SNOOP scheme helps young people with disabilities if they are lost

Published 10th Nov 2009 - The Holybrook Site

A Bradford charity based in the Holybrook Centre in Greengates has started a new scheme to help children and young people with disabilities and communication problems to travel independently.

Young people at the Special Needs Objective Outreach Project (SNOOP) came up with the idea for the ‘Help I’m Lost’ card.

It carries an emergency contact number to help the young person contact a parent or carer if they become lost.
Developed with the help of a £2,000 grant from the Gannett Foundation – the charitable arm of the Telegraph & Argus’s parent company – it was unveiled with a DVD explaining how it works at the National Media Museum’s Pictureville Cinema today.

Councillor Carol Beardmore, chief executive of the charity, said: “This is a very exciting day for SNOOP and for the young people particularly who have worked very, very hard this summer to produce the DVD.

“It is because of the commitment of the team that the young people have been able to do this.”

A rap by two members of SNOOP was played to the audience followed by the six-minute DVD, which will be used to promote the cards.
Kath Tunstall, Bradford Council’s strategic director for services to children and young people, said at the launch: “It is a privilege to be standing here introducing this fantastic morning of celebration. It really is a huge achievement.

“It is such a collective effort and very typical of the work of SNOOP. It is very inclusive and involving the young people.

“Not only is it very innovative – I’m not aware of anything like this elsewhere – but it is also extremely practical.”

Shops and businesses in Bradford have agreed to display a large ‘Help I’m Lost’ card in their windows so young people know they are safe to go to for help. They include Sainsbury’s, Subway, Matalan, NatWest and Numark Pharmacists.