Short Break Stories

Young Adults Creative Breaks

A story by Buddies Clubs and Services

We provided four breaks at various locations throughout the UK for young adults whose lives are affected by life long disabilities so that they could pursue their interests, discover new passions and have fun together with a group of their friends and peers.

They were supported by our staff and giving their entire families and carers some well-needed respite. Each break lasted for 5 days and 4 nights away from home.

What Young Adults Creative Breaks did

First we select what kind of break we would like to offer which is dependent upon the time of year and then we check staff availability. Next the manager holds a meeting with the staff to see which of the young people would be most suitable for the location and possible activities available. Then we contact with the families to see if the break suits their schedules and then arrange meetings to discuss the activities, individual needs, accommodation, and dietary/medication requirements.

Our staff also communicate with the young adults on a regular basis. This is easy for some of the young adults as they attend our core services regularly. For new families home visits and meetings are carried out. The young adults are also very involved in the planning of day trips and outings, planning of meals and menus and shopping lists. This strong personal input gives them the opportunity to become as independently as possible while they are away on the short break.

Through the funds awarded we have been able to organise four Creative Breaks between October 2017 and September 2017 to Edinburgh, Dunoon, Blackpool and Aviemore. These breaks were all for five days/four nights. The activities included archery, canoeing, climbing, team-building activities, mountain train trip, forest walks and orienteering, The Blackpool Tower, Circus, Madame Tussauds, shopping trips, swimming, the Edinburgh Christmas market, theatre shows, meals out, barbeques, amongst various other things.

We also tried something new and organised an all-boys trip in February 2017 which went very well and are organising an all-girls trip for our next break. While the young people were kept very busy the carers found time to relax and have time to themselves. Some managed to see friends they had not had time to visit for many years.

One family even went on a weekend break by themselves. It is interesting to note that while the young people wanted a fun packed time the parents/carers needed just the opposite, time to enjoy each other and some friends without the constant external pressures created by having their young people at home all the time.

DL is a young woman with Down’s Syndrome. She is very able to express her own needs and preferences. She can become very distressed though if she is unaware of plans and people and can become very anxious when plans change at short notice without prior warning. D has been attending Buddies for many years and has built wonderful relationships with our staff.

She and her mother have recently adjusted to the devastating loss of D’s father and grandmother which caused the family enormous grief. Mum was struggling to cope with all this combined with her caring responsibilities towards her daughter participating in a Creative Break.

D has participated in our most recent break to Aviemore and enjoyed it thoroughly. She had even taken part in outdoor activities which challenged her thoroughly. Our staff reported that they offered to help but she was determined to see through the activity on her own. We were all so proud of her and her mother was very pleased with how this break went.

C&F are siblings both affected by CD40 Ligand Deficiency, F also suffers from epilepsy. This means that their father, who is a single parent, is forced to take many extra precautions with both of his sons’ medications and diets in order that they not contract any infections or illnesses. Both sons have been attending our Monday evening youth club for many years but had never attended our breaks before as it is an extended period of time away from home and dad is understandably protective of his sons as they require such careful attention.

However both sons visited Badaguish Outdoor Centre for the long weekend and both, though initially apprehensive about taking part, relaxed and had great fun. Both said that they would like to take part again in a future break. Just as importantly Dad’s trust in us to take care of his sons was rewarded and was able to enjoy the long weekend and will know that he does not need to worry about his children if his sons are able to attend again. Fingers crossed.
BV is a young lady who has been coming to Buddies since she was a young girl and is affected by autism, many complex needs and epilepsy. She needs a companion/carer full time when she is at home and cannot be left alone during the day or night. B is not very self-reliant and needs assistance with the simplest of tasks in her daily routine. She also suffers from very high levels of anxiety.

Her parents are both near 70 years old and struggle very much with the obligations and commitments they have to their caring roles as they also have a son who is affected by Asperger’s Syndrome. Both parents are forced to live to day to day scheduling their lives around their children’s’ routines so that they are always there when needed. They almost never have time for themselves and even more rarely have the opportunity to go on holiday as their children’s needs are so complex the anxiety of it all is just too much.

