An interview with Sally Bradbeer from Thornhill Primary School
A lot of our success is owed to the extensive referral network we’ve been working with over the years, including schools, social workers, local authorities and GPs. Today we work with over 130 organisation across the country who help us reach those young carers with the greatest needs, and tailor our services for each individual child and their unique situation at home.
We have recently been in contact with Sally Bradbeer, a home school liaison officer and lead referrer at Thornhill Primary School in Southampton about their collaboration with Honeypot. Thornhill is one of the most deprived areas of the country; around 60% of the children are entitled to pupil premium, which is three times the national average. Sally’s school started collaborating with Honeypot in 2011 and has since referred hundreds of children for Respite and SEAL Breaks. In her interview Sally, she talks about what makes our breaks so special for the children, how her school decides which children to refer, and how the demand for Respite and Learning Breaks has grown considerably over the last 18 months.
What does your job role consist of and what are your aims?
I’m a home school liaison officer, my work centres predominantly around attendance and safeguarding. I liaise with the local community and parents, other health and children’s professionals, and other schools. It’s a really diverse role that gives me a good understanding of the children’s lives.
Thornhill Primary school is in one of the most deprived areas in the country. Many of our children live with drug and alcohol abuse, mental health, poor housing and poverty. For them, school is their safe place, a place where people give them the time and care they need that they may not be receiving at home. We provide a lot of nurture and ELSA* support. And we use restorative practice to try and get children to understand and reflect, because that’s not what they’re used to at home. We try to give them some sort of stability in their lives.
Why are Honeypot SEAL Breaks so important for the children we work with?
As a school, we are lucky to have amazing outdoor space, including wooded areas, two kitchens, and dedicated garden space. The children are lucky that we have all that available. But it’s a new environment for them when they go on a SEAL break with Honeypot. For them, it feels like a holiday.
“It’s a new environment for the children when they come to Honeypot, a new experience. They feel ever so grown up because they are doing something away from home. They don’t see your staff and volunteers as teaching them anything, they see it as a holiday and that makes such a difference.”
What is the criteria for deciding which children can be referred?
Before we refer any children for a break with Honeypot, we have a lot of meetings to decide which children we’re going to refer, who we think will benefit, whether we think they’ll last the time. We also have to ensure that the parents are on board with it all. That is an important point to consider, as we don’t want to lose a space if someone is not successful.
“One of our biggest challenges is explaining to parents why we’ve chosen their child to go on a Honeypot break. We don‘t want them to think we’re judging them or that there is something wrong with the child. There’s a whole process around inviting and meeting the parents, showing them Honeypot videos, helping them to fill in the forms. And in these meetings, we feel how the parents appreciate Honeypot’s work as much as the children. They too want their children to be happy.”
Why are Honeypot services paramount in aiding the growth and confidence of young carers?
The lives of the children we sent to Honeypot are often chaotic. That's why continuous support is so important. The breaks are a highlight. But gentle reminders throughout the year that they are part of the Honeypot network, even if only once or twice a year in the form of a birthday or Christmas card, are so important too. It will bring back the time they had on a break and all the memories they made. It gives the children another chance to enjoy it and it shows them you haven’t forgotten about them. And that is invaluable. That’s why I feel that the new digital activities you offer will also be an opportunity for the children to stay in touch with other Honeypot children, to chat, share experiences and engage in an activity.
What do you think the children enjoy most when they are enrolled on our programme?
For a lot of the children Honeypot supports, it’s the environment. It’s clean, it’s safe, it’s fresh and it’s tidy. The staff are attentive, and the food is nice, and they can choose. And there is no worry for them for a little while. A lot of them live in extremely overcrowded homes, it’s sometimes five or six children plus mum and dad in a 2-bedroom flat with no garden.
“Having that space and the opportunity to go outdoors whenever they want, having everything available for them, toys, food, play equipment, even a swimming pool, that really is an amazing experience for them. Just being able to be carefree for a little while, because many of the children we refer aren’t. From a very young age, they have the world on their shoulders. A lot of them.”
How has the pandemic affected young carers’ wellbeing and the need for Respite and Learning Breaks?
The demand for Respite and Learning Breaks was big before lockdown, but it is even bigger now. We can see how many children still haven’t found their way back to their old routine, and we experience a lot of challenging behaviour. Many children have been on play stations and tablets for months with very little interaction, often no outdoor opportunities because of the parent's anxiety, and we can see how that has caused a lot of behavioural issues. The children have been stuck between four walls and the parents may have been allowing it to happen as it’s a battle they can’t have, they couldn’t go out and entertain them outside.
*ELSA stands for Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. There is a recognised ELSA training course aimed specifically at Teaching Assistants in schools.
*Pupil premium, introduced in 2011, is a grant given by the Government to schools in England to decrease the attainment gap for the most disadvantaged children. Children can be eligible for a variety of reasons, including family circumstances, such as income or occupations, and whether or not they're in care (the national average was 17.3% in January 2021, and has risen by over 3% in last six months to 20.8% in June 2021, latest stats here).