Day Opportunities at Kilcreggan Urban Farm.

Day Opportunities is funded by the NHSSB. The programme was developed to help with the transition from unemployment to employment with an accredited OCR qualification. The funding has enabled Kilcreggan to run this programme for up to two years, we are currently one year and three months through the programme.

As an emerging social firm Kilcreggan is offering work training opportunities to adults with a learning disability. This service is offered to the locally community based health and social trust client as an alternative to the day care setting. Within an urban farm setting we provide a fixed term training opportunity to increase employability skills. In partnership with a supported employment provider Kilcreggan can develop a seamless transition from work training to employment at the completion of the programme. This service identifies a gap in the community and provides a much needed stepping stone. This project is another stage in the development of Kilcreggan Urban Farm (KUF).

Many visits are received from these schools as well as informal visits from members of the community. Kilcreggan Urban Farm has been recognized to draw together different sections of the community and improve the social and physical surrounding environment. The project will aid in increasing self esteem, self belief and the social inclusion of adults with a learning disability within Carrickfergus and the surrounding areas.

KUF currently supports 19 adults with learning disabilities on our day opportunity scheme in addition to that we have 2 adults with learning disabilities that attend the farm through a direct payments method of day opportunities. On KUF service users enjoy tasks based on the farm these include; feeding and caring for the animals, taking part in horticulture tasks such as planting hanging baskets, growing vegetables, and also talking to customers and groups that visit the farm. Kilcreggan farm helps integration of the service users within their community and give them the preparation they need for supported employment. At the end of each service users 11 month placement it is decided if they will be taking up a voluntary placement or being referred to Triangle, a supported employment provider, to start paid employment. The qualification that the adults were trained in last year was OCR Certificate in Preparation for Employment entry level, level 1 and level 2. This year the qualification has been revised and the group will be completing Ready Steady Work. This is also assessed across three levels. Through a skills analysis and working with the service users it will be decided at what level they will complete the qualification.

Day Opportunities is part of the rail track model that has been set up by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust.

The future of day Opportunities is set change. By October 2009 instead of service users attending the farm for an 11 month placement, placements can now be bought. Service users can pay for each day they wish to work on the farm. The placement will mean service users can attend the farm whenever they want and have support in a range of activities on the farm.