).
Two in-school groups for 6 members in total were successfully piloted in Hawick and Selkirk High Schools. The assistance of school staff enabled us to reach members with personal care, health, family or behavioural issues which made it difficult for them to attend our main groups.
For full details of specific activities done in 1:1 links or groups, please see Outcome 1: Results below.
147 carers largely used the respite to spend quality time with their other children and spouses, but some met up other parents, went shopping or just had a rest, happy knowing their child was having fun with friends.
All Better Breaks priority areas were addressed apart from that dealing with very young children aged 0-5.
What Interest Link Borders has learned
• Some families can be difficult to engage with, and persistence is needed to enable the children or young person to benefit.
• Although we have been providing our service over several years, launching new initiatives (such as the in-school groups) always throws up unexpected problems and obstacles to be overcome.
• Our partnerships with the schools are invaluable, and there is a great deal of enthusiasm by staff to extend their work with us.
How Interest Link Borders has benefitted from the funding
The Better Breaks funding gave us the flexibility to pilot the new in-school groups. This has certainly strengthened our reputation with the schools and we have never worked as closely with them as we are doing now. The schools have a range of knowledge, capacities and skills that can extend our reach and overcome the difficulty we sometimes have with personal care, health and behavioural issues.
Project Outcomes
Outcome
80 Children and young people with learning disabilities will have taken part in a wide range of activities including arts & crafts, music, drama, outdoor activities, overnight trips and whatever else they choose.
Results
This outcome was achieved for all children and young people.
1:1 link activities included playing board & computer games, listening to music, visiting cafes, going to the cinema, going on walks and picnics and sightseeing.
Befriending group activities were wide and varied, for example drama, music, arts & crafts, raising plants, farm visits, Wild Woods, scrap booking, games & DVD nights, cake-making, local Operatic Society shows. Parties for Halloween, Christmas, Burns Night and Easter were very popular.
The groups also did multi-week arts projects, with performances for family and friends.
• Still Game: TV show spin-off including building and racing go-karts
• Recycled Fashion Show (Red is the New Black)
• The Good, The Burnt and The Soggy film project
• Samba Drumming and Salsa Dancing
• Designing and making table games.
3 of the groups went on overnight trips: a joint trip for 2 groups to Falkirk Wheel & the Kelpies, and a sightseeing trip to Edinburgh.
Case study
Michael`s head teacher at a local Additional Needs Unit felt that he would benefit from meeting up socially with other children the same age. Michael is 10 years old, has moderate learning disabilities and lives at home with his mum and dad and younger brother.
His parents were apprehensive and accompanied him to a Drumming Project that was running for 6 weeks. Although daunted, Michael was encouraged to join in by Sarah our sessional worker and clearly enjoyed himself, safe in the knowledge that mum and dad were nearby. For the next sessions Michael agreed to come without his parents, and although initially anxious and wary, he rose to the challenge and has never looked back.
Michael is now a consistent attender, and a happy little boy who has flourished and become more confident away from mum and dad. Michael`s parents are secure in the knowledge that he is safe and happy. They are very happy that he has the opportunity to be involved in a variety of activities that allow him to be more sociable.
His parents say he can be very solitary, and sit on his own in his bedroom on devices but said that he was now very verbal when returning from group night and excited about what he had been up to.
Michael’s parents are now looking forward to a Fashion Show Parents Open Evening where they will see their little boy mixing and socialising and having great fun. As staff we are looking forward very much to Michael taking more steps on his own personal journey.
Outcome
For children and young people with learning disabilities, improved wellbeing will be a result of doing things they enjoy with friends. For carers it will stem from being able to enjoy their respite knowing the person they care for will be safe and have a fun and rewarding time.
Results
This outcome was achieved for 80% of carers: Carers feel their children are missing out on the opportunities and social connections they should have. Our groups and 1:1 friendships fill this gap and the psychological benefits are enormous, even though the actual time spent doing activities is relatively short. It also gives them hope for the future that their child can make social connections of their own.
This outcome was achieved for 90% of members. Children and young people with learning disabilities are often segregated at school and have no access to the social groupings all children and young people value so highly. Our groups are very similar to mainstream youth groups in atmosphere and activities and often involve volunteers from members’ schools, while the volunteers in 1:1 friendships are often the only person in a member’s life who is there entirely by choice and entirely for fun. This has an enormous impact on self-esteem.
Case study
Sarah is 16 years old and lives with her parents in a small rural community, socialising mainly within her family. Sarah was a member of the local Guides for a short while but could only attend with a carer.
Sarah has been in the Tweeddale Champions Group (ages 10 – 16) for two years and loves it. The group is made up of children with learning disabilities and peer mentors from Peebles High School, and Sarah gets involved with all the activities. She has gained greatly in confidence during this time and has got to know peer mentors in the group very well and enjoys chatting to them.
