Projects
Please click on the green play button below to listen to the audio version of the Projects section of the Statutory Accounts.
KAB has continued to be involved in short term projects throughout the year and actively seeks funding for project work which will be of benefit to service users either directly or indirectly. Trustees will also from time to time agree to fund special projects from reserves where needed and will designate funds specifically for this purpose.
Project income shown in the 2010/11 financial statements totals £77,251 compared with £24,545 in the previous year. Income has increased as a result of income for the ECLO and Aiming High Projects. Costs have also increased to £110,379 from £57,365 in 2009/10 as a result of more projects having taken place during the year. Individual projects are discussed below.
The stroke project, which was funded by KCC, enabled us to dedicate rehab worker time towards joint working with stroke professionals to raise awareness and provide training to healthcare professionals around sight loss which is often experienced by someone who had had a stroke but can often go unnoticed. The project concluded in April 2010 with a well attended conference and feedback from healthcare professionals was positive. Total costs incurred in the year were £4,200 and grants from KCC towards these costs totalled £3,800 in this year, with most of the income and expenditure for this project having been incurred in the previous year.
Our employment project in partnership with Action for Blind People continued in 2010/11 with the aim of supporting service users into employment. A small element of Project income (£3,375) came from Action for Blind People to help KAB defray the costs of hosting the worker who was employed by Action for Blind People. The funding for the project sadly came to an end in December 2010, and with three quarters of working age people with a sight impairment being unemployed, this was of concern to us. However we are delighted that Action have secured new funding and we look forward to working with them again in 2011/12.
In 2010/11 we aimed to respond to the results of local authority brokerage pilots, possibly by developing a user-led brokerage service, but in fact our funding authorities found brokerage too expensive an option to pursue in the difficult economic climate, so this was not taken further.
At the end of 2009/10 the Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO) project was launched. Trustees designated funds from reserves to contribute towards joint-funding two new KAB workers to work in Kent hospital eye clinics, providing emotional support and information to those newly diagnosed with sight loss. This project has been a huge success, and evaluation has shown that clients benefit greatly from appropriate and timely support at what can be a very difficult time for them. Being diagnosed with a sight loss condition or being told your condition has significantly deteriorated can be overwhelming making it difficult to take in all the information provided at the hospital appointment or to start to process the emotional aspects of the diagnosis. The ECLOs have been able to provide hospital patients with more information, help and support than is possible in the short consultation appointment improving the experience for the patient and freeing up time for busy hospital staff. The ECLOs have also supported the registration process, which has achieved one of the project aims – of increasing the number of registrations. Income towards the project in the year totalled £37,640 and costs totalled £46,786. As new treatments become available, hospital eye clinics continue to treat more and more sight impaired people each year, and research has shown that support at the time of diagnosis can improve outcomes for patients, so a key aim for 2011/12 is to see this partnership working arrangement continue to meet the increasing need.
In March 2011 funding was secured from Medway Council for a new project working with young people. The Aiming High project provides fun, exciting activities for sight impaired children and young people and also respite for parents and carers (although we found that in fact many parents chose to accompany their children to activities as it is so enjoyable, and offers them the opportunity to gain support from their peers). During the year young people in Medway have taken part in a wide range of activities from art classes to driving experiences at Brands Hatch and we are grateful to Medway Council for agreeing further funding to continue this project in 2011/12. The benefits to children and families have been tremendous: sight impaired children have gained mobility and co-ordination skills, built self-esteem and confidence, tried new creative and sporting activities for the first time, and made new friends. Parents and carers have seen their children in a new light, and enjoyed stress-free time with their families – perhaps for the first time in many years. Total costs for the year were just over £20,000 which included activity costs and the costs of employing a part time project worker. Further Aiming High funding was received through KCC for occasional children’s and young people’s activity days and workshops in Kent.
At the end of 2011 the Trustees designated funds towards a project that aimed to develop an understanding of sight loss among KCC social care professionals who were working in new teams as part of the personalisation programme of self directed support (SDS). During 2010/11 an experienced KAB rehab worker was based within Kent Adult Social Services to try and ensure that the needs of sight impaired people were considered during the implementation of new assessment and co-ordination protocols and of personal budgets. Awareness raising training was delivered as part of this work, and the result of the project was an increased understanding of sight loss on the part of social care staff, new relationships between KAB and KCC operational staff at a local level, and better referral pathways for our clients.
Following the SDS project, a key aim for 2011/12 is the development of a peer support project involving sight impaired facilitators delivering 4-6 week self management programmes to other sight impaired people with the aim of giving people the tools to better manage their lives and maintain or regain their independence and choice. Groups which formed following the programme could then continue to meet under the existing KAB Club model.