The Fun Time Consultation

 

Disabled Children and Young people who currently use residential care based in Leeds were invited to give their views on the new units being planned for disabled children in a Fun Time afternoon at Spring  half term. LiLAC the preferred bidder, had several stands. This included their builders (Jack Lunn), the maintenance team (Gleesons)and the architects (Halliday Clark).

Visitors were able to try on hard hats and high visibility jackets, just like they will be able to if they visit the building site.Some people wanted to keep their hats forever! There were pictures to show how the sites are now, and how they will be if the buildings are built to the plans we have at present.

The architects had done lots of work making a model bedroom. It showed how each room is really spacious and has its own ensuite bathroom with a shower. There was a carpet and a pretend bed and pretend desk and you could sit down at the desk and do some colouring. Everyone liked the bedrooms, and ideas were shared about how the bathrooms must be safe, and how some young people prefer baths. One person wanted to know where the vacuum cleaner would be so they could vacuum their room.

We marked out a space showing a sensory room. The Leeds Inclusion Scheme Toy Library lent us lots of equipment you could use in a sensory room, to touch and feel with lights. Cherie and Steven from the Childrens Learning Disability Nursing Team were helping there and they found the young people who played in it really liked the sensory equipment.

We invited young people to have a wish list of what else they like to play with. The list showed they really liked going on the trampoline we had! We will make sure there are good links to the local swimming pools in our new units – both of them are planned near new swimming pools. We are looking into music systems and there will be the ability to use computers all through the new buildings.We will be looking to get some really comfy (and hard wearing) chairs and sofas.

As well as this we had workers from Speech and Language therapy, the Children’s Community

 

 

Nursing Team, the Adult Independent Living Project and Children and Young People’s Complaints Team there. Parents particularly were interested in these stands.

 

 Entries for the name of the new units were received. 

There will be another consultation event soon.

All the young people who attended the Fun Time and their parents  received certificates showing they helped with the consultation.