The children and young people from the two special needs schools will benefit from participating in a wide range of fun, exciting and relevant activities. Because of the additional support provided by staff and volunteers, they will have the opportunity to take part in activities other children do, but which are all too often denied to our children. It is often the case that the children can become isolated during school holiday times and we hope that by participating in The Butterfly Club, they will be able to enjoy a healthy, safe fun and meaningful time with their peers and other adults outwith their home environment.
The families/carers of the children and young people who attend The Butterfly Club will also benefit. This will provide respite for the families/carers, which is especially important during the long school holiday periods. It is very hard to describe in a few short words, the pressure put on our families caring for a child with severe/complex/profound learning difficulties. Most of our children also have a combination of health, mobility, sleep, communication and sensory disorders in addition to their disability. Caring for our children whilst trying to carry out the normal daily tasks of shopping, housework, visits to the post office/bank can be very difficult and at times impossible. Doing the very simplest of things requires a lot of planning well in advance to try and minimise the impact and stress for our children. Whilst the children and young people are at The Butterfly Club, parents and other siblings will be able to engage in normal family activities whilst knowing the children are safe and having fun. Getting a break for a few hours makes the world of difference to the families and is often the difference of being able to cope or not.
The siblings of the children will benefit too. Often it is the very sad truth that siblings can feel a bit neglected and sometimes their needs come second place. They are often restricted in their activities due to the nature of their brothers/sisters disability. Whilst their brother/sister is enjoying a fun day at the holiday club, it gives them a chance to spend quality time with their parents, doing stuff that they want to do and having their needs being put first.
The staff/volunteers. Due to the severe needs of the children we require high level staffing levels. All children require a minimum of 1:1, a lot will require 2:1 and at times some may require 3:1. Staff will be required to undertake the appropriate training programmes such as medication/emergency treatments/peg feeding/moving and handling/CALMS training/First Aid and the local authority minibus driving test. All this training will benefit the staff and enhance their further employment opportunities. We would also aim to recruit students studying at the local college as volunteers, giving them valuable work experience also enhancing their employment opportunities.
The members of The Butterfly Club committee will also benefit from the range of skills they will have to use to run the club. They will be involved in planning, financial management, committee skills and procedures, advertising and marketing. All of this will be transferable into future projects.