Downley Holiday Club. Report on progress to date and impact on sufficiency of childcare places for Children With Additional Needs

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1 Downley Holiday Club Report on progress to date and impact on sufficiency of childcare places for Children With Additional Needs

2 Background There has been much research carried out that impacts on current priorities within local authorities to improve the services that support those children and their families who are at risk of not achieving their potential and in closing the gap between the lowest and highest achievers. One of the factors which impacts on this is child disability/additional need, both for the child and their family in terms of social isolation and economic disadvantage. Research carried out by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation indicates that Children affected by disability are at greater risk of living in poverty, with a quarter of all children living in poverty having a disabled parent and over half of families with disabled children living in or at the margins of poverty Other research provides further information: Families with disabled children are 30 per cent more likely to be single parent families and 32 per cent more likely to work part-time. 1 Only 16% of mothers of disabled children are in paid employment, compared with 61 % of mothers of non disabled children. 2 Statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions show that Whilst official rates of poverty amongst children affected by disability are falling faster than the overall rate, rates are still significantly higher than for children not affected by disability. 2 Research into how the availability of childcare influences this indicates that: Parents of children with disabilities appear to be more likely not to be able to find the type of childcare they would like at the time that they wanted it. (Bryson et al, 2005). 'Securing childcare remains a problem for reasons both of affordability and accessibility (in the sense of the ability of the services on offer to be effective with respect to disabled children 3 1 E Emerson and C Hatton (2005), The Socio-Economic Circumstances of Families with Disabled Children, Institute of Health Studies, University of Lancaster 2 Langerman, Cathy; Worrall Eve. Ordinary Lives: disabled children and their families. New Philanthropy Capital; June P Russell (2004) Bridging the Gap: Developing childcare services for families with a disabled child, Council for Disabled Children and the Sure Start Unit 2

3 Legislative and Local Context The Childcare Act 2006 requires Local Authorities to have particular regard to the needs of disabled children as part of their duty to assess the childcare needs of families and to secure sufficient childcare for children up to and including age 14 (18 for disabled children) Buckinghamshire County Council is working towards addressing the inequalities that affect children and young people s ability to reach their full potential, these priorities are set out in the Children and Young People s Plan Link. What are main priorities? Can they be summarised or linked? The CYP Plan highlights that, Research has shown that for some children and young people, access to services can be a particular problem. These cases are often those which require a high degree of multi-agency working and affect those who are at most risk of achieving poorer outcomes than their peers. These children, young people and their families, tend to be lost between agencies and are therefore not in receipt of services, even those that are universally provided. This opinion was demonstrated in relation to childcare in the Buckinghamshire Childcare Sufficiency Assessment (CSA) which was published in 2008 where parents expressed the opinion that there was insufficient out of school care for children and young people with additional needs. In response to the findings of the CSA BCC commissioned The Daycare Trust to write a report on the provision of childcare for children with additional needs (CWAN) and as part of this report the responses to the CSA Demand Survey were analysed. The responses showed that of the 4780 respondents 279 (6%) were parents of CWAN and of these 68.3% were in employment. 29% of respondents felt a lack of suitable childcare was preventing them from obtaining work and 73% felt that lack of suitable childcare was preventing them from working more hours. 19% of respondents indicated that it would help them to access childcare if the childcare met their child s special needs. Responses to the consultation carried out by the Daycare Trust and other research considered in the report indicated that there was insufficient care and support for older children of school age especially during school holiday periods. Where there is provision there are a number of barriers to parents being able to take up the places: Parents often do not use childcare if they feel that there is a lack of appropriate places and support, a lack of suitably trained workers and a lack of appropriate facilities for disabled children (Daycare Trust, 2008). Concern that provision is not sufficiently set-up nor able to provide appropriate care for children with additional need 3

