Quest Autumn 2023

News and updates

Welcome from Dr. Ron Culley, CEO

I am pleased to welcome you to the Autumn issue of Quest, which shows the huge breadth of the support we provide at Quarriers: for children and families; for adults with disabilities; for those who experience epilepsy; and for young people who are affected by homelessness - like Claudia, who wanted to tell people how important the support she has had from Quarriers has been for her. We are incredibly grateful for her openness in talking so personally, and I hope you enjoy reading her article on Page 9.

This year Quarriers devised a new organisational strategy and set out our vision – for a Scotland in which people can access support, find kindness, and thrive.

To that aim, we have recently been working on the question of respite for unpaid carers. Often, we take for granted the simple freedoms of meeting up with friends, reading a book, going on holiday, pursuing hobbies, or even just having time to rest. For many carers and those they care for, these opportunities are beyond their reach.

Progress is being made in Scotland on the establishment of a new legal ‘right to a break.’ But we need an investment of time, funding, and the commitment to make it happen.

In April, Quarriers were proud to host a national conference which aimed to explore how social care providers of short breaks can ensure that there is sufficient highquality short-break capacity in Scotland to meet carers’ needs.

In this issue of Quest, you can read about the importance of short breaks for one family, who use our Dunn St. service.

Across all Quarriers services, our mission is to nurture supportive relationships, provide high-quality care, and promote inclusive communities, and these themes shine through in the stories in this issue of Quest.

We believe that we have a role in making Scotland a better place. Your support helps to make that happen, and I am incredibly grateful for your contribution.

Short breaks conference

Quarriers, Sense Scotland and Shared Care Scotland recently hosted a National Conference on Short Breaks for Carers.

Speakers from the Scottish Government, Health and Social Care Partnerships, the Care Inspectorate, Commissioners, the Third Sector and carers themselves shared their knowledge, challenges and solutions with the delegates.

New look coming soon!

I am pleased to let you know that Quarriers will have a new look very soon, because we are updating our brand. It's an exciting time, and we can't wait to show you the updated images - I know it will help us engage with, and offer support to, even more people in Scotland. I look forward to showing it to you.

So the next time you hear from us, our mailing might have a bit of a different look, but don't worry –you can still expect the same content and updates you're used to.

Our breaks should be as unique as we are. They should be flexible and creative. They should fill our cup and bring us joy. Most importantly, they should be without guilt.

Jaynie Mitchell, Coalition of Carers in Scotland

3%

Delivering down time at Dunn St.

They say a change is as good as a rest and at Quarriers Dunn St. service both are provided!

Dunn St. specialises in short breaks for adults with additional needs. It is a bright six-bedroom building with colourful, comfortable living areas, kitchen, dining, and sensory spaces.

Sisters Karyn and Caitlin Lynch come and stay for either a long weekend or week, about six times a year. It means they, and their parents Heather and Allan, get a break. It’s good for everyone – so much so that when Karyn and Caitlin were offered a holiday to Cyprus or a trip to Dunn St., they chose Dunn St.!

Karen and Caitlyn don’t let their mild learning disability affect their busy lives. Karyn coaches youth football and volunteers at the local mobility shop, and Caitlin’s diary of activities has her out almost every day.

Their mum Heather says, “We go on family holidays, but my daughters like to be soo busy - sitting by the pool is not for them! Visits to Dunn St. mean they get a break from us as well as build their independence. Their dad and I can enjoy some time just for us. Just going for a meal or a long lie is usually unheard of as caring for Karyn and Caitlin is 24/7!”

The team at Dunn St. go above and beyond to make everyone comfortable and provide lots of fun activities – they grow veg in the beautiful two-tier garden, have a communal kitchen for cooking and baking, and offer an exercise space with running treadmill and bike.

Sisters Caitlin and Karyn

It's the best place ever.

Karyn

“It gives mum and dad a wee break and it gives us a wee break!” says Karyn. “Yeah, and we do lots of things when we’re here,” chimes in Caitlin.

