Can residential camps improve outcomes for young people with long-term health conditions or disabilities?

Exploring the impact of using a specialised camp programme for young people who have long-term health conditions or disabilities, and whether they can promote positive psychosocial improvement.

One fifth of the UK’s population are young people, of which one in seven have a diagnosed long-term health condition or disability (Milnes 2016). There are organisations who arrange residential camps aiming to provide recreational and residential activities for young people. These camps provide a supportive environment for learning to self-manage health conditions independently, something that is important for the transition to adult life (American Diabetes Association 2015).

While a student at Leeds University, I undertook a literature review as my dissertation. The aim was to explore if attending a specialised camp programme leads to a positive improvement in psychosocial outcomes for children and young people with a long-term illness or disability.

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