LWCA is a charity, established since 1998 which exists to provide short breaks for children and young people with additional needs. There are 4 projects within Leeds Weekend Care Association.
Weekenders Club: Essentially is a play scheme operating from Vine Education Centre in Leeds 6. We are open Saturdays and Sundays 47 weekends per year from 10.00 a.m. until 4.30 p.m. There are places for 136 children between the ages of 5 and 18 years old. Each child/young person gets to come to their session once a month. We operate on a minimum of 2 staff to 1 child but this ratio fluctuates according to the needs of each child/young person. Lots of our clients have medical needs or high supervisory needs which means we would often have 1:1 supervision. We are supported by volunteers in this project. Voluntary contribution – £22.00 per session.
The Out and About Project: Is for teenagers with inclusive needs between the ages of 14 and 18 years old. We organise 6 outings per month and invite young people on our register to those events. During term time the events are between Monday and Friday in the evenings. In the school holidays, day trips are organised. Typical outings are: Bowling, eating out, disco, BBQ, picnic and games in the park, theatre trips, Trampolining, cinema, bowling, snooker nights, pamper evenings, youth club nights, film nights. We have approximately 35 young people registered on this project. There is no waiting list currently. We are open to suggestions from young people and organise events according to the interests of the group. The cost varies depending on the price of each trip.
For both of the above projects, families can self-refer. The responsibility for transport is with the family and we do not have funds to organise transport.
