Bringing Additional Support to Everyone
The Base @ Tobin
The Base @ Tobin is a five year programme funded by The National Lottery Community Fund NI. It is designed to meet the requirements of children with additional needs aged 4 to 18 years.
The Programme was launched in January 2020 and has a total of 207 registered families from across Mid Ulster.
There are a total of 271 young people and 214 siblings registered with The Base @ Tobin. These children have a range of additional support requirements including Autism, Asperger’s, ADHD, Sensory Issues, Hearing Loss, Sight Loss and Downs Syndrome.
The Base @ Tobin has been carefully designed following detailed consultation with the families and carers of the young people with additional needs. The programme is designed to facilitate the engagement of these young people within the community, providing an opportunity to participate in “every day” activities enjoyed by other young people.
The Focus of the Programme is to provide:
- Opportunities for young people to participate in a range of independent activities;
- Opportunities for the families to participate in activities together; and
- Opportunities to support families in their role as carers.
The Base @ Tobin delivers different types of activities.
Independent Activities – Tuesdays, after school.
The project delivers a range of facilitated youth activities to provide the young person with additional needs the ability to engage in activities independently:
- Cooking
- IPad
- Summer Scheme
- Arts/Crafts
The range of independent activities offered will continue to expand to include Youth Club, Relaxation, Physical Fitness and Mobility Sessions.
As well as our 90 registered children we have 64 registered siblings. Family Together Activities enable the whole family to join in.
Sensory Days are an excellent opportunity for all the children to get messy and join in the fun. We use water, foam, oats, coloured rice, moon dough, paint and chalk to create a sensory experience for all the children.
Saturday Club is hosted once a month, which is packed full of activities for all the family. These activities include Lego, clay, art, magic shows, cooking, drumming, gymnastics and yoga. There really is something for all the family to enjoy. Parents/Carers can also have a chat over some light refreshments, while the children are taking part in the various activities.
Sensory Room is set up during all Family Together Activity days, helping develop the children’s senses through lighting, visuals, smells, sounds and the use of objects.
Carer Support Group – Thursday, 10am-12noon.
The Base @ Tobin recognises the importance of nurturing the people who care for our registered children. We encourage our carers to participate in “self care” by attending our Carer Support Group. The weekly Carer Support Group provides an opportunity for parents/carers to come together to chat about any issues or concerns they have and share knowledge and experience of help and support available. Above all it provides them with an opportunity to engage with others who can truly empathise with them.