In a normal weekend at Dunn St. these two young women will often ask if the team will take them to the airport to watch planes take off. They also enjoy going bowling or to the cinema or joining in with one of the many parties the service hosts at Easter, Halloween, birthdays or given any excuse!

Heather is confident her daughters’ wellbeing is front and centre. “The team and I have a pre-visit catch up on the phone where they’ll check on what’s been happening in their lives at home and if there’s anything they need to know. When Karyn and Caitlin are at Dunn St. my husband and I often say, “I wonder what they’re doing right now?” We never worry about them.

For Karyn and Caitlin there’s no doubt how they feel. “It’s our second home,” says Karyn.

Everyone’s happy to be plane spotting on a rainy Sunday!

Finally the big plane comes in!

Support worker Ross helps Karen get ready to go out

We call Dunn St. a family house.

Karyn

You said

Your kind donations to our Children’s Appeal made so much possible over the summer. Thanks to you we have organised trips for hundreds of children, who have had a brilliant time at...

crazy golf

beach

Sea Life Centre zoo horse-riding adventure playground

cinema

...and one chance to go for bubble tea!

When support worker Christine asked 12-year-old Alana what she would like to do on a day trip over the summer Alana knew immediately – she wanted to try bubble tea.

Christine says, “I’d never had bubble tea myself, but I know it’s a bit of a craze – it’s a flavoured soft drink with edible flavoured bubbles in it – and the young people I support love to try the latest crazes. But bubble tea would be quite an expensive treat for some families and something that Alana’s family wouldn’t normally have the cash for. Alana is on the autistic spectrum, and I’ve been working with her for 4 years to help her come out of her shell at school. I was working along with the educational psychologist, to help Alana with the move to secondary school. We talked about her hopes and dreams for her future. To travel was one of her dreams and she’d mentioned bubble tea. So, I said, “Well we can go for bubble tea!”.

I applied for the funds, and she had a great time. She was delighted to have some time out without her siblings and said, "I like the taste. I also like the bubbles flavours and that you don't know when the bubbles are going to pop."

The thing I would really like to do is to try bubble tea.

Alana

No stopping Stopover

Young people supported at one of Quarriers youth homeless services are proving that they have the skills and ambition to build a business.

Stopover supports young people aged 16–25 who are homeless. A majority of them have come from a care background and on approaching adulthood have found themselves with no place to stay. At Stopover they are provided with bed-sit accommodation but more importantly they have the support of key workers to help them navigate the practicalities of independent adult life – just as many parents continue to do into their children’s teens and early 20’s.

Staff have worked with a group of the young people to establish a social enterprise called Burn for Good, making candles and incense holders. They recently held their first sale at a local allotments open day.

The event was a tremendous success and not only made profit which will be put back into purchasing materials for the next sale but will count towards the young people gaining their Prince’s Trust Enterprise Qualification.

Service Depute Kirsty Elsever says, “Sometimes young people have big barriers up and they find it hard to trust us as workers. Doing a project like this is brilliant because working together with them on it helps breaks barriers down – you get to know them in an authentic way, and it helps the young people be the best

versions of themselves. That's when you see real "Wow!" moments. When their first customer told them to keep the change they were buzzing!

It all builds their self esteem and if they can also leave us with some kind of qualification, that will make a big difference.

Below: Young people at their allotment sale Left: Their designed logo

Making the products

“I want to tell people how much Quarriers helped me.”

Recently, 22-year-old Claudia left the home she had stayed in for the past three yearsQuarriers What If service. The service provides supported accommodation for young women affected by homelessness who have complex needs as a result of trauma experienced in their background. The service has a strong nonexclusion policy – no matter what happens in their lives, or how they respond to their experiences, the young women are guaranteed the place, and the empathic support of the team.

Claudia has asked the team if she could tell her story, so here it is, in her own words.

Before I came to Quarriers I was staying at another place for homeless young people. It wasn’t going well. They were saying I didn’t have good door control – that’s when you have too many people coming to your room – there was drugs and alcohol involved. I wasn’t in a good place.

