Leeds Weekend Care Association is an independent charity that has been running for two decades in 2019. We work hard to provide weekend and evening social clubs all year round for children and young people with disabilities in the Leeds area. We run three projects, all of which offer the opportunity for children and young people with disabilities to make friends and have fun, and respite for their families, who are able to relax knowing they are in a safe and welcoming environment.
Often, mainstream leisure provision is not accessible or adequate for a child with additional needs. Even in the case where it is, it can be stressful for families where their child may present challenging behaviour or be judged by others, making a trip out others take for granted an impossibility. We seek to address this issue for children, young people and their families in Leeds, UK, by providing weekend and evening social clubs for young people. We currently support around 140 families.
Our projects offer a safe environment where children and young people can have fun, make friends, learn and develop. We have highly trained care staff who are able to support children with additional needs that other local services may not have the capacity to. By offering support and care to children, we also provide respite for their families, who are able to take a break from caring responsibilities. We know this is vital for preventing family breakdown due to local council research.
The projects can support children with additional needs aged 5-18, meaning throughout this time they are provided with social opportunities and are supported to achieve individual goals, which helps them prepare for life beyond Weekenders. It also impacts their families, who will experience improved mental health and well being from having respite from caring responsibilities.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Excel file (projdoc.xls).
