Social groups for young people
2
The Pitch
Problem statement
We work with children and young people who struggle with their mental health and/or who have additional needs. Many of the children we work with are out of education and have no social interaction with any one other than who lives in their home. Many children only leave their home with an Esteem Team staff member and since Covid-19 this isolation has become much worse. Many of the children we work with have very little social interaction with peers and have low self esteem/confidence to be able to make friends and sustain a positive friendship. Some of the children are looking to transition back into a school but with no/little communication and interaction skills, this is anxiety provoking.
Solution
To run 4 inclusive social skills groups: 2 young carer groups (1 primary age, 1 secondary age) 2 social skills groups for neurodiverse children (1 primary, 1 secondary) The groups would be run by highly qualified and experienced staff to offer both therapeutic and social skills input. We use the autism education framework and would be focusing on the “healthy living, community participation & independent living outcomes. The groups would be small enough to feel safe and supported, but big enough to make a difference. We would be able to use our Esteem Team Base and the local community resources, local sports club (Cranford), beach, our wellbeing garden, parks etc.
Why are we best placed to deliver?
We work with children/young people and their families who struggle with their mental health and/or who have additional needs. We aim to enable, empower and equip the children/young people we work with and offer many services which are tailored around each individual person/family. We have 24 highly trained staff who are there to support and educate the children we work with. www.esteemteam.co.uk We allow the child to build a trusted relationship with one or more of our team and to help build their self esteem, improve their mental health and give them an education. We have recently won an award for the best Exmouth Charity/Community Group and have been in the final for 4 other awards too.
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| 40 group sessions run by 2 staff members. All expenses/resources/staff costs are included in this | £2,000 |
Beneficiaries
30 people
Expected impact
These sessions will be much needed respite for the families of the children attending the group. We offer free family support services and one of the main things that carers need is respite. This respite will also impact on sibling and anyone else living with this child. The groups will allow the child to build a trusted relationship with our staff in a safe and supportive environment. This will allow us to build their confidence and self esteem, help them manage their emotions and develop and maintain a friendship with a peer. The groups will be designed around a common interest that is a stepping stone for conversation to be initiated by the children. We will scaffold them and supply all resources required.
Track record
Esteem Team previously helped 140 families with a grant of a similar amount. We have increased the size of our premised from 4 rooms to 10 to keep up with demand. We get several referrals for our serves every day and have a waiting list for social groups. Our directors sit on Forums with local authority, disabled children services (and more) where we get told the need for our services is huge but since the lockdowns the need has massively increased. We always create bespoke packages based on the families needs so listening to them is paramount to us.