Clasp

Outcome

40 children aged 20 and under who have learning disabilities, autism and complex care needs will have enjoyed participating in sports, games and making friends at Clasp’s Youth and Zone Club.

Results

Every child registered with Clasp is offered the opportunity to attend all 30 Zone Club and 20 Youth Club sessions. These dates are set at the start of the year and shared with families; we find this helps families make full use of the support sessions available. All support sessions are planned and delivered to a very high standard. The sessions provide the space for children to develop friendships, try new activities and have fun in an environment that is tailored to suit their individual needs. These sessions provide parents with much-needed regular respite and time away from their caring roles.

All sessions are carefully planned and reviewed using our plan, do and review approach. We apply this to all aspects of Clasp from our respite days, Zone Club and Youth Club sessions. This provides clear direction and next steps.

Clasp always involves the children and families within the planning, ideas for future activities and ways of working. We achieve this by asking the parents to complete SHANARRI questionnaires and regular feedback forms, these are invaluable in getting it right for every child.

Every child completes an activity overview sheet highlighting interests, goals, and provides an opportunity for the children and parents to set wishes for the coming year, something they would like to work on or to try a new activity.

Below are some results from our most recent SHANARRI survey.

Clasp supports my child to interact with others.

100% of parents/carers ‘strongly agreed’ with this statement.

Clasp provides my child with the opportunity to make friends.

100% of parents/carers ‘strongly agreed’ with this statement.

Clasp supports my child to access activities in the local area.

100% of parents/carers ‘strongly agreed’ with this statement.

Case study

Clasp is always welcoming fresh faces into the service and supporting the children and young people through changes in their lives. One of the children we support is a young boy who is autistic who transitioned from a Primary School into the Grammar School. As you can imagine the move from a school he has attended for 7 years with the same support network and staff to an unfamiliar environment and staff was particularly challenging for the child and their family. At Clasp we were able to provide a safe and secure space for the child through this change by providing the constant support and security he needed to adapt to the change. He was able to express his feelings, ask for help. We visited the new setting with the child and over the summer holidays used social stories to reinforce the change. The staff team is fantastic and can help families through change by providing additional support. The child regularly attends Zone & Youth Club, and he already knew some of the other children transitioning from other schools to the Grammar school because they had the opportunity to attend our service. The boy is now happily transitioned into the new setting, has made friends, and has continued to grow in confidence and independence.

“The service is a lifeline for my son.”

Outcome

60 unpaid carers of children with learning disabilities, autism and complex care needs will have increased, regular and dependable respite while children enjoy sports, games and spending time with other children.

Results

At Clasp we have found that organisation and forward planning is the key to providing valuable respite for parents. All parents are provided with a yearly overview of all support sessions to ensure they are proactive and can make use of all support available – enabling them to have a well deserved break.

The promotion of independence and wellbeing is always a priority at Clasp for both our children and parents. We listen to the needs of parents and children we support and by providing a safe environment for the children to grow, develop, explore new life skills, succeed, and reach milestones - we find this is a comfort to the parents knowing their child is cared for and safe.

Please see below comments from parents on the recent survey conducted – we asked parents what they enjoy doing when having time away from their caring role:

“Time to myself to read a book or meet a friend for a coffee.”
“I catch up on much needed sleep, as my son is during the night a lot. “
“I am at college, and I use the time to study.”
“When my daughter exercises at Zone Club, I visit the gym.”

Case study

One of the parents uses this time away from her caring role to visit the gym to maintain a healthy lifestyle and feel good about herself. While her daughter is being cared for by the Clasp team, she can attend regular fitness classes. The parent feels energised, healthy and have a positive outlook on life. The classes have also provided the much-needed adult interaction as she is a single parent to her daughter. She has made friends, signed up to new classes and challenged herself to a 10k run. Having a good balance in her life between her caring role and time to herself has really improved her confidence, wellbeing and because she is taking time for herself, she is able to provide the care her daughter needs.

Outcome

60 carers of children who have learning disabilities, autism and complex care needs will have enjoyed increased and regular respite to spend time on what is important to them safe in the knowledge that their child is engaging in activities that will improve their mental and physical wellbeing with a dedicated staff team that knows them well. These carers will also be able to attend Parent Forum to speak about anything on their mind and gain support from others with a similar life experience.

Results

Our main focus at Clasp is to promote independence, improve happiness, health, and wellbeing, increase resilience, and reduce isolation. We feel Clasp has been able to provide this support to the children, young adults, and families we support. We have successfully delivered all scheduled support sessions and achieved the outcomes within our application.

To evidence progress, we asked parents to complete our annual Evaluation form which is linked to the SHANARRI indicators along with our, “We want to hear from you!” forms. The feedback is always interesting and beneficial to Clasp. The results highlight and evidence the need for the service, the removal of a vital service will have an impact on the children and families we support.

One parent expressed – “It’s a fab service, which we are lucky enough to be able to use.”

“Clasp staff are professional, friendly and always approachable.”

