The project has delivered 61 one to one sessions for 27 young people aged12-20 years and provided respite to 50 carers .The coordinator has carried out 27 detailed assessments of needs for 27 young people and 50 assessment of needs for 50 carers.
Young people have been supported by staff to plan and access activities e.g. attending local youth clubs, meet friends for cinema and bowling trips, participate in community events, visits to the science centre,art gallery , shopping , sports etc.
Carers have been able to access gyms, visit relatives, pursue hobbies, relax and have time to themselves.
We delivered a holiday club for 19 pupils from Corseford School over 10 days during the Summer Holidays.The Club daily hours were 10am-4pm. Staff were recruited from existing school staff on a 1:1 ratio.
All carers and pupils were surveyed before the Club and as a result,a range of activities were offered eg speed boats, barge trips, archery, bowling, accessible cycling,swimming. Activities tailored to each child’s age and abilities. Week 1 for the younger pupils and week 2 for older.
Where requested, taxis and trained escorts were provided for the journeys.This significantly extended the break each family enjoyed.
We held a summer club in July 2013 with a variety of activities and outings for young people to choose from. We are also offering an after school club four nights per week with escorted transport included. The summer club was extended by a week and exceeded its target for carers respite hours. 14 young people rather than the planned 12 attended.
We provided a 2-day break for families at Ardentinny Outdoor Education Centre in Argyll. Thirteen children and young people with epilepsy attended, along with 36 carers including young carers.
We provided transport, accommodation, catering, outdoor adventure activities and entertainment tailored to meet the needs of our group. Children and young people took part in gorge-walking, canoeing, abseiling and archery with their peers. Adults enjoyed sailing, orienteering, archery and canoeing.
Families worked together to complete “team challenges”. We also enjoyed a guided night walk, a disco, a quiz, a surprise birthday party and an “Ardentinny Champions” awards ceremony.
West of Scotland Sailing adventure – In July 2013 10 blind and partially sighted CYP sailed from Oban aboard Alba Volunteer for a 5 day/4 night sailing adventure. Promoting Independence Summer Camp – Broomlee – This 5 day/4 night residential was attended by 15 YP aged 14-18. The focus was on independent living and transition.
It included workshops on developing confidence, assistive technology, cooking skills, independent travel, personal care, employability, preparation for post-16 transition, outdoor activities and loads of fun!
5 weekly Out of School Clubs :- These have been delivered at Knowetop Primary in North Lanarkshire; Uddingston Grammar School, South Lanarkshire; Aberdeen Visual Impairment Service, Aberdeen City; Darnley Primary School, Glasgow; Eyebeez Club, Hamilton. Each club is regularly attended by 10-15 children.
Family Fun Day (Borders) :- We had an Outdoor Adventure Activity Day for all the family on 2nd November 2013. Attended by 20 children and young people with 15 parents and 8 volunteers. The emphasis was on team building and confidence development. Despite torrential rain all the families had an excellent experience.
We delivered 5 weeks for 4 days a week of summer activities which included the following
Week 1 Out in the community which included visits to The Time Capsule and Millport
Week2 Sports which included wheelchair basketball and animation
Week 3 drama and rock school
Week 4 drama and dance/cheerleading
Week 5 stage production/rehearsals and summer show
During week 5 we also delivered Inspire Me workshops which included team building and motivation
To-date there has been 3 breaks as detailed above (5 days/4 nights). Each of the breaks has been to the Lochgoilhead area for 16 children/young people.
Due to local authority funding cuts Buddies Clubs were authorised by Better Breaks to utilise some of the funding from 1 break to provide days at Buddies Summer Holiday Clubs for children and young people who otherwise would have no access to socialisation opportunities over this period.
This enabled 12 children/young people to participate in the Summer Club programme and provided much needed respite for their parents/carers.