Head Outdoors with Pebble Lodge CASE STUDY
Jack “I get a lot of freedom. You're actually making you're own decisions instead of them being made for you.” Who’s involved? • Hengistbury Head Outdoors Education Centre – RYA Sailability site based near Christchurch, Dorset • Pebble Lodge – an NHS adolescent inpatient unit offering treatment and assessment for young people with a range of mental health problems. • The Quay School – provides full time education for young people who are not accessing mainstream schools, in this case, at Pebble Lodge. The need More children and young people are being diagnosed with some types of mental health problems than in the past (Care Quality Commission, 2019). In January 2020, a report by the Children’s Commissioner found that, although they are improving, Child and Young People’s Mental Health Services are still far from where they need to be. On average children are waiting just under eight weeks to enter treatment. What’s happened – an overview In 2018, a Hengistbury Head club member asked for donations to support young people with mental health issues, linked to watersports, as a wedding gift instead of presents. But nothing suitable existed. So, through a personal contact between the two, Hengistbury Head and Pebble Lodge partnered to invest the money in their young people attending regular Monday activity sessions at the centre. The project launched in 2018, and in 2019 the centre joined Sailability so the young people could follow the Sailability and Powerability Logbook and Syllabus Scheme. The project has demonstrated such positive outcomes a new charity, independent to the centre, called Head Outdoors, was created to keep working with Pebble Lodge and fund further similar projects. This includes working with a local college and a Sixth Form to look at early intervention in tackling mental health and wellbeing.
Taylor “At Pebble Lodge you kind of feel trapped. It's a locked building and half the time you can't even open the windows. Then you're out there on the open water and it's completely different.” The challenges The young people at Pebble Lodge are very unwell, with histories of self-harming, suicide attempts and severe eating disorders, for example. Often the centre staff won’t know who is attending until The Challenges they arrive, depending on how well someone is. Or sometimes injuries from self-harming mean it might not be possible to get a wetsuit on so the centre has to be flexible and inclusive in the activity options. The centre staff were not specialists in mental health care. Jo Sheppard, Senior Instructor and Powerboat Instructor, was a trained nurse with a strong interest in communication. But, over time, the team have had to use their intuition and learn from the Pebble Lodge staff, who they have strong relationships with, as to the best way to work with the young people. Through MIND Dorset, the team have accessed training and resources specific to physical activity and mental health. Jo has also qualified as a Mental Health First Aid trainer, to deliver courses to teach the main signs and symptoms of mental ill health and how to provide initial support. Why it’s worked Without intentionally using it as a framework initially, Jo believes the project’s success is grounded in the Five Ways To Wellbeing. 1. Connect There is a really high ratio of instructors, Pebble Lodge staff and The Quay teachers to young people. It’s a mixture of people all participating in something together, and especially, in terms of Lodge staff and teachers, they are learning things they haven’t before at the same time as the young people, so everyone is on a level playing field. On the water, it’s like being in their own bubble. Jo has countless anecdotes of young people, who won’t even look at or talk to staff off the boat, that talk about things they never have before, like their hobbies or interests, when afloat.
Jo: “There was one young lad who wouldn't talk to us off the boat, but on it he was telling us music was his passion. He played something like eight instruments but his favourite instrument was his voice. Then he just decided he would sing us two songs as we drove along the river. That's so valuable as he was really expressing himself, and for the staff with him, as they might not have known that about him.” The shared experiences foster team spirit and camaraderie amongst the group. Then they all sit down together and have tea and cake. It’s about mixing and having conversations with different people away from the unit. 2. Be Active Activities in the community have traditionally been more sedentary than those open to Pebble Lodge. But at the centre they do everything from sailing, powerboating, kayaking and SUP’ing to fire and den building, climbing and archery. Justin Hilliard, Mental Health Support Worker, Pebble Lodge: “Encouraging young people to get The centre staff keep learning too. For example, they have had to learn if a young person displays actively involved, you see a huge difference in terms of presentation before they leave the unit and particularly negative behaviours, when is it right to step in and try to positively encourage them into when they come here. In terms of lifting mood and helping with things like behavioural and mood the activities, or to take a step back, ensure the safety of the rest of the group and let the Pebble regulation, trying to teach them that independent living skill of managing their emotions, this makes Lodge staff deal with the situation. a huge difference” Jo says the instructors have also had to learn to be quite robust as it can feel really challenging 3. Take notice when teaching people who sometimes show no signs of connecting with them. Learning the Powerboating has generally worked best and is the most popular, to the extent that the centre is importance of positive, patient and kind communication-by smiling and showing warmth for looking at ways to develop it. Even if a young person is really struggling they can sit on the boat Last word example-has really helped. and the instructors will drive down the river looking at the wildlife, going to see horses in a field or being tasked to find something in particular. Taking notice of what’s around is about being in the 5. Give moment, and the young people really need to feel connected with the moment for their mental The young people gain from giving to each other. wellbeing. Justin: “In terms of peers supporting each other it’s absolutely brilliant. It’s the challenge of getting 4. Learn them to support their peers and recognise that, as if you look at anything to do with recovery it's The Sailability Logbook Scheme is enabling the young people to show progress and achieve. They like being on a wheel.” love the achievement and gain confidence from ticking off activities, and the teachers love it because it evidences they are achieving goals and gaining some qualifications. One young man The instructors have gained too. One said they felt so privileged to be asked to support on has already achieved Powerboat Level 1. Mondays. Another, whose father had taken his own life, went out in Quest with a young man, who had sailed a lot in his childhood. They both got a lot out of being on the water together as they They are also being given responsibility. Firstly they choose whether or not they go, and when could connect. there, it's their choice whether they take part or not. They lead the way. Erin Jones, Head of Numeracy, Quay School: “They make progress in things that are not just academic or to do with their mental health. When they get back to the unit you can see in their manner, how they’re feeling, they’re much more upbeat.”
The centre staff keep learning too. For example, they have had to learn if a young person displays particularly negative behaviours, when is it right to step in and try to positively encourage them into the activities, or to take a step back, ensure the safety of the rest of the group and let the Pebble Lodge staff deal with the situation. Jo says the instructors have also had to learn to be quite robust as it can feel really challenging when teaching people who sometimes show no signs of connecting with them. Learning the importance of positive, patient and kind communication-by smiling and showing warmth for example-has really helped. 5. Give The young people gain from giving to each other. Justin: “In terms of peers supporting each other it’s absolutely brilliant. It’s the challenge of getting them to support their peers and recognise that, as if you look at anything to do with recovery it's like being on a wheel.” The instructors have gained too. One said they felt so privileged to be asked to support on Mondays. Another, whose father had taken his own life, went out in Quest with a young man, who had sailed a lot in his childhood. They both got a lot out of being on the water together as they could connect. Last word Alice Williams, Activity Assistant, Pebble Lodge “For some young people that suffer low motivation and self esteem, coming somewhere like this really boosts them. When you watch them in activities they almost forget they have these mental health problems and are able to focus on something else.”
Useful Links Hengistbury – www.hengistburyoutdoorcentre.co.uk RYA Sailability – www.rya.org.uk/sailability Video – https://youtu.be/tiE7mUNNPBw NOTES:
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