“The staff have been very patient and understanding with XXX during tough times. He loves to come here and interact with everyone and has helped him to mix with other children.”

“Provides excellent opportunities for my child to socialise and experience a variety of activities.”

Case study

Parent Forums are a particularly essential element to Clasp, and the parents enjoyed the 4 sessions we offered. This year during the sessions we offered a play therapy workshop, shared new resources the children enjoyed using, and spoke to a sleep therapist for advice. These sessions were well attended, and the parents found these extremely useful. The type of topics we discuss at these events is led by the parents and areas they feel they need support, or more information on.

Unfortunately, due to the news of Clasp closure on the 31st of March 2024 we increased the number of Parent Forum sessions to monthly over the last few months. This was to help support the parents through the change and be able to produce a plan moving forward. We have helped parents apply for SDS (Self Directed Support) funding, filled out forms with parents who found this challenging and provided emotional support.

Offering a safe space for the parents to meet, chat and support one another has been beneficial to our parents. Friendships have formed, and the feeling of not being alone and knowing it's ok to ask for help is so important. Our relaxed atmosphere and approach offer a lifeline to the parents and carers to allow them to fulfil their caring job role.

Parents have really come together over the past 4 months and worked together as a team to help each other through the changes ahead as well as the day to day needs of their caring role. The service may be ending, but the Parent Forum sessions are still running, and the parents are making time each month to meet and chat over a coffee. We have seen an increase on parents using the parent forum sessions recently.

One of our parents is new to the area and is still settling into their new life in the small town of Dunoon. These sessions have enabled parents who are new to Parent Forum to meet others in the area, share resources and experiences and set play dates for the children. Friendships have formed both with the parents and the children. A move to a new area is difficult at any time but having a child with additional support needs makes these transitions harder. A safe space to chat and find reassurance is always comforting.

Parents and Carers can leave feedback/comments within the survey which can be found below:

“The are extremely supportive and inclusive.”
“Great Correspondences, compassion, friendly manner and all-round great experiences had.”
“Communication is fantastic.”
“Fantastic Service.”
“Providing a safe environment that allows my child to socialise and provides healthy activities.”
“It’s a great service and we will be lost without it”

Outcome

By taking part in sports, games, and sending time with their peers, children with learning disabilities, autism and complex care needs will have improved wellbeing. These sessions will encourage friendship and promote physical exercise in a fun and encouraging environment. The carers will have improved wellbeing knowing that their children are thriving while they get some much-needed respite.

Results

Please see below examples from the recent evaluation:

Clasp activities help my child to be physically healthy by staying active.

100% of parents/carers ‘strongly agreed’ with this statement.

Clasp activities help my child to be mentally healthy by staying active.

100% of parents/carers ‘strongly agreed’ with this statement.

Clasp helps my child to become more confident.

100% of parents/carers ‘strongly agreed’ with this statement.


Wellbeing is always a top priority at Clasp and we are always looking for innovative ideas to provide this during our sessions. This year we have continued the themed months, as the feedback over the past two years has been extremely positive and rewarding for the children, parents, and staff.

We have enjoyed Jump July, Step September, Jolly January, and Mindful March which are some of our highlights from the year. Our themed events help promote the importance of wellbeing and being active. Jump July seen the use of mini trampolines during the month of July for a sponsor jump and a trip to the trampoline centre was the icing on the cake! Trampolines are very sensory, and the children enjoyed having access to these resources. Step September seen us out clocking steps as a team to meet our walk challenge goals. Parents got involved with this by walking instead of using the car. After each event we share the success, reward the achievements, and set new goals for the next month.

During “Mindful March” we introduced the importance of taking time out to relax, recharge the batteries and time for yourself is important and should be encouraged. We have tried a variety of activities to see what works best for each person we support.

These have included:

Sound Bath
Mindful Colouring
Yoga/Pilates
Breathing exercises
Tranquil Music

Last year we reviewed our Mindful March sessions and made the decision to schedule 10 minutes within our sessions for children to have “Mindful Time”. We have reviewed these and feel they are beneficial to the children we support and have continued to offer this throughout our sessions. The resources have now become part of our set up and are on offer during all the sessions and the children naturally use these when unsure of the activity, tired, unsettled or needing space. Mindful packs were made and sent home on a regular basis throughout the year to provide the resources needed for the children to have this mindful time at home. Parents have been incredibly supportive of this.

For the children and parents to grow they must feel safe, secure, and supported, something we strive to provide. The children and their families are our top priority making sure we offer engaging activities to provide reassurance for the parents to make full use of the respite.
Positive outcomes are highlighted below from to our themed events:

- One child has started to learn how to play the drums – something he finds very therapeutic and relaxing.
- One Parent enjoyed the step challenge signed up to walk the 23-mile Kilt walk.
- The children have enjoyed an Art workshop at the Burgh Hall to display their mindful colouring or painting to music
- Smoothie making was a hit during Fitness February and the children are making these healthy choices at home.