Short Break Stories

SOAR Youth Projects

A story by SOAR Youth Projects

We provided social and recreational activities for children and young people with multiple support needs, who live across Ross-shire and Sutherland.
This enabled our children and young people to develop friendships, independence and participate in many different activities, while their carers had time for themselves.

What SOAR Youth Projects did

In the past 12 months we have achieved many different outcomes, including employing a new Development Manager whose role is to assist to sustain our current successful projects as well as developing SOAR for the future. We have also enlisted 3 volunteer mini bus drivers, to ensure transport is available for our young people.

Our activities were advertised through our newsletters, mail shots, information passed through partner agencies i.e. Social Services, NHS, information passed to parents as well as word of mouth throughout out local communities. We do not operate a waiting list and offer all our young people spaces at each club.

For Holiday Club we offered 50 sessions during Easter, Summer and October School Holidays which ran from 9.30-3.30 pm Monday to Fridays. Holiday Club was based in Alness Academy. Activities included swimming, sports, outings to forests, animal parks, activity centres, art, music, sensory days, cooking an average of 14 young people in attendance.

For Swim/Supper Club, we offered 25 sessions for up to 6 young people per session. This involved swimming at a local leisure centre followed by supper at a cafe. This has proven very popular with families.

Youth Club is run weekly from 6.30pm to 8.30 pm with an average attendance of 20 young people per session. Youth Club is very popular, the young people enjoy socialising, taking part in games, crafts, playing pool etc. Youth Club is held in the Place in Alness.

Although we do not work directly with the carers we have a good relationship with all families involved in SOAR. Feedback from Carers allows us to know that during their respite time carers meet friends, undertake daily household chores, have a bit of me time and most often allows carers to have quality time with the children’s siblings.

Mark, a young person with multiple support needs attends SOAR Clubs. Swim and Supper Club is a favourite of Marks. On a Wednesday evening when he sees his swimming bag left out he is all smiles and spends the last 30 minutes before leaving for the bus walking round clutching his bag. Mark seems to enjoy having the freedom to go off doing this by himself has made a big difference to him and has certainly given him more confidence and also it has brought on his ability to be able to ask the staff for help/things he wants. As he is none verbal he has had to figure out ways to do this so that the staff are able to understand him.

He loves getting on the mini bus and he really enjoys swimming as water is one of the things that give him great sensory pleasure. He enjoys going out for supper he gets his food and find somewhere to sit and is really happy this is the only time he gets to go out to eat without his family. He is also a really bad sleeper so the evening he is at the Swim and Supper Club he comes home shattered and by the time he has wound down and gone to bed he sleeps well and stays asleep slightly longer so everyone in the family gets a little bit of extra sleep.

Shelbie is a young girl with multiple support needs and is very close with her parents which can be demanding at times. Shelbie enjoys the interaction with others, spending time with staff and helping to assist in any way she can. Shelbie enjoys eating out and gains the independence to make her own choices at swim/supper club.

While at Swim Club, Shelbie's family relax and spend time at home, while at holiday club, Shelbie's parents are able to go on outings, for long walks and activities that Shelbie finds difficult to participate in.

Quote from Shelbie's father" We love SOAR, Shelbie is always asking when she can go next, when she is at SOAR, it gives us time to de-stress"
Scott attends Holiday Club and Swim and Supper Club. Scott enjoys the interaction and social aspects of attending the clubs. Scott is unaware of safety and is unable to plat outside without supervision at home, his family relax in the knowledge that Scott is safe at the clubs and enjoys the activities, Scott especially enjoys using the water flumes at swimming.

Scott's family enjoy the respite time, during which Scott's mother undertakes daily household chores and the shopping. Scott's family also enjoy the quality time together especially with the grandchildren. Quote from Scott's mother, " I relax and enjoy the time when Scott is at SOAR, knowing he is safe and without feeling guilty,"

What SOAR Youth Projects has learned

The fund has enabled us to develop and meet needs of families and parents. Through feedback from families, we discovered that an activity involving more swimming was wished for. Having the fund enabled us to develop the Swim/Supper Club which has proven very popular and is now a regular break that we offer to families.

A challenge for SOAR Youth Projects is, as we are becoming more known to families and families are requesting more places at our clubs, due to budget restrictions we are not able to offer as many places to our young people as we are requested for. We do not operate a waiting list, currently we are able to offer out young people 3 days per fortnight when we were once able to offer our young people 2 days per week.
Top tips SOAR Youth Projects's top tips for an organisation that wants to run a similar project
Tip 1:
Ensure the service you offer meets the need of carers and families.

We ensure the service we offer meets everyone's individual needs, though having individual care plans for each child, getting to know our families and establishing good relationships.
Tip 2:
Feedback and Evaluation.

Always get feedback and uses it to evaluate your service, this enables us as a project to see what works well, what can be improved and how we can grow and develop in the future.
Tip 3:
Staff Training