The Northern Trust’s Day Opportunities Programme was established to modernise and reform day services to enable adults with a learning disability to access community based services instead of those that are buildings-based.

A buildings-based day service is another term for an Adult or Day Centre. These buildings-based facilities provide a day service to people with a learning disability who have complex health care needs and or challenging behaviour and or specific vulnerabilities which deem them unsuitable for community-based day services.

Community-Based day services are coordinated through the Day Opportunities Programme. The programme covers four areas of community based opportunities:

  1. Recreational activity – (through the Base ‘Drop-In’)
  2. Supported employment
  3. Volunteering
  4. Further education

A Day Opportunities Co-ordinator works with the individual and their families/carers and provides a “package” of community based opportunities tailored to the needs and aspirations of the individual and wherever possible within the participant’s home area.

The Northern Trust has developed working partnerships with community and voluntary sector providers and with other government departments to provide a range of locally-delivered services and opportunities for the participants.

There is a Trust-wide team of Day Opportunities Co-ordinators to provide access to these community-based opportunities and monitor individual progress.

Over 600 service users are involved with the Northern Trust’s Day Opportunities Service.

What Is Day Opportunities?

Performing Arts

Performing Arts are arts such a music, dance and drama, where individuals can explore different forms of emotions and types of characters, which are performed for an audience.

The NHSCT has for many years been committed to using the arts to improve the health and wellbeing of service users. In recent years it has become increasingly recognised that the arts can make a major contribution to health and wellbeing for all.

Creative Health: The Arts for Health and Wellbeing All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing Inquiry Report, 2017 highlighted three key messages:

  • The arts can help keep us well, aid our recovery and support longer lives better lived.
  • The arts can help meet major challenges facing health and social care: ageing, long-term conditions, loneliness and mental health.
  • The arts can help save money in the health service and social care

Following a Co-Production workshop in 2019 with adults with a learning disability receiving day services, service users identified performing arts as a key area for future development by the Trust. In addition, feedback from service users who have engaged in ongoing time-limited performing arts activities continue to support demand for a service delivering similar activities on a regular basis.

The Northern Trust’s Day Opportunities Programme accordingly has developed a number of Performing Arts programmers, in partnership with independent sector providers, across the Trust to meet this challenge.

The Performing Arts service will be delivered in the community by professional tutors who will supervise and guide each participant. The service will be structured, meaningful and fun, with the goal of improving attention, focus and building self-esteem and confidence. The service will deliver two ‘Showcases’ per year, which will enable participants the opportunity to invite their family and friends along to see their work.

The progress of this opportunity is continually monitored through the Northern Trust’s Day Opportunities Programme.

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