Brighter Opportunities for Special People (BOSP) - 2020
Emergency Schooling for Children with Disabilities
Delivering a wide range of regular clubs and activities with care, at evenings, weekends and during school holidays for families who have children with complex disabilities or life-limiting illnesses, aged 4 to 25 years.
Years: 2020, 2021
For over 29 years, BOSP has delivered a wide range of regular clubs and activities with care for families who have children with complex disabilities or life-limiting illnesses, aged birth to 25 years. These children have still not returned to school full-time, as their educational setting cannot support both their care needs along with the restrictions relating to COVID-19. This project will enable BOSP to provide 6 months emergency respite care for these children/young people.
There is an assumption that all children, regardless of need, are back in school full-time. Howeverthe reality is quite different with schools making their own decisions, interpreting what they say is Government guidance as opposed to statutory obligations. Many of BOSP’s children have only returned 2 days a week whilst some have not returned at all.
Families are not receiving additional financial support during this time to help pay for carers within the home. This lack of respite means they are unable to work as they must resume their full-time caring role. Fear of redundancy because of this is causing untold additional stress. Many also cannot get out of the house in the day, especially if the child/young person has personal care needs/challenging behaviour. Often referred to as the ‘forgotten demographic’ of this pandemic, these already isolated children are remaining isolated and unable to participate fully in society like their peers.
The project will extend BOSP’s highly quality weekend/school holiday programme and aim to provide a minimum 1,908 hours of FREE support activities during weekdays for a minimum of 34 children aged 3-25. Each session will be 6 hours long and will also provide respite for families. Each child/young person will be supported on a one-to-one or one-to-two basis within a small bubble group. BOSP’s beneficiaries are diagnosed with a variety of complex and rare disabilities and conditions, including amongst others; Fragile-X, Chromosome deletions, Holoprosencephaly, Double Incontinence, Autism, Cri du Chat Syndrome, Hemiplegia, Nystagmus, Fucosidosis, Global Develeopmental Delay. BOSP is fully COVID ready and has already re-started weekend/holiday core services.
