Learning points
The project has been highly successful on many levels. The expected outcomes have been realised and there has been added value with unexpected outcomes, particularly for the stroke survivors with their speech and language, and for the Care Cadets in securing full time employment.
Recommendations for future work
- Identify appropriate groups at the planning stage. Do not delay in recruiting appropriate young people to take part as their involvement is crucial and probably the hardest to establish.
- Identify appropriate activities that are suited to those involved. This project demonstrated that individuals benefit most when they are fully engaged and able to shape the activities, whether it is informal learning, leisure or music therapy.
- Careful planning to form clear outcomes. Specifically to ensure good understanding of the groups and activities before mixing with a different age group, this will maximise participation and support delivery of health and wellbeing outcomes
- Use qualitative and quantitative research to evaluate success. The Flourishing Scale (quantitative) was found to not be appropriate for all participants.
- Work in partnership to maximise the use of available expertise and skills, not just of the service users and volunteers but of the staff involved at the various centres, many of whom turned out to be imaginative at building the project into the everyday life of the centre, in a full spirit of co-production.
- Form partnerships to apply for funding through joint bids. Joint bids particularly from the range of partners involved in this project are viewed more favourably in many cases.
- There is a plethora of funding opportunities that would be suitable for intergenerational work that can demonstrate positive health and wellbeing outcomes, such as The Big Lottery or the European Social Fund for example. These funds often view partnership bids very favourably particularly those with low cost and high impact as was the case here.
The project team are working with a local charity to form a bid to national charity that will enable more centres to access this type of provision.
