Summary
The project aimed to deliver short breaks for 19 families with children with disabilities in Moray. These included two blocks of facilitated play sessions and a residential weekend at accessible cottages, enabling carers and those they care for to enjoy a break from normal routine and improve their wellbeing.
What Supported Play and Residential Break did
Working with, a soft play centre in Elgin, we enabled 24 weekend sessions of supported family play, with refreshments provided, and an opportunity for parents to spend quality time with all their children together, as well as meet other parents of children with additional needs. These sessions were open to any parent carer, with details promoted via the Service and via Fika, using social media, mailshots and posters/flyers to families and local social care teams. Booking was directly with Fika, but required a passcode only available from the Service, which ensured new families made contact with the Service prior to booking, and were able to find out more about other supports available, and register with the Service if they felt it appropriate. The soft play provider has now introduced a Friday afternoon session for families of children with additional needs, based on the success of the sessions funded through the project, and one parent who attended early sessions has been employed on a part-time basis at the provider.
Recognising the particular challenges for families of children with complex disabilities, the project also provided a residential weekend at fully accessible cottages in Aberdeenshire. 3 cottages were available to families, who were identified through their Adult Carer Support Plans and ongoing support needs. The 3 families met, together with the Service staff who would accompany the weekend, to determine how they’d like the weekend to work. Menus, activities, timings etc. were all determined by the families themselves, with a focus on both time as a group, as a family, and as individuals. The residential weekend achieved significant success, with 2 of the families contacting the accommodation provider on their return, to find out how they could book directly.
Families have talked openly about the difference the project has made, particularly in relation to allowing parents to relax in a social setting without worrying about how their child's behaviour may be viewed by others. Parents have supported each other, with more experienced helping new attendees feel comfortable allowing their child to play in their own way, and friendships have developed between some families who previously had not met.
What Quarriers Carer Support Service (Moray) has learned
The soft play provider we have worked with has offered an excellent facility, but their record-keeping and administration has been a major challenge at times! We realised early on in the programme that we couldn't rely on their booking/attendance records, so had to set up our own process to cross-match information and make sure everyone's details were accurately recorded, and commit more staff hours to attending the sessions than had been expected. They've also changed pre-booked sessions at short notice, which has caused some problems, but working together we've been able to increase their understanding of the needs of our target families and how important that reliability and structure can be for them, which we hope they've incorporated into their own SEN sessions now.
All the families who've taken part have spoken of the ongoing difficulty of accessing similar/appropriate activities, at an affordable cost, and have been disappointed that we're not currently in a position to maintain provision. Lack of certainty around our core contract impacted our ability to look longer term, but now we have that in place, we hope to involve those families in developing future provision.
How Quarriers Carer Support Service (Moray) has benefitted from the funding
This grant enabled us to deliver much-needed support for a group of carers who often miss out in Moray. This was a real positive for both those carers and the staff team, who were very aware of the need and frustrated by the lack of opportunity to meet it. Planning the regular sessions also enabled us to develop a relationship with a provider we hadn't worked with before.
Working with that new provider also increased the project's reach, because they promoted the sessions via their social media pages, which work on a more commercial basis.
Project Outcomes
Outcome
Children and young people with disabilities in remote and rural areas within Moray will have had the opportunity to have fun, make friends and engage in more activities.
Results
Families attended the soft play sessions from across Moray. Children with additional needs had the opportunity to play in a safe environment, joining with other children of all abilities. Siblings were observed to reach out to younger children, not from their family, and support them with equipment/toys.
Case study
Fiona (not her real name) attended a session hesitantly, saying she'd been told about it but wasn't registered with the Service and didn't know if she was supposed to come. She was also worried that her son's ADHD and anxiety could cause problems with the other children. The Family Wellbeing Worker reassured her they were both more than welcome, and introduced her to other parents.
At that first session, Fiona stayed with her son the whole time, and only spoke to the FWW. However, over a few sessions, Fiona relaxed more, and was able to be persuaded to leave her son with the playworker and go with the FWW upstairs to the coffee area, where a viewing window allowed her to see her son, and him to see her. She drank half a cup of coffee, before racing back to check her son, who was playing happily with the playworker! At the next session, Fiona not only decided for herself it was ok to go for coffee, she drank the whole cup, and talked to another mum.
As the sessions have progressed, Fiona has relaxed more, recognising the space is safe for both herself and her son, that nobody is making judgements about his occasional exuberance nor her parenting. She has registered with the Service, and is looking forward to opportunities to join other activities, and says the sessions have been a lifesaver.
Outcome
Carers will benefit from opportunities to take a break from their caring role and enjoy doing activities they choose. Carers will have more opportunities to meet and socialise with other carers and benefit from peer support. Improved engagement with specialist support services – accessing support they are entitled to.
