Summary
Time Out has provided weekly group support for 14 young people, aged 8-14 in South Lanarkshire, who have a caring responsibility for a sibling in their home.
What Time Out did
Young people participate in weekly group activities both hall based and in the community. Activities have included painting, tie dye, baking as well as outings to bowling, cinema and Combat City. The group is collaborative and person centred, ensuring all children/young people are involved in consultations and provided with support to feel empowered to take responsibility, make choices, to identify and engage in group activities.
Young people participating in the service benefit by:
• Taking time out from their family circumstances
• Socialising with peers who may have similar circumstances to their own
The service also positively impacts the wider family by:
• Gaining confidence to know their child is able to have fun, in a safe and supportive environment.
• Giving the parent/carers time to spend with their other child who has an additional need
Through evaluation, one of the main benefits identified by young people was, knowing they are not alone in living with a sibling with additional support needs. It was evidenced that by providing a safe emotional space for young people they are able to discuss their personal experiences and receive peer support. During COVID lockdown and restrictions, additional 1:1 support was provided to encourage participants to engage with online groups and feel able to return to and fully engage within their face to face groups post lockdown. The group has shown to have positively impacted participants, as they have successfully been able to access a wide range of age-appropriate activities, further enabling and supporting them to grow in confidence and self-esteem, learn new skills and be better connected within their communities.
COVEY supported and trained volunteers and a student to provide weekly support. The Group Coordinator had regular monthly contact with families to continue to support trusting relationships. Referrals to Time Out come from Social Work Services and Education. We are unable to accept self-referrals, however should families identify a need specifically for support for a child/young person, then we encouraged them to link with statutory providers, who are able to initiate the referral.
What COVEY Befriending has learned
COVID Lockdown, ongoing restrictions and changes in guidelines meant pre-planned group activities were cancelled in the run up to the Christmas period. We built on our experience of delivering online services and offered all participants the opportunity to engage throughout the pandemic. Engagement online was significantly lower, due to some young people not enjoying this way of engaging and preferring face to face engagement. However we still continued to engage some young people consistently and offer them support via doorstep visits and telephone calls.
We have found, providing group support to young people who are socially isolated has provided a positive opportunities for young people to enable them to form and build strong connections and friendships, with their peers, volunteers and staff. The young people have reported the support they receive through these relationships, supports them to work through any difficulties they experience, supports to build their confidence and self-esteem, enables opportunities to learn new skills and allows them to further develop new interests.
During this project, COVEY has been able to initiate and develop strong partnership links with Action for Children who offer both 1-1 and similar group support to Young Carer’s. This partnership has provided us with the opportunity to supportively transition young people into their support services.
How COVEY Befriending has benefitted from the funding
As a result of this funding, COVEY has been able to support Young Carer’s in a needs led and relationship based model. This has also provided an opportunity for COVEY to evaluate and further assess how this support has impacted young people and their families, their education and finally their experiences within the community.
Project Outcomes
Outcome
20 young people will be given time for themselves in a safe group setting, fully supported by consistent and reliable adult befrienders & staff. The young people will have engaged in specific wellbeing activities for the body and mind, ensuring they feel less isolated and happier within themselves
Results
Over the course of 35 group nights for two different age groups participants have successfully been able to access a wide range of age-appropriate activities, further enabling and supporting them to grow in confidence and self-esteem, learn new skills and be better connected within their communities.
Case study
This Case study presents a six month COVEY Journey of Young Person ‘Darren’. Darren was referred to achieve outcomes such as increasing self-esteem, to reduce isolation and improve social skills.
Within the past six months Darren attended 13 peer support groups and missed 4 groups, due to personal circumstances within the family. The consistency of attendance at groups has significantly improved Darren’s self-esteem. When beginning his journey with COVEY, Darren shared he frequently felt anxious in social situations and struggled to make friends. During continued attendance at weekly groups and has become very chatty, contributing to all group activities and conversations. Darren has formed close friendships with other participants during this time.
During the latest group block, opportunities were provided for Darren to contribute and for the group to collectively choose their activities for the upcoming block. Examples of Group activities chosen were outings to the cinema and bowling as well as evenings in the hall with active games nights and baking. All activities are coordinated around generating positive discussions for young people to engage with.