So, I got referred to Quarriers. When I first came, I had bad views

toward the team. I was like, ‘I’m done with workers.’ I wasn’t doing it just to be bad, I was young, and I thought I could do everything on my own.

When I first went, I struggled to have trust. An example is, because I knew the staff were being paid to do the work, I would think that if they were helping me, it was so they would get bonuses.

Claudia

That’s not true, but now I understand how that was happening because one of the biggest things the guys at Quarriers have done for me is to refer me to the mental health team. That’s ended up with me getting a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and that’s been a part of it all. I’ve struggled to find good relationships in my life and although I knew that I needed people, I didn’t know how to do it.

The guys at Quarriers didn’t give up and I am thankful. I don’t know why but I just started to talk to everyone on the team – I’d go to them with anything that I wanted advice on.

Once, there was a boy bullying me at college, and he’d turned up to my flat a few times. I was saying to the Quarriers team I wanted to move. We went to look at another flat and Mags, the service manager, was with me. She said, “You know, when you grow up in foster care, often, when things go wrong, you are moved on. So, you learn that if something isn’t workingjust leave. But that means you never get to resolve the issue for yourself and you’re always moving on.” It just made so much sense to me – it went right back to my childhood. And there’s been a lot of times like that.

By the end of the three years at Quarriers it was like all the staff at Quarriers were my mums – I know they’re not, but that’s what it’s like.

I’m telling my story so if it helps one other young person to take the help that’s good.

I feel bad I didn’t listen to the guys at Quarriers earlier so I’m telling my story so that if it helps one other young person that’s good. I’d say to them that even if you think they’re the worst people in the world at first, take the help.

Since I have left Quarriers I have sometimes felt alone, I know this is because I have had workers around me since I was a wee girl; whether that be social workers or support workers, there has always been people involved. Now that I’m

I’ve struggled to find good relationships in my life and although I knew that I needed people, I didn’t know how to do it.

Claudia with her cat

leaving the system it’s weird that I don’t have someone at my door every night or someone giving me a welfare call. It makes me feel more independent but at the same time it’s a lot of relationships ending, and endings affect people because it’s a change in what they’re used to.

I have had workers around me since I was a wee girl; whether that be social workers or support workers, there has always been people involved.

But I know I can always call WHAT IF, if I’m feeling alone and they won’t just turn the phone off or block my number. They have reassured me they aren’t going anywhere - the things I’m used to are still around, I just don’t need the support like I used to.

I do feel hopeful about the future now, although that hasn’t always been the case. In the past year I have done a lot of work on myself including therapy, which has helped me tons. A few years ago, I had lost hope in every part of my life and did not want to be here anymore.

I now keep a routine, go to work, I try and eat healthy and take care of myself. This has been a big part of me finding a tiny hope to hold onto. I used to sit and think ‘what am I going to do?’ It was a tough thought to get rid of, but I am finally here and although not every day is great, I am able to get through it and know there will be better days. I never had this thought process before!

I do feel hopeful about the future now. A few years ago, I had lost hope in every part of my life and did not want to be here anymore.

Talking through trauma

Helping young people towards better futures takes time. It also takes a range of support. A new development in Quarriers services is achieving impressive results and revealing the significant role of specialised therapy.

Accessing therapy isn’t always easy for homeless young people. In the world outside Quarriers, they might wait a long time for therapy; they might be rejected by services if they use drugs or alcohol – but might not be able to deal with those addictions without the help of therapy; and if they miss sessions, they might be told they can’t come back.

Quarriers youth homelessness team heard stories like this repeatedly, so wanted to address those challenges for the people we support and in 2022, we created a specialist counselling service that operates from within our youth homelessness services.

Jen Cunnion is one of the counsellors. She explains why it’s so important to offer a counselling service focused on the specific needs of young people who are often dealing with the impact of trauma, who may lead chaotic lives and who can often fall through the cracks of statutory mental health services.

