Description
The project, promoted by a local cerebral palsy association, aims to support children and young people with disabilities between 6 and 18 years old during the school holidays, as in many cases both parents work and school holidays do not coincide with the labor holidays. It is also intended as a pilot-project for creating an additional response to the problems of young people with cerebral palsy in Portugal. The need for this project was highlighted on questionnaires recently made to families of children and young people with disability. The project will encompass all school holidays between December 2013 and December 2014. The promoter will gather insight, via questionnaires, on how best to provide this service, with a final evaluation involving interviews to all the families involved in the project. Resulting from this learning process, the project may subsequently be disseminated to other regions of Portugal.
Summary of project results
This project created a service, provided by the Viana do Castelo cerebral palsy association (northern Portugal), to support children and young people with disabilities during the school holidays, a need felt in the local community. Ten youths and their families benefited directly, from what was intended to be a pilot-project to be replicated elsewhere in Portugal. The promoter used this opportunity to improve its capacity for providing this service, having evaluated its results together with the families involved. This was a learning opportunity for the promoter, which had no prior experience in how to provide this service in a cost-effective way. Also, the promoter became more visible within the community, which was made further aware of the difficulties faced by these youths and their families. The Viana do Castelo municipality was a key partner, which will support subsequent activities after this project.
Summary of bilateral results