Our 2019 Impact
Review our detailed Report on Activities (2018-2019) here.
Dandelion Time’s work with referred families has consistently helps highly troubled children and families overcome trauma and lead more positive lives.
Many children and young people have been able to progress with a more positive outlook in school, at home and in the community.
They learn how to express their feelings in non-destructive ways, build relationships with their peers whilst gaining new skills and interests.
Crucially, supportive and caring therapeutic staff and volunteers provide positive role models and present a caring model of adulthood for children to aspire to, sometimes following years of negative experiences.
Regular evaluation of our work indicates that children and young people are less fearful, are able to self-regulate their behaviour, and gain a belief that they are able to achieve in life.
“Dandelion Time is now a leader in showing how agencies can work with children and families fragmented by neglect, abuse and trauma. Three particular strengths in the approaches are central: providing nature-based environments for physical activity, building social engagement into days to learn and develop new relations with others, and craft-based activities for the cognitive and emotional benefits of building, shaping and caring for things.” Professor Jules Pretty, University of Essex
Dandelion Time monitors the impact of our work in several ways.
As well as personal emotional, behavioural and relationship ‘Goals’ (Goal-based Outcomes), which are set individually with families and scored at the start and end of the programme, we also monitor and score a range of emotional and behavioural outcomes for each child, assessed through child/family feedback, staff observations and feedback from professionals.
We also use CORS (Child Outcome Rating Scale), a mental health measurement tool which measures the impact of the service on emotional wellbeing, resilience and functioning using the child’s feedback.
The programmes provided by Dandelion Time have continued to bring about positive changes over the last year.
As a result of attending the programme in 2019:
- 78% of children had improved emotional wellbeing.
- 92% of children had increased confidence and self-esteem.
- 73% of children had improved behaviour at home.
- 73% had stronger relationships with their family.
“Dandelion offers a unique combination of…systemic work with families and the use of the natural environment. There are few or no directly comparable services, certainly not locally.”
Joanna Apps, Canterbury Christ Church University (2016)
Internal evaluation is supported by Independent research of Dandelion Time every few years. Canterbury Christchurch University (CCU) undertook research in 2016-17.
“The outcome [of the service] is a long-lasting sense of hope and a greater resilience that better equips these traumatised young people to cope…”. Ascolta Research
