CSP: Yorkshire Sport
Overview
Better with Friends provides opportunities for disabled people to become more physically active by matching them with volunteer befriender who will attend a sports club or physical activity session with them. The benefits of the project are far wider though with the impact it has on participant’s social and mental well-being by introducing them to groups and providing them with a supportive role model. There could be a variety of reasons for requesting a befriender. These include a lack of confidence to attend alone and requiring help adapting to an unfamiliar setting. The overall aim is for the participant to integrate into the activity so the volunteer can withdraw gradually and the participant feels comfortable attending alone thereby creating a sustainable sporting habit.
The service is aimed at those who take part in little or no sport and a significant proportion of people applying for the service are not in education, employment or training, have a limited social network with few friends, many do not leave the house and are not involved in any group activities. A high portion of applications are sent in from Social Workers, Clinical Psychologists and Health Centre’s who see the benefits of encouraging clients to become involved with a positive role model and a group activity to help develop social skills, make friends and become more involved with the wider community to help them integrate and become more independent.
Rationale for Project and Consultation:
A consultation took place in July and August 2015 with disabled people in South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire and partners of Yorkshire Sport Foundation. 67% of disabled people and a large number of partners who worked with disabled people highlighted the benefits of a sports befriender service and a gap with no similar services available. Disabled people who commented on the need for this provision felt it was difficult for them to attend alone because many found sport intimidating, had previously had negative experiences or lacked confidence. The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) have found similar results with research commissioned by Sense (EFDS website, 2015) showing that 23% of disabled people feel lonely on a typical day, rising to 38 of 18 to 34 year olds. 77% of young disabled adults also feel they face greater barriers than non-disabled people in making and sustaining friendships.
Delivery Model:
As a result of the consultation a scoping exercise was carried out, which included meeting with other local befriending services including Age UK, Mind, Making Space and Yorkshire Children’s Centre to gain insight into their services and the most effective way to deliver our service. Our pilot project started in July 2016 in the Bradford district. Yorkshire Sport Foundation provided a Development Officer whose role included meeting and forming links with health professionals who could use the service, recruiting volunteers through forming effective relationships with the voluntary sector and the local University and Colleges and working with Bradford Disability Sport and Leisure (BDSL) a charity who are commissioned by Bradford District Metropolitan Council to deliver disability sport. These relationships helped influence partners to recommend the service and formed links with BDSL clubs that service users could attend.
Recruitment
we used our strong existing partnerships established through our Creating Connections project, a physical activity project for people with disabilities plus our newly formed relationships to attract suitable applications. Health and social care professionals and disabled people’s organisations were specifically targeted and self-registrations also encouraged. The service isn’t restrictive and accepts applications from people who are taking part in sport whilst in education but don’t join in community activities because the participant feels unable to. A number of applicants have reported that they have struggled to start community sport resulting in them becoming socially isolated and their physical and mental health worsening after leaving education. Participants were also added to our Creating Connections service so their progress could be tracked and activity levels monitored.
Intervention
Yorkshire Sports Development Officer considers which volunteers and participants would be suitable for the project and matches a service user with a volunteer. An introductory meeting is set-up, if both parties are happy to proceed following this meeting; logistics such as what activity and start date are agreed. The services Development Officer provided opportunities for participants and volunteers to progress to new activities, if required. The volunteer’s role varies depending on the participants needs and includes meeting at the activity, helping the participant adapt to a new setting, introducing them to other participants and coaches and generally ensuring they support, encourage and answer any questions the participant might have. Volunteers are issued with a mobile so they can also call to remind their participant of sessions, if required and also to ensure their own privacy.
Impact and Outcomes:
The programme has been effective at engaging ‘inactive’ disabled people in physical activity and sport. On initial application, 52% of clients reported that they did not take part in 30 minutes of sport or physical activity on any day of the week and a further 26% reported that they took part in 30 minutes or more on just 1 day of the week. The service is sustainable as it links applicants to a volunteer and then to existing clubs and groups, therefore ensuring no funding is required to provide new activities. As well as the benefits to health with all participants increasing activity levels those using the service experience a range of social benefits such as feeling happier, having goals and ambitions, having something to look forward to, getting out of the house more often and making new friends.
Participant Story:
SY was unable to take part in sport as she lacked confidence due to a number of disabilities but mainly her epilepsy. She wanted to go swimming but her mum couldn’t swim and with no other family members this didn’t seem like a possibility. SY was becoming more socially isolated and Dr Kate Dutton; a Clinical Psychologist from Bradford’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service was concerned. Having heard about the Better with Friends project she recommended SY apply.
The impact has been huge. SY’s mum says six months into the intervention
... “my daughter is like a different person. She is much happier and loves going swimming with her befriender. She has now joined the gym also and is feeling much better about herself. Her befriender is so supportive and friendly with friends and always willing to change the day if SY cannot attend. I never thought we would find a service like this and hadlooked everywhere for help to get SY into activities but nobody was willing to support her”.