Cooking skills for young homeless
Susan Goodchild talks about a joint project, undertaken by Sunderland City Council Environmental Health and Sunderland TPCT Nutrition Team, which aimed to change attitudes to healthy eating in vulnerable and homeless youngsters, and their carers, and give them the cooking skills and knowledge to make changes.
Sunderland TPCT identified, through its Nutrition Strategy, that it should prioritise work on developing cooking and nutrition skills in vulnerable young people. Local evidence shows that young people were eating less fruit and vegetables when compared with other age groups. Evaluation data from a previous study showed that working with young people, improving cooking skills and nutrition knowledge is very effective in changing attitudes.
Aims and Objectives
The project contributed towards two of the City's eight strategic priorities in that it assisted in improving health by improving the young people's nutrition knowledge and cooking skills, and increasing in participation in learning.
The key objectves were:
- To improve the nutrition knowledge of vulnerable young people and their carers in Sunderland
- To improve food hygiene knowledge of vulnerable young people and their carers in Sunderland
- To improve cooking and budgetary skills of vulnerable young people
- To prepare them for adult independent life.
Partners
Sunderland TPCT
Sunderland City Council
Methodology
The project involved five different activities:
- Delivery of four week cook and eat programme - this consisted of four two hour interactive practical training sessions to develop cooking skills with the young people.
- Delivery of nutrition training for vulnerable young people and their carers - This is a ten hour training course assessed via a multi choice examination accredited to the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health.
- Delivery of food hygiene programme for vulnerable young people and their carers - This is a seven hour training course assessed via a multi choice examination accredited to the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
- Development of the capacity of the nutrition team - The Health Development worker achived through the CIEH Professional trainer certificate, Diploma in Nutrition and the level four award in managing Food Safety. This enabled the worker to cascade the training within the community to vulnerable groups.
- Development of the training of the trainers pack - this is training to enable participants to deliver cook and eat sessions within the community and so developing capacity. This consists of two days intensive training with ongoing assessment in addition to this nutrition level one and food hygiene is required. Completion of this gives a unit towards an NVQ level three in health.
Promotion
Recruitment of children was carried out with a number of local voluntary sector organisations through contacts with social services.
Resources
The project was funded by a Food Standards Agency grant. In order to develop capacity the project support worker was funded to undertake level two and the diploma in nutrition, advanced food hygiene, professional trainers certificate, and teaching certificate.
Evaluation
Pass rates for the academic course taught was high with: 88% of young people passing through the level one accredited nutrition training. 78% passing thier basic food hygiene. Qualitative evaluation was also undertaken with groups of young people (10-15) who had passed through the project. This showed a successful out come to the project with the majority mentioning they were eating more fruit and vegetables and less fatty foods. It showed participants coming away with a positive attitude , good understanding; and behavioural change.
Lessons Learned
Young people find it difficult to concentrate for long periods and courses should be not longer than two hours with plenty of participatory work. Targeting vulnerable young people via community groups proved an effective way of engaging homeless youths.
Future Developments
We plan to work with special schools which cater for children with behavioural difficulties to develop and suitable nutrition programme for them. Following the training the trainers the Tees Valley trust would like to be trained up in this programme as they feel this is an excellent way of giving people basic skills in cooking.
Contact Details
Contact Name: Susan Goodchild
Job Title: Environmental Health Officer
Phone: 0191 5531 1705
Email: susan.goodchild@sunderland.gov.uk
Organisation: Sunderland City Council
and
Contact name: Ann-Marie Szczesniak
Job Title: Nutritional Training and Development Officer
Organisation: Sunderland TPCT
Phone: 0191 5027163
Email: annmarie.szczesniak@suntcpct.nhs.uk