Results
Families participating in the residential weekend had complete control over the activities and events of the weekend, allowing them to tailor everything to their preference, from the menus to the quiet times. The 3 families had not met before, but friendships were formed quickly through shared experience, and the families have stayed in touch following the break.
Parents accompanying their children to the soft play sessions have taken the opportunity to chat together informally, and share with each other information and experiences they've found helpful. Having a member of the Service team available at every session has allowed parents to discuss specific circumstances or highlight support needs, and increased opportunities for the Service to make information available about their rights as carers, as well as parents.
Case study
Rhianna (not her real name) is 15, and has a younger brother, Toby (10), with complex disabilities and medical needs. By necessity, much of the family's life revolves around his requirements, and although the family work hard to ensure Rhianna has quality time with her parents, the opportunity to take a holiday as a family has never been there.
Rhianna's family were offered one of the cottages for the residential break, but were concerned that Toby's need for specialist equipment might cause problems. They were amazed to discover that not only would there be no problem, the cottage actually came equipped with most of what they needed.
As part of the preparations for the weekend, Rhianna was involved in identifying activities she'd like to do. During the weekend, she had the opportunity to both join with her family and the others, but also have time herself doing some drawing and artwork, which she enjoys but doesn't often have time for. She also spent some time helping the on-site cook prepare meals and snacks, enjoying some 1:1 with a different adult in a relaxed environment.
Rhianna's feedback summed up her experience, 'it was great to have fun away with mum, dad and Toby, but it was even better to have some time to myself without feeling guilty'. Rhianna's parents commented how good it was to see her outside playing, because at home she spends most of her time indoors on her own.
Outcome
Parent Carers will have improved knowledge of additional support available to them and how to access it. They will also have the benefit of peer support from other carers in Moray.
Results
Peer support between parent carers happened across all sessions and the residential weekend, and has continued beyond the life of the project.
Family Wellbeing Workers attending the play sessions have been able to respond to individual conversations with parents, either at the time, or later having researched information, increasing parents' knowledge and awareness of their rights and the services/supports available.
Case study
Freda's granddaughter is 6; she's autistic and non-verbal. She came to Freda's son following a difficult period with her birth mother, from whom he separated when his daughter was only a couple of years old. Unused to caring for his daughter full-time, Freda's son moved back in with his mum and her husband, who are helping him and his daughter adjust to this new arrangement for them all.
Freda wanted to learn as much as she could about her granddaughter's condition, and how to best help. She talked to the Family Wellbeing Worker at a play session about her concerns that there was little information available, and was delighted when the worker could tell her about a small group of parents who meet regularly following a workshop run by the Service to help them understand autism and its impact on the individual and the family. The worker put Freda in touch with members of that group, and provided her with other information for both herself and her son, to help them understand her granddaughter's condition and how to support her, and with details of other sources of support to consider when they felt ready.
Over the months of the programme, Freda has commented how much they all enjoy attending the sessions, and how it's given them the confidence to seek out information and advice as they need it.
Outcome
Carers will feel less stressed and more confident and the children and young people being cared-for will have fun and expand their social circle.
Results
Listening to the buzz of chat when parents are enjoying a well-earned coffee and cake during a play session, or hearing the laughter and shouting from the children in the play session, are all evidence of the wellbeing achieved as a result of the sessions taking place.
Parents have told us the sessions have been 'a lifesaver', 'a reason to get going' and 'a bit of normality in the madness'. One parent has ended up with a part-time job they love, as a result of attending the first few sessions, and is now considering qualifications in childcare; something they never thought possible when their child was initially diagnosed with additional needs.
Case study
Olivia and her family have never had a family holiday together, because her son's disabilities (cerebral palsy, learning disability and physical problems affecting eating) mean he dislikes long journeys, and travel becomes too stressful for everyone. Damian uses a specially shaped wheelchair for daily use, and a similar chair for sitting in at home, without which he cannot sit up. Although he's now at high school, Olivia is on standby every day because he often requires emergency support and has to go home. Damian also needs daily physio, which Olivia takes care of at home, and has a strict medication regime which Olivia manages for him. Her caring role is full-time and 'full on'.
Olivia and her family were unsure about the residential weekend when approached, but agreed to meet the other families to hear more about the opportunity. When they discovered the cottage was fully accessible and all necessary equipment could be provided, they decided this was an ideal opportunity to attempt a short break together.
Having been involved in all the planning discussions, the weekend went smoothly despite their anxiety, and Olivia's family had a great time. Olivia said the highlights for her were relaxing with the sound of the river and the birds, the bench swing, having time to read a book and socialising together each night. She described herself as 'feeling human again', and delighted the experience had been so positive for them all. They're now keen to make a return visit, perhaps for a longer stay.