Summary
We offer 2 weekly youth clubs, where East Lothian young people with disabilities meet to enjoy fun, stimulating and challenging activities within their local community. The members are supported by a team of volunteers who ensure the members care needs are met in a fun, friendly environment.
What Star Youth Club did
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic our short break activities looked very different. The restrictions in place meant that face to face service delivery was not possible. Our Youth Clubs moved online and offered our members an opportunity to socialise, a safe space to chat, and something to look forward to in their weekly routine. A zoom programme was planned which comprised of activities such as bingo, scavenger hunts, baking, show & tell and music evenings. Each week the members were set activity and a resource pack was delivered to their home providing all the equipment and materials required to take part. This brought members some excitement, waiting for their pack to be delivered, and uniting as a group to complete the task and show their finished outcome promoting a sense of achievement. The packs also allowed those whom the zoom sessions didn't work for, to engage with other members in a fun, active way. Members shared their anxiety around the COVID-19 pandemic, spoke about how they missed their family, worried about their elderly grandparents, and missed seeing their school friends. Our Youth Work team were creative in ways to allow concerns to be voiced, positive messages to be relayed, and new activities generated, to help offer small periods of contentment where COVID-19 was not in the forefront of our members minds. The weekly zoom meetings provided parents with two 1-hour windows where they had a slight respite from their caring responsibilities, and some structure to their weekly routine. The reprieve offered was not as cohesive as we hoped to provide, due to the nature of the members we support. Many struggled with the technology required or are unable to communicate or participate in activities without parental involvement. However, involvement in the virtual meetings was rewarding for the parents/carers too, providing a welcome change in their daily routine, some comradery and laughter which was a tonic to all during difficult times. Carers appreciated the weekly contact with youth work staff when the activity packs were delivered, offering some socially distanced adult conversation, hope for a return to normality and an active support network.
What Can Do has learned
Our online virtual programme has highlighted the enriched importance of having 1-1 support from our volunteer pool to enable members to take part to their full potential. A reduction in confidence, ability, participation levels and communication has been apparent over several our members, when they do not have the support of their peers present.
Limitations on the delivery of face-to-face services has made children who are already socially isolated as a result of their disability, even more isolated. Evolution of services has unfortunately presented more barriers to inclusion and strongly evidenced the requirement for the personalised services Can-Do normally offer.
How Can Do has benefitted from the funding
The funding received from Better Breaks has allowed us to extend a lifeline to young people and their families, during what has been a difficult year for all. The funding has allowed us to think of new ways to stay connected, maintain relationships and to provide support whilst adjusting to a new normal. With out the funding from Better Breaks, we would have struggled to provide the resources required to ensure that support can be delivered within a safe environment, and gradually enable children and families to start engaging in their communities again.
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 not fully achieved due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place over the last year. Our Youth Clubs did meet twice weekly as planned, however the move to an online rather than face-to-face delivery approach meant that we were not able to engage all our members via this platform.
Virtual service delivery highlighted a number of difficulties for our members.
•No access to technology.
•Limited skills to participate in online activities without
parent/carer involvement.
•Communication skills required to hold a conversation on a virtual
platform, are challenging. Members all speak at once; non-verbal
communicators were often silent attendees. Ensuring all members
had a chance to speak, be heard and valued was a barrier to
participation where stronger communicators were in attendance.
•Group activities require a communal skill set, not accommodating
the 1-1 tailored support our members require. Members sometimes
left activities part way through.
Case study
Our online youth club sessions were a positive, welcome break for those young people who were able to access them. We had 24 members regularly attend, with some of these members dipping in and out depending on the sessions running. Members were encouraged to contribute to programme planning, and activities planned around specific members hobbies and interests to increase participation. Over the course of the funding we offered 33 weeks of online service delivery, offering 66 hours of fun, opportunities to make connections and develop friendships and engage in stimulating activities. These members benefited from the regular contact, looked forward to speaking with their friends again and felt connected to others at a time where their disability made them more socially excluded than ever. Many of our members were shielding due to the severity of their disabilities, which meant they weren't able to enjoy time out of their homes at all. This regular contact, allowed their spirits to be lifted and for hope for normally to be restored. The weekly activity packs provided a sense of excitement and unity which was extremely important for their self-worth and belonging.
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 difficult to achieve due to the ongoing pandemic.
The weekly meetings provided parents with two 1-hour windows where they had a slight respite from their caring responsibilities, and some structure to their weekly routine. The reprieve offered was not as cohesive as we hoped to provide, due to the nature of the members we support.