On all the Creative Breaks provided via Buddies there is always one to one support for every young person and this helps to reduce B’s levels of stress and ensure she enjoys the break. On the most recent break which B participated in she took part in outdoor activities – hill walking, a funicular ride up a mountain, sledging and orienteering to name a few. Her mother was astonished that B enjoyed the break so much as she thought that B didn’t like to take part in outdoor activities but was thrilled all the same when B said she wanted to go back.

Not only were both parents afforded the weekend to themselves but they even managed to have some refurnishing work done to their kitchen which according to the parents was most overdue. This particular family is requesting not only the longer break as part of their funding budget but also shorter breaks as this is what they see is most needed to sustain the family as a ‘whole unit’. This is the kind of opportunity that parents/carers are looking for from these breaks. If the family would not have had the opportunity to experience the breaks because of this funding then they would not have discovered that this is something that was so helpful to their family. Not only that their children/young people are safe and having fun but also a chance to take a breath and catch up with themselves.

What Buddies Clubs and Services has learned

Pre planning is of course the key to success not just with this project but all the different services we run. This project needs extra time and effort as staff and young people are away for 5 days 4 nights which without the extra time planning and getting to know the young people who participate in each break could result in huge levels of stress for ALL participants. Each trip has staff who either already know the young people or take the extra time to get to know new participants and their families.

It is important that all places we visit can provide a good range of activities to keep everyone involved and busy. We find that having a broad range of activities often brings out hidden talents and new ideas. Some young people enjoy activities which their families are very surprised at their level of participation. This of course means everyone gains confidence and become more willing to try other new things.

Most parents/ carers are very apprehensive about how their young people will cope away from home. However we have found that because parents/ carers have got to know the staff involved with each break they are happy for the young people to have the opportunity of being away from home. The success of the breaks means parents are very keen to have more breaks and become very willing to let their young people become very adventurous.

Most parents and carers really enjoy having time to themselves and being able to relax. Even those who have initial concerns are delighted at how their young people really enjoy all aspects of the trips. It is perhaps the fact that many parents do not realise just how adventurous their young people can be as they have just been doing the safe, secure and very limited activities for years.

The biggest success for all would be if parents and carers could build such breaks into their future budgets for their young people.
Top tips Buddies Clubs and Services's top tips for an organisation that wants to run a similar project
Tip 1:
Pre-planning by staff with the families is absolutely key to a successful break. Setting the location beforehand is a helpful plan because it gives the staff the location and helps them to compile a list of our young adults whom the location and type of break would suit.

Staff plan trips and outings with the young people directly when they attend our regular services and our Services manager meets the parents/carers directly to discuss individual needs, medications, dietary requirements and if they have any questions. If we are trying a new place we always have a staff pre-visit to check not just the accommodation but the range of things to do and how suitable they are.

Weather and the time of year is always taken into consideration so appropriate activities can be books and assessing the availability and type of indoor facilities on site are essential.
Tip 2:
Build relationships with managers and staff of all centres that you would potentially decide to use. We have met with several potential activity providers when planning these breaks and this helps us get a feel for what the young people attending are in for. This is very important also so we know for certain that the location, accommodation and activities will be suitable for our young people's needs.

Furthermore this is also good practice as it allows the providers to get a better idea of the kind of young people we help and allows them to not only decide whether their service is suitable but also allows them to tailor make a plan with their instructors which offers the most fun and benefit to our young adults.

This is also a helpful tip because if you have good working relationships with other organisations then they may be able to point you in the direction of other suitable providers you may not have come across in your researches.
Tip 3:
Having staff who have a good relationship with the young people who are attending the breaks is imperative. Our staff are all interchangeable throughout all of our services and have built strong relationships with the young people. The young people see our staff more as friends and peers rather than a bland carer/cared for relationship.

Of course all of our staff are aware and enforce personal boundaries and are know our policies and procedures but they all interact with the young people as friends and nurture their needs and wants and make them feel like a part of the 'family'. This is so important for the breaks because they are spending 5 full days together in a new place and experiencing each other in a more personal way than they would normally.

For new service users we try to meet families for some time before the trip(s) to build relationships.

"Thoroughly enjoyed the total relaxation and the time spent away from home. Did me a power of good - I am now a Pampered person! - Thank you"

Service User

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