I offer 20 sessions to begin with, and it’s free to the young people. Nobody here would be able to access private therapy. Even some volunteer organisations only offer six sessions. But I’ve been working with at least three clients now for over a year.

Therapy isn’t easy – it is upsetting, it’s emotional, and it often needs people to think about their past, think about difficult, traumatic events.

The extent of the trauma and neglect that these young people have experienced has actually shocked me. It’s rife. The abuse is unbelievable and unrelenting and what is shocking is that for the young people, it can seem normal. For them, it’s almost expected, like to them it is just, “This is just what I deserve.”

What coming to a therapist like me offers a young person is to model what is possible – young people learn “I can relate to another person, and this person isn’t going anywhereshe keeps coming back.”

Here, I am able to be flexible. I’m able to adapt to the needs and wants of these clients.

This is the only place I’ve ever worked where I’ve been able to adapt, be flexible, and work in new ways with young people.

It is an empathic, understanding, and kind approach.

Jen Cunnion

Jen at her desk

The therapy room

If they can’t make a session, I just say ‘please let me know.’ If they can’t let me know, I am in touch with their key workers and we will work around why they were not able to be there, what changes might be made. It’s ok if they miss it. If they’re keen, if they still want to attend, they’re given the leeway they need and understanding so there isn’t that punitive approach.

I have even been able to change where I work with the client. For example, I have had an incredibly agoraphobic and anxious client and I’ve worked with him in the car park –in his support worker’s car –because that’s where he felt safe.

Service managers have been surprised that some of the young people they thought might not come along have come along and have kept coming. We are making big differences - the young man that I was seeing for a while in his key workers car has just completed his first year of engineering at university.

“It sounds dramatic but for the young people I’ve worked with since we started this project at Quarriers – well, it has been absolutely life changing.

The huge success of the young people is what brings me into work every day.

Jen

Supporting Stars

Fundraising their own way

I was already planning to run the 10k because I enjoy the Edinburgh Festival of Running. But I thought I also wanted to raise money for Quarriers, so I set up a JustGiving page – just 3 days before the run!

In October 2022 my 19-year-old son began having seizures and it’s not been easy since. His first seizure he was locked in the bathroom when it happened and we had to get the fire brigade; as his seizures last for longer than 5 minutes, which is a lot, he has always landed up in A&E. He was then having seizures every month. In January 2023 he sadly had 2 then another beginning February 2023. His neurologist and his team at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, where he was monitored, have been a great support and we since found out they’re actually classed as cluster generalised seizures – so he’ll have one seizure, then another, then another without waking in between. That’s why he is out for so long afterwards.

He wasn’t doing great, and I found out about the Quarriers Community Outreach and gave them a call. For me the best thing about their support has been how they’ve been able to inform us on things we would just never have known, like benefits and help he is entitled to. They have been

able to offer support for my son to talk to others with the same experiences if he feels need for it in the future. He is not at the stage he feels need for, but this kind of support sounds great to me! It’s a huge thing for families to deal with when people have to stop working or studying, so having someone there who can help us fill out the forms and guidance has been great.

Doing the 10k was actually the first time I’d left my son on his own since this all started, but he is on medication now that thankfully seems to be working. He’s looking at a huge change in lifestyle, but we all have to adapt, and we have to deal with the worry that something’s going to happen. I was really happy to have raised the money for Quarriers.

Help me reach £1000!

My final total is £988 and I would love to get the total to £1000.

justgiving.com/carole-philip3

Carole Philip ran the 10k at the Edinburgh Marathon Festival in aid of Quarriers Epilepsy Community Outreach service, a cause close to her heart.

Carole

Friday 1 December

The Christmas lunch that cares

Kick start your festive season with a giant serving of Christmas cheer on the first day of December!

Back for 2023, our hugely popular Noel Lunch is once again jingling all the way to the Glasgow Marriott Hotel. It’s the perfect event to treat your clients, colleagues, friends or family to a fabulous festive lunch.

Book your table:

events@quarriers.org.uk