Sarah loves drawing and drama, especially dressing up, and laughs and chats during the activities – getting enormous benefit from the experience. It’s obvious that she feels very happy, safe and valued in the group.
Sarah’s parents use the time while she’s there to go shopping, followed by a coffee and relaxing read in a local hotel, which they say is highly beneficial to them. Both parents bring Sarah to our Project social events which are a great opportunity to meet other parents, volunteers and members.
Outcome
Carers will have had the chance to spend more time with spouses and non-disabled siblings, meet up with friends, do hobbies and otherwise access opportunities they would not otherwise have had time for.
Results
This outcome was achieved for 75% of carers.
Although the respite time provided by our activities is fairly short, it is regular and predictable. We also provide transport to most groups and with 1:1 links, which extends the time available. A number of the case studies attached give examples of how carers use the time in a variety of ways.
The carers we work with have very stressful and busy lives juggling all the normal duties of parents while also providing care to their child (or children) with a learning disability. Even a small break has a big impact.
Case study
As well as learning disabilities, Stephen (20) has impaired vision and is usually very anxious in crowds and social situations. He has been in our Youth Group for 3 years, lives at home with his parents and attends Borders College.
Stephen took to the group very quickly and gets great pleasure from meeting his friends and taking part in the activities. He is just as happy chatting to the other service users as the peer mentors and is very sociable.
He says the group is “good, I enjoy the social bonding, making friends. It is fun and enjoyable.” When asked what he likes best about the group, Stephen said “the variety of activities”. There’s nothing he doesn’t like about the group. He feels being in group has made him more confident, and makes him feel good about himself.
Stephen’s parents are very appreciative of the service and the fact that he’s part of a social group and has made friends that he sees outside the group. They enjoy the break and go bowling, out for a meal and a drink.
Outcome
The children and young people with learning disabilities they care for will return home happy and relaxed with something to look forward to. This, coupled with the break the rest of the family will have had, will improve the family dynamic and make the caring relationship easier to sustain.
Results
This outcome was achieved for 80% of carers.
The combination of improvement in the brightness of outlook and engagement of a child who has something to look forward to, together with the reduction in stress on other family relationships has a very positive impact on the sustainability and resilience of family life and the caring role.
Case study
Alfie is in the children’s group but due to serious ongoing issues with bullying at school we felt that he would also benefit from a 1:1 link. Alfie lives with his mum and 2 younger brothers and his situation at school has an impact on them all so Alfie’s time with his volunteer not only benefits Alfie but also the rest of the family, and makes family life more sustainable.
We linked Alfie with Rick 4 months ago, and the lads do a variety of activities swimming, going to the cinema (in a soft top car…they are our cool dudes!!), and also walking along the river whilst chucking stones in to see who could make the biggest splash!!
Alfie beams when I ask him how it’s all going and tells me he loves his time with us at Interest Link. His mum says he always comes home happy!
Rick says “Interest Link is a great idea. I am enjoying trying to help/support Alfie - just wish I could do more. He is a young lad who needs supported to give him more confidence in life skills. Well done Interest Link”
Outcome
80 Children and young people with learning disabilities will have benefited from
a. the only local opportunity to access youth groups or
b. A rare opportunity to form 1:1 friendships with non-disabled peers
Results
This outcome was achieved for all members with learning disabilities: with the exception of 2 parents’ groups (Borders Additional Needs Group and Meeting of Minds) there are no other local opportunities for them to develop friendships and lifeskills and do fun activities.
We aim for our groups to have the nature of mainstream youth groups through the large numbers of volunteers involved and the wide range of activities. This puts significant demands on members with learning disabilities, but ones they invariably rise to: children and young people who are initially shy about joining in a drama production slowly come out
of their shell and end up amazing their parents when they perform on stage or on film.
The 1:1 links that involve older volunteers all get out and about in the community and can access mainstream activities and leisure services safely.
Case study
Laura is 20, has learning disabilities and cerebral palsy and lives with her dad in a small town. She has been involved with Interest Link for a number of years, previously being in a children’s group.
We linked her 1:1 with an older volunteer Jenny six months ago and they meet up for girlie days out – lunch and a look around the shops – Laura says “My best time with Jenny is going for lunch, looking round the shops and having a chat together about how we are both doing. I feel happy to meet up with Jenny as we get on really well.”
Jenny said “Absolutely love my time at Interest Link being a buddy! Laura and I clicked from the first moment we were introduced. We have a great time together shopping and going for lunch. It’s been such a pleasure getting to know her. Some days all we do is laugh which is a real tonic for me too! A remarkable young lady.”