HOW CAN I REFER A YOUNG PERSON TO THE SUPERTROOP HOLIDAY?
We cannot accept referrals from family. Instead, we use a network of referrers (specialist schools, social workers, charities and community groups) to identify holiday-makers. When a place comes up, we contact them to ask for them to send our details to eligible families.
If you would like your child’s school or charity to be able to refer to the holiday please invite them to email the Families Lead, Sally, at families@supertroop.org
how do we choose our holiday-makers?
One of the unique things about our holidays is that holiday-makers are invited to return, over a number of years. Provided they are having a good experience, they still need the kind of support we provide, and we feel we can look after them safely, then they’re welcome. Of course, we could reach more families if we had new holiday-makers each year, but there are good reasons why we don’t do this:
Having the same young people coming back each year gives us a chance to build relationships and improve the experience. We really get to know our kids, and that reduces any chance of stress and risk for everyone involved.
Families deserve support every year, not just as a one-off. We find that families gain a lot of confidence as the years go by and while we look after their child they can really relax, safe in the knowledge we’ve got it covered.
Our policy of inviting young people to return means that spaces don’t come up very often. When they do, those spaces will often be constrained by the facilities we have and the need for balance on the week - for example, we might have a spot for a girl aged over 13, who is not a wheelchair user, or for a boy aged under 13 who is non-speaking. We also want to make sure we reach people with the highest level of need.
To assess this, we will ask referrers some questions about your child’s and family’s needs. The referral will be anonymous and we will not ask for identifying details until we have decided to invite your child to SuperTroop. We will then ask for your contact details to get in touch and discuss whether your child would like to accept the place.