Solas (Donegall Pass, Belfast)

Respite offered for children in receipt of Direct Payments. School pick ups offered for specific schools only. 

Sólás provide a range of support programmes for children and young people with a broad range of additional needs. Programmes help with Educational Support, Social Development & Parent Support. In general ‘Educational Support Programmes’ are targeted at those children in mainstream primary education who are on the schools’ Special Educational Needs’ register. For example, some children may not be achieving a literacy level comparable to their reading age. Some may struggle with language formation, phonics, time, sentence construction etc. Some may be waiting for an educational psychologist to carry out an assessment and provide a diagnosis. In general children referred to our support programmes are often on the early stages of the School’s Special Education Needs register and not achieving their full learning potential. The Kidz Support Den: The Kidz Support Den is an afterschool early intervention support initiative, facilitated by a team of student teachers and volunteers. It aims to provide weekly one-on-one support in literacy and numeracy to local children struggling or disengaging with their education. Sólás currently serves a local base of three primary schools within the South Belfast Area with a total of 161 children on their Special Education Needs register. The needs of children cannot be met by the schools alone. Parents & guardians with children on this register can book a weekly slot in the Den for a minimum of 15 weeks, where a Student Teacher provides their child with focused learning support. Children in the Irish Medium education can also be supported in the Kids Den by student teachers with Irish Language. The Kidz Den is during term time, every Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday between 3pm and 5pm. The programme is run at Sólás premises at CRI Building, 165 to 169 Donegall Place, Belfast. Happy Hands: Happy Hands After School Club is one of our social development programmes for children aged between 4 and 11 years with autism, and have language and intellectual difficulties. The club gives primary-age children with ASD the opportunity to socialise and integrate with their peers outside of school in a safe and supportive environment. It also provides parents with a few hours respite for an afternoon or two per week. The programme runs five afternoons each week during term time: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 2.15 to 4.45 at Donegall Pass Community Centre, and Wednesday and Friday from 3pm to 5.30 at Ballynafeigh Community House. Time For Me: The 'Time for Me' Saturday morning club is run during term-time for children of primary school age with ASD and other learning disabilities. It gives these children the opportunity to read, draw, play, socialise and integrate with their peers. 'Time for Me' provides an opportunity for some respite at the weekend and the opportunity for parents to spend time with siblings of their disabled child. The club is run every Saturday morning during term-time from 09.45am to 12.45pm. at our Sólás premises in the CRI building, 165-169 Donegall Pass, Belfast BT7 1DT. Champ Youth Club: Our weekly youth club is held on Friday evenings for young people aged 11 to 16 with autism. The youth club is run by our trained team members and volunteers. The young people are encouraged to take part in activities such as trampolining and multi-sport, cookery, media etc. It helps the youths socialise and gain confidence in a safe and supportive environment. The club operates during term time and is currently at full capacity but we hope to expand in the near future. Big Smile Summer Scheme: Big Smile summer scheme offers children with autism aged 4 to 11 years the opportunity to engage in play and fun activities in a supported environment. One –to-one staffing allows the groups to go on a range of trips to places such as the zoo, the park and Streamvale farm. Indoor activities include soft play and visits from music therapists, arts therapists and Playboard NI, the leading organisation promoting children’s play in Northern Ireland. We cover Inner South Neighbourhood Renewal; Shaftsbury, Botanic and Ballynafeigh Wards.