4 Parents will not use a childcare setting if they do not feel that their child is welcomed The cost can be prohibitive, especially where parents, especially the mother as the main carer, are unable to work and the family are experiencing financial difficulty. Providers also experience a number of difficulties in their efforts to provide childcare places for CWAN: The necessity for high adult:child ratios makes it extremely difficult to remain sustainable without grant funding The need to continually apply for grants requires a huge amount of work by managers. In the case of out of school provision this is often a committee made up of volunteer working parents who are unable to commit to this level of input. Suitably trained and experienced staff are not easy to recruit Staff require additional training Buildings are often not suitable for children with disabilities and there is restricted access and no provision for wheelchairs and toileting Restricted storage and shared use of buildings causes problems where additional equipment is required Practitioners who are not experienced in working with CWAN are often worried that they will not be able to cope with/ meet the needs adequately Practitioners are concerned about how other parents will react Downley Holiday Club In order to meet the highlighted needs for CWAN, BCC funded the development of a purpose built facility on the Downley School/Maplewood Special School site using Sure Start Early Years and Childcare Grant (SSEYCG). During the planning stage the Head of Maplewood School was consulted and his advice was incorporated into the plans. The building initially housed the Sunshine Montessori Nursery School, the Downley After School Club (DASC) and also housed the school dining room. The nursery already had close links with both Downley and Maplewood Schools and the DASC catered for the children of Downley School and had expressed a desire to work with Maplewood School but this had proved impractical when they operated at the local community facility. 4

5 Both providers moved into the new building in January 2011 and following a settling in period discussions began about extending the out of school provision to include holiday club and breakfast club. As it was essential that the holiday club would cater for the needs of all children, Aylesbury Vale Play Association (AVPA) who operate Lets Play Together (LPT), an inclusive holiday club in Aylesbury, were approached regarding running the Downley holiday club. A working group was set up that included representatives from Maplewood School, Downley School, AVPA, DASC and BCC staff from the Early Years and Childcare Service (EYC). The LPT holiday club runs from 10am 3pm for approximately four weeks per year and the AVPA we keen to replicate this format at Downley. However, it was the opinion of EYC that the Downley holiday club should operate from 8am 6pm every holiday in order to cater for working parents and parents wishing to return to work or study. It was especially hoped that this provision would allow parents of CWAN to work and improve the economic circumstances of their families as well as providing essential social activity and integration for their child. The working group therefore carried out a feasibility study which was personally delivered to all schools in High Wycombe that did not already run their own holiday club, including all special schools, to ensure that as wide a response as possible could be achieved. Analysis of the results confirmed EYC opinion that the holiday care was required from 8 6 and for the majority of school holidays. After much discussion AVPA decided that they would be unable to take on the Downley project unless it could be run in the same way as LPT. They did however offer ongoing advice and support to whoever run the club. EYC were very grateful for the time given by AVPA and the advice and support already given. As the DASC had previously expressed the desire to work with Maplewood School and had signed a Memorandum of Understanding before moving to the new building stating that they would be prepared to operate a holiday club if demand was demonstrated, discussions continued with the DASC to take the holiday club project forward. Although the recently appointed DASC committee were concerned about this proposition the after school club supervisor was enthusiastic. The main concerns of the DASC committee were: The amount of work the additional service would create for the committee who were all volunteers Concern that the level of staffing required for CWAN would make the holiday club unsustainable and impact on the existing DASC provision They were about to extend their services to include a breakfast club Concern that staff were not experienced in caring for CWAN 5

6 Concern that they would not be able to recruit staff for the holiday club Support from EYC In order to move the project forward EYC provided a package of advice and support in the following ways: Early Years and Childcare Adviser/Officer Advice and support to apply for grant funding. Advice and support with marketing and business management Advice on Ofsted registration requirements Advice on Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements of the EYFS Liaison with the school to secure a reasonable rent and use of the school fields Ongoing visits to the sessions to support on EYFS/Childcare Register requirements Ongoing support for the committee Playwork Support Officer Advice and support with activities and organisation of the sessions Accompanying visit to the scrap store to advise on suitable resources Visits to the club once operating to support staff and demonstrate good play practise Early Years Inclusion Officer Visits to the H. Wycombe special schools to discuss how the club could cater for the needs of their children Meetings with parents considering placing their child at the club to ascertain the child s needs and how the club could meet their individual needs Presence at taster visits Advice and support with recruitment Advice and support to staff:- Recommendations for training Delivery of Introduction to Autism Workshop Advice on strategies and equipment to meet the needs Attendance at early sessions and continued visits to support and evaluate Joint visit with leader to LPT Brokerage? Services now available In the spring 2012 the DASC extended their service to include breakfast club and at Easter 2012 operated the holiday club for the first time. The club has 6

