Short Break Stories

SNAP Breaks

A story by SNAP

We provided 5 x 48 hour breaks and 20 Out & About Saturday Breaks for 28 young people who have a learning disability and additional support needs such as a physical, sensory or behavioural impairment.

What SNAP Breaks did

People were chosen to go on trips from our existing over 20's group. The types of activities chosen was dependent on the members of the group selected, their abilities, interests and desire to take part in certain activities.

We delivered, 20 x 6 hour sessions. We wanted to get our young people moving more so that they could be fitter and healthier. We have been able to introduce more activities that involve physical activity during our short breaks but we mixed up the types of activities we offered, although putting an emphasis on physical activities in particular (archery, swimming , cycling, climbing wall etc,) We also offered art, cooking and music activities.

We delivered 5 x 48 hour breaks took place in a variety of locations and accommodation types, a bunkhouse in the Black Isle, a lodge in Badaguish, a lovely house on the shores of Loch Ness, a hostel in Grantown on Spey and Wigwams on the outskirts of Inverness.

Carers told us they made the most of their 'free time' by, meeting up with family, spending quality time with other siblings, socialising with friends, taking part in hobbies, or by taking a short break themselves.

One of our young people requires a lot of support in many areas, physical, emotional, social and sensory and the bulk of this care is taken on by her mum who always views any Saturday breaks or weekend breaks as an absolute godsend.

Mum also works and doesn't get a lot of sleep due to the demands of her work and caring life, so getting these breaks allows her to recharge her batteries, catch up on much needed sleep and allow her to sustain her caring role with renewed energy.

One couple managed to go away for a mini break themselves and relished the chance to spend quality relaxed time together, without having anxieties at the forefront of each and everything that they did if their young person had been in attendance.
On one of our 48 hour breaks one of our young people (A ) came away with us for the first time ever, it was the first time in their life that A had been away with anyone other than a close family member. Carers told us they had given up on this ever being a possibility.

However A came back from the weekend envigorated, enthused about the time away and was excited about when the next trip away would be. A has Autistic Spectrum Disorder and suffers from acute anxiety. A returned looking happy and relaxed and carers reported that A was so pleased with himself that he had managed to do this weekend.

There was a discernible difference in confidence levels which subsequently had a whole knock on effect to other areas of his life, and this is something we would like to build on further. A's carers were obviously delighted and also look forward to their next weekend break.

What SNAP has learned

We find with each year that we do this that there is never any lessening of the appetite or need for these outings and breaks, families are crying out for this support. As an organisation we continually have to change and develop our practice to fit the needs of our individuals who attend and keep it fun and exiting.

This is our challenge. Creative Breaks is a vital source of funding for us that allows us to offer much needed support to our families. SNAP continues to face the challenges of working with a small and select staff team who are only employed part-time. If key people are absent or unavailable for periods of time, it can place a huge amount of strain on the organisation to deliver an uninterrupted service, we realise this is common to other organisations in the care sector.
Top tips SNAP's top tips for an organisation that wants to run a similar project
Tip 1:
Keep it fun, relevant and challenging for the young people involved in your project.
Tip 2:
Offer as much support as possible to families prior to short breaks or activities taking place as it will illustrate to carers that everything has been taken into account regarding their young person, and give them the confidence and trust in your organisation that will allow them to relax and maximise the benefits of having a quality break from their caring role.
Tip 3:
Be organised but flexible

Organise as much as you can in advance but be flexible enough to change the direction or slant of the activity/break if you see changes happening within the group you are working with and you think there may be more positive outcomes if you do this.