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Parents’ Week: Their active influence in sport and physical activity

Between 21-27 October it is the 13th Annual National Parents' Week organised by The Family and Childcare Trust. The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) recognises the importance of parents and guardians within sport and physical activity. Their role in boosting disabled people’s participation is influential, essential and inspirational.

In September, EFDS, the national body and charity dedicated to disabled people in sport, released a report on disabled people’s lifestyles and their participation in physical activity. The research highlights some notable findings for young disabled people:

  • 84% of young disabled people enjoyed the last time they played sport
  • 5 in 10 young disabled people state that lack of awareness of suitable opportunities is what prevents them from taking part in sport or physical activity
  • Over half of disabled people surveyed (51 per cent) did not enjoy their experiences of sport in school, compared to 69 per cent enjoying taking part in sport or physical activity with friends outside of school

Contact a Family is the leading UK charity working with families of all disabled children. In 2009, they carried out research to find out more on families’ experiences, asking 615 families across the UK “what makes you stronger?” Key findings on sport and physical activity to learn from were:

  • Over 70 per cent of respondents said their child’s access to play and leisure specifically for disabled children was poor or unsatisfactory.
  • 50 per cent of families with disabled children said the opportunity to enjoy play and leisure together was poor or unsatisfactory.
  • The families’ biggest priorities for making them stronger included wanting more opportunities to enjoy play and leisure and want a real choice in the activities they can take part in.

The above statistics identify some crucial findings in young disabled people’s participation. But it is important to note the number of disabled adults who are parents themselves or are indeed still being supported by their parents and guardians long after childhood.

The important role of parents and families in sport for disabled people was clear within the EFDS report:

  • Spending time with family is very important to disabled people, selected by 85% of those surveyed
  • The most popular role model among disabled people was a family member, amplifying the influence they have on children to lead active lives
  • Swimming was recorded in this report, and continually backed by other national surveys, as the most popular sport for disabled people. This is often an easily accessible local activity which families with disabled members take part together in
  • 64% of all disabled people said they prefer to take part with a mix of disabled and non-disabled people in sport and physical activity. This highlights the key opportunities for families to be active together and for providers to meet this demand.

This is backed by research that suggests active parents have active children. The study in 2007 by Bristol University of over 5400 children found that 11-year-olds showed greater physical activity than their peers if their parents had a history of hitting the gym at least twice a week. By exercising regularly themselves, parents can help protect their children against obesity, say the researchers.

Sandwell Parents for Disabled Children (SPDC)

One great example of an organisation involving parents in sport is Sandwell Parents for Disabled Children (SPDC). They are a registered charity with a core function to provide play, leisure and social opportunities for disabled children, including siblings and parents/carers in Sandwell. In addition, they work with other service providers to ensure that disabled children are included. SPDC provides weekly Adaptive Sports sessions during term time and activities and trips during school holidays, which the whole family can get involved in. Their mission is that every disabled child or young person living in Sandwell should have access to a range of play and leisure opportunities that enables them to stay safe, be healthy, enjoy, achieve and make a positive contribution to others.

They were founded in 2003 by a group of parents and carers of disabled children who were frustrated at the lack of play and leisure provision in the borough for their children. Part of their work involves building positive working relationships with providers and they seek to increase opportunities for children and young people to access activities. They also make sure that SPDC is appropriately represented at relevant meetings which plan the future of play and leisure activities and facilities in Sandwell.

More information is available on the SPDC website 

Parents’ and guardians’ role in EFDS programmes

Many programmes which EFDS has helped to deliver have involved the parents of disabled children. Parents’ and guardians’ influence has been seen in their commitment to volunteering, coaching and the person who drives the child to/from activities. Top Paralympian Ellie Simmonds is always quick to recognise how much her parents supported her when she began swimming, driving her to early, daily swimming sessions as well as all competitions. The Playground to Podium programme, which was completed in March 2013, involved many parents, especially when their disabled child was identified as a talented athlete.

Sanjana was spotted at a County Athlete Assessment Day at Brunel University in 2010. Her Dad said following her identification:

“We took her to over nine athletics championships in 2011. Parents must encourage, motivate and support their children in sport. Children have enormous potential with talents waiting to be tapped in to. We need to encourage their sporting journey. The success achieved in sport is very rewarding to them and their parents.”

Read more about Sanjana and others in the Playground to Podium programme.

The Disability Sport Events (DSE) programme delivers a range of participation opportunities for disabled children and adults. DSE has a long history of involving parents and guardians as volunteers. Events such as the annual National Junior Athletics Championships host many families. Weekends away in sport can mean it is often more practical for the whole family to attend together, due to support or transport requirements for the disabled participant.

Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) leads the way in providing accessible and inclusive environments for families. EFDS has been delivering the IFI programme for over ten years and in this time has accredited over 400 IFI Mark gym facilities nationally. Those facilities realise how important accessibility and service provision is for disabled people. With a wide local spread of facilities, it means families can enjoy physical activity together.

Other useful information for parents of disabled children or adults

Change 4 Life. Change 4 Life encourages families to be healthier and happier through active lifestyles. Their website has lots of ideas, recipes and games to help you. Their quick assessment will help you discover the right places for you to start making a change. Join Change4Life

Get going - active ideas for disabled kids. For children to lead a healthy lifestyle they need to move about as much as they can. They need to be active for at least 60 minutes each day to make sure they are looking after their hearts and bones. But if children have an impairment, this may be more difficult. So Change 4 Life has provided a range of ideas to help disabled children be more active every day. Find out more here.

British Heart Foundation. British Heart Foundation provides advice and guidance on getting the whole family moving. Parents play a vital role in shaping what their children think about physical activity and therefore how much they do. So they have created a booklet with lots of ideas in it, on how to inspire children and young people to get up and go. The booklet includes advice for activities involving disabled children. Download the Get Kids on the Go booklet here

The theme for Parents’ Week 2013 this year is “make one change”. The organisers are asking parents to feed back the one change parents, businesses, employers and childcare providers could make to improve the quality of family life. You can get involved in the campaign here http://parentsweek.org.uk/get-involved

For more information on EFDS, contact:

To read the full EFDS lifestyle report

Sarah Marl, Marketing and Communications Manager- smarl@efds.co.uk Mobile 07764 291671

Emma Spring, Research and Insight Manager- espring@efds.co.uk Mobile 07817 787 542