Children's charity's North Care Farming Initiative
Children's charity's North Care Farming Initiative
Children's charity's North Care Farming Initiative.
National children’s charity Action for Children has been running a Care Farming Initiative in North East Scotland since June 2010, with the aim of exploring the possible benefits of care farming for some of the organisation’s service users and carrying out a feasibility study on the setting up of a successful and suitable care farming operation that is benchmarked for quality. The work was carried out by a team of four young adults: Leon Morrison, Amy Reynolds, Shalane MacDougall and Robert Dewar (pictured).
The team conducted a programme of research, working with young people in local schools and with local farmers. Following a presentation in several schools on care farming, the views of the young people who attended were surveyed. More than 90% took the view that care farming could benefit young people, and around one third expressed an active interest in care farming.
Interviews and site visits were carried out with farmers, including a successful local care farmer, Caroline Matheson of Ballicherry Farm. Her care farm was established in 2008, integrated with a largely arable 400 acre farm with livestock. Its target client group is people on the former Incapacity Benefit - now the Employment Support Allowance – and lone parents/long term unemployed looking to improve their employability. Up to three people attend each day, up to five days per week. Referrals are by Job Centre Plus and a wide range of partner agencies takes three clients a day, and take.
An independent evaluation of Ballicherry Farm organised by Job Centre Plus concluded most clients moved positively on the Rickter Scale (which measures health, well being, mood and other lifestyle factors).
The conclusion from reviewing the evidence, talking to young people and interviewing current and potential care farmers is that care farming can have a great impact on young people, giving them physical and social skills and improved fitness, experience of team working, increased self esteem and a sense of achievement and increased independence, as well as the opportunity to achieve a range of qualifications. These could include Asdan awards, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, ‘Step Up’ qualifications and Youth Achievements awards.
The team concluded that for a care farming initiative by Action for Children to be successful, it must be a partnership between referring organisations, Action for Children staff, the farmer and the young people referred to it. The team have proposed a model for a service that targets young people (aged 16-25) who are in need of help, with referrals from a range of organisations leading to a 12 week placement with support from a support worker who would guide the young person through their farm-based placement. As well as the support worker, the farmer would act as an instructor for the young person, working in partnership to help and support them to have a positive outcome. There would also be an induction for the young person and a series of monthly reviews and evaluations that would contribute to a detailed and comprehensive measurement of the young person’s progress and outcomes based around Action for Children criteria, and to the evaluation and monitoring of the care farming initiative.
Ann Darlington, Action for Children's Group Manager for Children's Services, said:
"The young people who led our Care Farming initiative have done a tremendous job of exploring the feasibility for Action for Children to get involved in Care Farming in this area. The possibilities are exciting, and we are hopeful of building the partnerships to turn their ideas into some practical help for young people who could benefit from time spent working on the land."
The Action for Children team are currently seeking funding to take forward the ideas they have developed, and we will keep you up to date on any future developments.