Need to ask us a question? Here is a list of commonly asked questions which might save you having to pick up the phone...

What does Out & About do?

Last year, Out & About supported 270 disabled children and young people in mainstream leisure activities. The basic formula for Out & About support is that you come to us and tell us about the leisure activity you want to take part in and we’ll give you the support you need to make it happen and get you involved. As a third-party organisation, we’re sometimes a little misunderstood as people assume we provide our own activities and organise day trips. What we really do is act as a bridge between the disabled child and the many ordinary, everyday activities out there that they want to be able to, and should be able to, enjoy.

What sort of activities do you support?

By mainstream activity, we mean any leisure activity that non-disabled children of a similar age would enjoy. There are a huge amount of activities out there from the well-known ones such as sports clubs, scouts and guides, youth clubs and after-school clubs to the special-interest clubs we’ve supported children in such as model railway, gardening, dance, drama and even bell-ringing in Hadleigh!

What sort of activities don’t you support?

Our focus is including disabled children in the everyday things that other children take part in. With this in mind, we don’t provide support for any activities which are set up specifically for disabled people, such as disability sports clubs, riding and swimming clubs. Clubs like this do a fantastic job and can be really good fun, but they’re usually only open for disabled people to attend so we couldn’t support them in any way.

Where does Out & About work?

See the Contact Us section for full details of our area teams.

Who do you support?

Some people believe that Out & About is only suitable for more able disabled children. This just isn’t the case. We use the DDA definition of disability, which means we support anyone who has a lifelong or substantial impairment, which typically includes children who are disabled physically, by learning or sensory impairments, or children who have developmental disabilities such as autism or AD(h)D.

What age group do you support?

Out & About supports disabled children and young people aged 5 to 25. Support for the 5-12 age group tends to be very activity based whereas support for the 13-25 age group focuses more on developing key life skills, such as money management and using public transport. Those in the 18 to 25 age group usually need to find their own funding, which is usually done by direct payments or can sometimes be paid for by social services. Contact your Social Worker for more.

How can I make a referral?

Anyone can make a referral to Out & About. We have a number of different funding streams which can be used to provide support. We’ll always keep you up to date on our priorities and how long it will take us to find the support you need. See "Make a Referral" in the Contact Us section for more details.

It helps to do your homework before you make a referral. The first thing we’ll ask you is about your chosen local leisure activity, so ask around and find out what activities are on offer in your area. We’ll also ask you what you’re hoping to get out of the activity, how will it change things for you?

Please remember that support from Out & About can be time-limited as the aim is to try and get you included in a local activity and train the activity provider to be able to meet your needs. Some children reach inclusion after a few months, but others will always need support from Out & About.