Darren said his favourite thing about COVEY, was the opportunity to try new things and make friends in a supportive environment. Our evaluation has shown due to Darren Being encouraged to participate in new activities, this has increased his confidence. Further with Darren being in a peer group with other young carers, his confidence has increased in engaging with and making new friends.
Darren provided feedback stating he has really enjoyed all the activities and his favourite times have been when the group have played active games, as he liked him and his friends working together as a team. Darren also stated, if he hadn’t attended the group, he would not have been able to form and make new friendships.
When Darren first began in the groups, he did not have the opportunity to independently do things out-with the family home. All of the above have significantly contributed to Darren’s improved wellbeing and also positively impacted his relationships within the home.
“Coming to COVEY has been great fun and I have made new friends” Darren
“Attending COVEY has been great for Darren as he has been more confident to try new things” Darren's Mum
Outcome
20 young people who have a caring role in their family home with have participated in a variety of activities in a group setting, reporting on their positive experience away from their caring role at home.
Results
Groups were regularly attended. Positive feedback from the young people and their families was gained through weekly diary entries and regular reviews gaining the young person’s views of the support and benefits gained. Families and Young People fed back that attending Covey groups provided positive opportunities to learn new skills.
Case study
This Case study presents a six month COVEY Journey of Young Person Harry. Harry was referred to COVEY to achieve outcomes such as increasing confidence and self-esteem, to reduce isolation, gain new skills and improve social skills.
Within the past six months, Harry has attended 15 peer support groups, only missing 2 groups due to family circumstances. Attending the groups has provided the opportunity for Harry to have consistent support, which has significantly improved his confidence and self esteem.
When Lockdown restrictions lifted and face to face groups resumed, Harry was reluctant to get involved with activities and would often exclude himself from conversations with other participants. During continued attendance at weekly groups, Harry has become engaged and chatty, contributing to all group activities and conversations.
During the latest group block, opportunities were provided for Harry to contribute and for the group to collectively choose their activities for the upcoming block. Examples of Group activities chosen were outings to the Laser tag and the park as well as evenings in the hall with active games nights and tie dye. All activities are coordinated around generating positive discussions for young people to engage with.
Harry provided feedback stating he has really enjoyed all the activities and his favourite times have been when the group have played active games, as he has grown in confidence and also enjoyed spending time with his peers who are also young carers. Further Harry discussed he really enjoyed all the activities, however his favourite activity was the trip to Laser Tag, as he was able to work together as a team with his friends. Harry has also provided feedback noting if he did not attend his group, he would be extremely isolated.
“Coming to COVEY has been great fun and I have made new friends” Harry
“I have really enjoyed learning new things at group like Tie Dye” Harry
Outcome
Carers will feel better supported to sustain their caring role
Results
Participants gained a better understanding in knowing they are not the only one living in a similar situation and gained peer support from others in their group. All participants were able to make and maintain friendships with other young people who have a sibling with an additional need.
Case study
This Case study presents a 10 month COVEY Journey of Young Person Lisa. Lisa was referred to COVEY to achieve outcomes such as increasing confidence and self-esteem, to reduce isolation and to provide her with respite from her sibling whose behaviour had a negative impact of Lisa’s mental wellbeing.
Within the past 10 months, Lisa has attended 25 peer support groups both in person and online. Attending the groups has provided the opportunity for Lisa to have consistent support, which has positively impacted her wellbeing. The group has provided Lisa with the opportunity to connect with other young carers, which she explained has given her the space, time and opportunity to form close friendships and to share her thoughts and feelings with others.
During the latest group block, opportunities were provided for Lisa to contribute and for the group to collectively choose their activities for the upcoming block. Examples of group activities chosen were outings to the cinema, bowling, Combat City, and Blair Drummond Safari Park. The group also enjoyed Arts and Craft activities including, creating their own water bottle designs, tie dye and baking. All activities are coordinated around generating positive discussions for young people to engage with.
Lisa provided feedback stating her favourite thing about COVEY was the opportunity to make friends in a supportive environment and try new things. Being able to attend weekly has helped Lisa to have a break from home and she said he has really enjoyed the company of her peers, who like her, are young carers.