Many struggle with the technology required or are unable to communicate or participate in activities without parental involvement. However, involvement in the virtual meetings was rewarding for the parents/carers too, providing a welcome change in their daily routine, some comradery and laughter which was a tonic to all during difficult times.
Thanks to our funding extension, we were able to reopen our Youth Clubs in May 2021 when the restrictions eased allowing face-to-face youth clubs to operate again. From May-June 2021 we offered 8 weeks of Youth Club provision, providing transport to and from the clubs.
Case study
From May - June 2021 we were able to offer 35 parents and carers a block of 3 consecutive hours of planned, weekly respite for period of 8 weeks whilst their young people attended our Youth Club provisions.
For the first time in over a year, parents expressed their pleasure at having time to have breather and take a well-earned break from their caring responsibilities for a short time.
Parents were able to enjoy visiting a supermarket in person to conduct the weekly shop, rather than the home deliveries required during lockdown. This social contact and sense of independence was much longed for and allowed time spent outside of the home which boosted morale. They were able to eat dinner with their partner, call in on a friend, meet friends for a walk, enjoy a hot cup of tea without worrying and keeping it safe, or simply relax and read a book - allowing parents and carers time to reclaim their home, social life and indulge in some much appreciated self-care.
We put in place additional mitigations to ease any additional anxiety's parents/carers experienced about their young people returning to a social environment. These included our own cleaning team on hand throughout the service delivery to ensure touch points, toilets and communal areas were regularly cleaned and sanitized. The provision of transport, and deep clean of transport vehicles before use, to ensure that members were on transport for as little time as possible and public transport was avoidable for all members attending. Home Testing kits were provided for all staff & volunteers and any members who were able to take part, which offered a greater level of protection to everyone attending. These additional mitigations although costly for the charity, were essential to give parents/carers peace of mind that the buildings being accessed, support being provided and transport being used were all operating within the strictest of regulations and the highest level of cleanliness to offer greater protection against the spread of the virus.
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
Unfortunely we were not able to fully execute this outcome. The COVID-19 pandemic meant that sessions were taking place via zoom in family homes. Our Child Protection guidance required our members to be in a communal area so that parents/carers could be present should their young person require any support, and to ensure that online content was appropriate and supervised. This impacted on the quality of a break parents and families received, as they didn't really get a break from their caring routine. However, involvement in the virtual meetings was rewarding for the parents/carers too, providing a welcome change in their daily routine, some comradery and laughter which was a tonic to all during difficult times.
Case study
From May - June 2021 we were able to offer 35 parents and carers a block of 3 consecutive hours of planned, weekly respite for period of 8 weeks whilst their young people attended our Youth Club provisions.
For the first time in over a year, parents expressed their pleasure at having time to have breather and take a well-earned break from their caring responsibilities for a short time.
Parents were able to enjoy visiting a supermarket in person to conduct the weekly shop, rather than the home deliveries required during lockdown. This social contact and sense of independence was much longed for and allowed time spent outside of the home which boosted morale. They were able to eat dinner with their partner, call in on a friend, meet friends for a walk, enjoy a hot cup of tea without worrying and keeping it safe, or simply relax and read a book - allowing parents and carers time to reclaim their home, social life and indulge in some much appreciated self-care.
We put in place additional mitigations to ease any additional anxiety's parents/carers experienced about their young people returning to a social environment. These included our own cleaning team on hand throughout the service delivery to ensure touch points, toilets and communal areas were regularly cleaned and sanitized. The provision of transport, and deep clean of transport vehicles before use, to ensure that members were on transport for as little time as possible and public transport was avoidable for all members attending. Home Testing kits were provided for all staff & volunteers and any members who were able to take part, which offered a greater level of protection to everyone attending. These additional mitigations although costly for the charity, were essential to give parents/carers peace of mind that the buildings being accessed, support being provided and transport being used were all operating within the strictest of regulations and the highest level of cleanliness to offer greater protection against the spread of the virus.
Outcome
The child or young person will be enjoying their weekly youth club and the parent/carer will have reduced stress or worries.
Results
Despite the challenges we were able to meet this outcome by changing the way in which we delivered our services. Although not all members were able to engage with the online club meetings, the combination of the sessions and the activity packs meant that all members had something to look forward too each week. Members felt a sense of unity, membership and excitement through receiving their packs and it added a bit of routine into a chaotic time.
Case study
Parents reported how excited their children got excited to receive an activity pack. Many completed their packs with their families or siblings, and then proudly brought them along to a zoom session to display. This allowed for the families to have a united project and feeling of self-worth and completion. Members who didn't engage with zoom sessions, sent photos of their achievements and were able to engage in a manner meaningful to them.