7 since run for three days of the summer half term holiday and the first four weeks of the summer holidays. Members of the DASC staff have visited LPT and the manager of LPT has visited Downley. AVPA continue to be interested in the Downley project and are keen to offer advice and support if required. Level of attendance Attendance at the holiday club has been very positive with a number of CWAN attending every day of the holiday. As time goes on it is hoped that this number will increase as parents hear about the new services and about the positive experiences of other families. The statistics also provide further evidence of the need for all day provision:- Week 1 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Total All day School day AM only PM only CWAN Week 2 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Total All day School day AM only PM only CWAN Week 3 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Total All day School day AM only PM only CWAN Week 4 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Total All day School day AM only PM only CWAN Total no of Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 7

8 children Some members of DASC staff have already accessed additional training and this will continue. Knowledge and understanding gained from training and support from the Early Years Inclusion Officer has given them confidence in their ability to meet the needs of children. They are very pleased with how the club has developed and with the support they have received from EYC. They are committed to providing a club that will meet the needs of all children and are encouraged by the very positive feedback they have received from CWAN and their parents. Most of these parents used the facility while they were at work and it is hoped that the positive experience of CWAN and their families will encourage others to use the club. It is also very encouraging that one parent of a child who attends Maplewood School is now intending to use the after school club during term time. It is hoped that other children attending Maplewood School will also begin to attend the ASC in the future. Case Studies A parent of a child with autism contacted the club after receiving a flyer via their child s school. The following snippets of correspondence reveal some of the concerns that parents of CWAN experience: He attends a special needs school because he needs quite a lot of attention, and I fully understand if you are not set up to look after him. So my question is, could you cope with him and would you be willing to have him? Parents are not only concerned about whether the club is suitable for their child but also concerned about the affect of their child s attendance on others. I just thought that would be too much trouble for you and that as he does need almost a whole person to himself it wouldn t be fair to the other children and families. However, I was at a meeting yesterday with Rona Hopwood and she assured me that BCC had put in funding specifically for children.. So could I be an enormous pain and try and get to see you with a view to.. having some days over the summer hols? I am so sorry to be so fickle, but that s life with a disabled child, nothing is ever straight forward and sometimes its just easiest to stay at home which ultimately I know isn t best for either of us. 8

9 Feedback Feedback from parents of children with additional needs included: "The holiday placement fitted well with my working commitments as it ran from 8 6" "The staff and children were very happy to include children like mine and so it made the experience more enjoyable. I'm sure (my child) loved going as he always had a big smile on his face and was always keen to ring the buzzer on the door. I'm sure (my child) loved going as he always had a big smile on his face and was always keen to ring the buzzer on the door. (his school) has commented on the fact that he is more open to trying new things and is doing things he wasn't before and I put that down to his experience at Downley, The holiday club is really good and K. has enjoyed his time there and as a parent I am very happy with the care and support he is getting at the holiday club. Thanks to all the staff. Parent from Booker Park School My child is autistic and so is socially isolated, watching him playing and enjoy himself alongside the other children that was amazing. Good support and care for my child who has special needs. Several parents have said they valued the opportunity to spend time with their other children knowing their disabled child was safe. All parents were asked to complete a feedback form at the end of the holidays and the following comments were recorded: It is really nice to hear from my son that he enjoyed the club very much, felt homely and relaxed. So I will definitely be using the service of the club continuously during holidays. Parent from Chepping View Please keep it running!!!. Parent from Downley Just to say thank you for looking after my boys so well. - Parent from West Wycombe Would use again even though it is not local. - Parent from Stockenchurch Lovely place and wonderful staff. - Parent from Downley I was looking for a structure environment that would also allow L. to feel like he was on holiday. - Parent from Stockenchurch 9

10 E. hasn t wanted to leave!. - Parent from West Wycombe Delighted my children were so happy here. Parent from Downley Quotes from staff at the end of the holiday include:..it was enjoyable and worthwhile.. and it was valuable and fun.. Joe Cook, Inclusion Officer attended a number of the sessions and reported I have observed children happily entering the club; bouncing around gleefully, interacting with the staff and joining in with some of the organised activities, which for some children is quite an achievement. BCC Outcomes The provision of the new building and extended services now provide an 8am 6pm year round childcare service for the children of Downley School and Maplewood School including inset days. The holiday club also provides childcare for children attending other schools including special schools. Over time it is hoped that the reach of these services will be extended and will make a difference to the lives of very many children and families. This project meets a number of the positive outcomes for children that are highlighted in the Children and Young People s Plan: Closing the gap Family focus Early intervention and secondary prevention 10