Family Day Events
A story by Parents Inclusion Network
We organised activity days across Dumfries and Galloway during school holiday periods for families with a or young person with severe and complex multiple support needs. There was a wide range of activities including horse riding, visits to nature reserves, cooking, swimming, creative art sessions and visits to local museums.
What Family Day Events did
We organised 30 activity days over the year across Dumfries and Galloway during all school holidays, an example of these activities include horse riding, nature reserves, local museums, cooking, swimming and creative art sessions. These activities were open to our membership who expressed an interest in joining in. Where activities were over subscribed we prioritised families local to the event and new to our membership.
We worked in partnership with local organisations such as D & G Council, Dumfries and Galloway leisure and sport service and NHS health improvement scheme who had members of staff trained to deliver an adapted session to accommodate the whole families needs.
Our project benefited disabled children, their siblings, parents & carers. Our families age range is from 2-18 years with a variety of support needs including severe and complex multiple support needs. We provided opportunities for young people to access disability sports, transition activities to promote independence and access a social life independent from the family home. We supported new families which included 'harder to reach' groups by offering more local activities to them and in some cases prioritising their place on the activity.
By having smaller and localised activities such as cooking it enabled families to build closer relationships with each other and create a stronger support network around them, which would be a particular success. We had to reduce and organise our events differently to accommodate the reduced budget therefore we did more localised smaller partnership working.
What Parents Inclusion Network has learned
As our membership grows daily we have noticed the increase in young adults on our membership and will be looking for ways to engage these members in our family days. We had age-specific activities for younger children at a local soft play area which was a great success. This is something we will definitely look a growing this year.
As new members came on board we identified that it might be daunting for them to attend their first event with us so we made sure to offer priority to these families and those who were local to the event, by targeting families in this way it built their confidence to attend other events throughout the year.
We identified that less young people 15+ accessing our activities so we are planning this year to work in partnership to deliver family quiz sessions on a monthly basis which we hope to engage the older disabled child/young adult and their carers.
Project Outcome
Disabled children and their families took part in multiple social opportunities throughout the region during the 12 months. These activities were organised throughout the school holidays.
Results
We offered 30 fully accessible family day activities throughout the year, which were all fully subscribed with full capacity reached due to excellent planning and organisation.
Case study
We sourced and hired a private cinema which is fully accessible where families could come with young people of all abilities to have the cinema experience in a relaxed setting. In Dumfries the main cinema is not wheel chair accessible so some of these families have never had this experience. In working together with the management team they are now offering relaxed sessions with people with disabilities thus giving some families a recreational hobby to continue to participate in.
Project Outcome
Our families will be in contact of the network of families locally to gain support and advice with the adults and children built friendships and experienced new social activities.
Results
By providing local activities we could target families local to each other in rural areas, where they could meet up and come together.
Case study
Sanquhar is in a rural location which historically members have not participated in family activities. We organised horse riding and art sessions in the town and invited the Sanquhar families to participate in. As a result the families have build a strong support network with each other and now have the confidence seek improved well being and isolation where some parents now provide transport to other families.
Project Outcome
Our members will have less isolation and a support network they can access for life.
Results
We have encouraged and prioritsed new families to the family activities enabling them to build a support newtwork around them and access the strong support network that PIN has build over the years. They have then went along with other members to new activities that they have not tried before.
Case study
We organised an activity for young people in the transition stage, by doing this the parents and carers came together and were able to discuss the issues facing their young people and how they could help them. As a result parents and carers felt better informed as to what was available for their child and it made their child starting to access adult services alot less scary and they could for see a future and the prospects of their own future as an an individual.
Project Outcome
Our members will be more informed of statutory and third sector services. We will have a healthy growth in membership. Members may take leadership in being peer members in their local community.
Results
We had 30 new families join our membership and our members have a menu of social, recreational and educational activities.
Case study
We have been able to enable families to create friendships and a valuable support system with a choice of accessible activities to participate. We had a new member with 3 year old twins both of whom have disabilities. We organised a soft play session for under 8 years old's and prioritised new members with young children. As a result the new member was able to relax in a safe environment and not feel judged or anxious and have a chat with other members where they were able to swap contact details. We will follow this up with the same group to cement these connections.
Project Outcome
We established positive relationships with local organisations and businesses to ensure and cement their knowledge and understanding for our families to have better access. All our activities were fully booked with an array of opportunities and choices.
Results
We worked with a variety of other organisations, private and statutory to deliver accessible activities.
Case study
We worked with a local driving range where we invited 20 young people to have an experience at golf. As a result 2 families who have boys of similar age have continued to access this activity outwith PIN, which they continue to enjoy.
Project Outcome
Our members will have a guaranteed degree and knowledge of support and activities to help them through what can be difficult times, for example, school holidays, also a continued gathering of evidence to support further funding.
Results
Feed back from our family day activities has highlighted the importance of short breaks to our members many of whom relay on our activities to get through the holidays. Through this it has highlighted the young people mostly preferred outdoor activities (they didn't seem to mind the rain) which helps us to understand the needs of our members.
Case study
A big event we had in a local farm park that over 160 people attend. Where evaluations of carers and young people was 100% positive. The day gave families a chance to relax in a secure indoor/outdoor area where their kids could play and just be kids for a whole day.