How we help
Our ability to provide the support our children need so badly focuses around three main areas – our respite holidays at Honeypot House, our outreach services through the Playbus and the ongoing contact and support we offer children throughout the year.
Before a child begins their relationship with Honeypot the first stage is a referral from someone already working with a child in need: a school, social worker, doctor, health visitor, community organisation or young carer support group. We discuss the child’s case and a home visit is then arranged with the child and their family.
This provides an opportunity for us to assess each child’s situation and individual needs. The aim is to put everyone’s mind at rest and to get them excited about their holiday. It is also a great opportunity to learn more about the child’s personality, their likes and dislikes, hobbies and their expectations of what to find at Honeypot. We can discuss any concerns they may have, explain the activities and structure of the holiday and reassure them that their loved one will be looked after during their absence.
Once everyone is happy to proceed, we arrange for the child to join a group of up to eleven other children, all from the same area to come to Honeypot House for a holiday. Our minibus will collect them and bring them home after their break and in the case of young carers, arrangements are made to ensure that their loved one is taken care of while they are away.
Honeypot House
A child’s journey with us begins with a holiday at Honeypot House, set in seven acres of beautiful land on the edge of the New Forest. The house can accommodate up to 12 children at any one time and provides a desperately needed break for these young people.
Through informal play and organised activities, Honeypot encourages the children to interact socially with their peers and develop personal skills that will support them throughout their lives. Following their initial holiday, each child will return to Honeypot House for a weekend visit each year until they are 12 years old.
Playbus
The Playbus was launched in 2002 and visits each Honeypot child in their own communities up to three times a year to bring the Honeypot experience to them. It is a specially adapted mobile activity centre offering a safe, therapeutic environment where children can learn through play and informal education.
The Playbus allows children to bring their siblings to their play days so more people can share the experience. We have a versatile open space on the lower level where we can set up tables for arts and crafts or messy play, have space for soft play and a dance area for discos. We also have an area for Wii, karaoke, and DVD and group interaction.
Ongoing contact and support
The Honeypot Club is the means by which we deliver the aftercare that makes Honeypot so different. Once a child has had their first respite holiday at Honeypot House they become part of the Honeypot Club and it is this programme of long-term, personalised and consistent support that makes Honeypot unique.
Not only do children receive a respite holiday every year and visits from our Playbus, they also receive photos from their time at Honeypot as well as Birthday cards, Christmas cards and presents – often the only ones they will receive. This is our way of letting them know we are thinking of them.
The contact they receive from us throughout the year offers a lifeline to these children and gives them something to look forward to. We provide hope and encouragement, build self-esteem and enable them to create nurturing friendships with other children going through a similar experience. They leave us feeling confident, happy, relaxed and better able to cope with the challenges they face at home, knowing that it won’t be long before they hear from us again.
