1. family and parenting
2. children

East Lothian
Saturday Club 2015
INFORMATION AND APPLICATION PACK
East Lothian Saturday Club 2015
Play days for children and young people with autism
Lothian Autistic Society have received generous funding to conduct a pilot project for families in
East Lothian. Our exciting new Saturday Club pilot aims to offer families with children with autism
daytime respite on a time-limited basis to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of this form of
respite. The pilot is managed by Lothian Autistic Society and delivered in partnership with East
Lothian Council.
The Saturday Club provides children and young people with an opportunity to access community
activities and venues whilst progressing their social and emotional learning through play. We aim
to:
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provide a safe and secure play environment in which children and young people can flourish
as individuals and not have to conform to social pressures
promote inclusion through developing group and social skills, and supported integration into
mainstream activities and settings
facilitate an environment to provide children and young people attending with the opportunity
to develop age appropriate play skills
provide parents, siblings and carers with a break from caring
Children will arrive at a local East Lothian venue to enjoy a fun filled day of activities with one-toone support provided by trained Lothian Autistic Society support workers. All staff, including
volunteers, undertake specific training designed to meet the needs of the individual child/young
person as well as child protection, managing challenging behaviour sessions and autism
awareness.
WHEN:
Each child will attend on alternate Saturdays for 9 sessions in total.
WHERE:
Sandersons Wynd Primary School, Tranent.
CONTACT: Lothian Autistic Society: 0131 661 3834 or email office@lothianautistic.org
We have a maximum of twenty places available and these will be allocated by a joint panel
between Lothian Autistic Society and East Lothian Council. We aim to start the pilot in early May
2015.
How to apply:
Anyone wishing to apply for a place for their child should read and complete the information on
the following pages and well as the Child Profile document. If you have any questions please
contact Lothian Autistic Society for more information.
Please send the completed paperwork by email to office@lothianautistic.org or by post to 57
Queen Charlotte St, Edinburgh EH6 7EY.
East Lothian Saturday Club 2015
Important Information
What will the project provide?
The project will provide a day respite opportunity to:
(a) Ten children with a confirmed diagnosis of autism, with or without a learning disability aged
between 7 – 12 years
(b) Ten children with a confirmed diagnosis of autism without a learning disability aged between
13 – 17 years
Children should be dropped off at the venue by a parent/guardian at 10am and morning sessions
will include access to a wide variety of indoor activities e.g. play, baking, music and art. After
lunch, afternoon sessions will offer a variety of outings each week e.g. trips to the local
attractions, swimming, trampoline and soft play sessions. Children will then be collected by
parents/guardian at 4pm.
Children will attend fortnightly for a total of nine sessions. Each session will run between 10am –
4pm.
How will places be allocated?
Places are limited and will be decided through an allocation panel jointly between Lothian Autistic
Society and East Lothian Council. Our decision will be based on the eligibility and priority areas
identified below.
Applications close at 5pm on Friday 17 April 2015
You will be notified the week ending 24 April if you have been allocated a place
Eligibility Criteria
Applications must meet the following criteria:
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Your child must be a resident of East Lothian in order to apply.
Your child must have a confirmed diagnosis of autism and be aged between 7 – 17 years.
You must complete the information on the following pages to the best of your ability.
You must be able to ensure your child can be dropped off and collected from the Club
venue on time each session.
 The child or young person with autism must be able to be staffed on a maximum ratio of 1:1.
If your child has severe or complex needs which require a higher level of support than this
unfortunately the project will not be suitable.
Priority areas
The panel will consider applications against some priority areas, which include:
 The carer receives little or no break from caring in an average week.
 The demand of the caring role threatens the balance with the carer’s work or social life, and
a break is likely to improve this balance.
 The break will help to foster family relationships – spending some quality time together or
apart. This may be attendance of important family or social occasions i.e. weddings,
birthday parties or family visits.
 The carer finds it difficult to cope and may be unable to continue in their caring role without
intervention.
 If the child or young person with autism has little or no social engagement or play
opportunities this will be taken into account.
 Priority will be given to children who will be in a position to take up all of the nine sessions
offered to them.
Desired outcomes
A place in the Saturday Club should help to achieve at least one or more of the following
outcomes and your application should demonstrate to the panel how this will be achieved.
 The carer and the child joining the Club will benefit from improved physical and emotional
wellbeing
 The carer will be better able to sustain their caring role and balance that role with a life
outside of caring
 The child or young person will have a meaningful and positive experience of play and peer
engagement
 The child or young person will interact with their community in a positive way which may
lead to ongoing engagement independent of the project
Personal Statement
Please write a short statement addressing the priority areas and desired outcomes above and
how you feel this project would be both suitable and beneficial for you and your child.