Creative Care, Lasting Impact

Backround

In Spring 2026 darts embarked on a three-month pilot project within three Adult Social Care (ASC) settings in Doncaster, including Wickett Hern Road and Eden Lodge. Both Wickett Hern Road and Eden Lodge are City of Doncaster Council in-house short-term respite care, or ‘short breaks’, services. They support people with learning disabilities or complex health needs to access activities and experiences that enhance daily living, while also providing breaks for families and carers. Stays at Eden Lodge typically last around 1 week, whilst Wickett Hern Road provides a more transitional environment, where adults stay until they are ready to move into independent living. The project aimed to place a drama practitioner into care settings to explore how drama, play, movement and creativity could be woven into everyday routines and daily tasks.

How we worked together

Rather than dropping in to deliver individual workshops, our drama practitioner, Emma, worked alongside care staff in a collaborative way to look at embedding creativity into the everyday. Emma’s priority was to listen and observe, to chat with care teams and understand the challenges of working in an ASC setting as well as learning what is integral about the care system.

Emma spent time inside both settings to truly learn the rhythm of daily life, shadow routines, and build trust within the team. Staff were open and willing to allow Emma into their daily realities and discussed their roles, the successes and some of the trickier moments they face, such as when a guest might refuse an action during transition experiences.

By observing where natural friction points occurred, Emma and the staff collaboratively identified where drama, play, imaginative storytelling and even puppetry could be used, to smooth transitions, spark engagement, consider guests future, enhance staff morale and turn routine tasks into moments of connection.

The difference it made

While residents responded beautifully, showing increased happiness, active participation, and skill building, a surprising impact of the pilot was on the care staff themselves. Initially staff saw the work as a tool solely for the guests, but they quickly realised that bringing drama into their daily toolkit shifted the energy of their working environment and how they felt themselves. It broke the monotony of daily care tasks and directly boosted staff wellbeing, returning a sense of play to their roles:

I didn't realise how much I needed this. Using drama didn't make my day longer; it made it lighter. I feel a genuine sense of joy in my work after being around drama!
- Care Team Member

On one afternoon, Emma introduced gentle intentional music into a communal space. The atmosphere shifted quickly. A guest who typically disengages with social interaction began to engage on the periphery. They were tapping their foot while watching from a comfortable distance. The staff explained that the room felt lighter and the energy in the space shifted, making the room feel warmer. One staff member told us:

We saw guests communicating and engaging in ways they hadn't before, but the biggest surprise was how much joy we felt as a staff team. It completely lifted the mood in the building; I was humming all day.

Emma explained the theory behind activities chosen and did facilitate a drama hour, to allow staff to participate fully in the work and experience the effects first hand in the space. Staff embraced Emma in an open and celebratory way and displayed bravery in abundance, fully immersing themselves in the activities. On reflection, one care manager told Emma,

I think we really need this. It’s clearly had an effect on the guests and you can see that immediately with eye contact and smiling, but I was watching the staff. They were deeply engaged, sharing connection with guests and each other and having an experience together - that will make them better care givers. Their mood and outlook on the day is improved, I can see it.

What’s next

From a staff perspective, drama had a shift in its use in the ASC settings. It’s not being seen as an “add on” optional activity, but as an essential technique. Staff identified several key areas where drama can be integrated into daily adult social care:

• De-escalation or Transition Times: Using roleplay, story, or vocal play to ease anxiety during challenging shifts in the day (e.g. mealtimes or getting ready to leave).
• Communication: Using nonverbal drama and sensory storytelling to connect with residents who have limited verbal communication.
• Staff wellbeing and Retention: Using creative play as an accessible, tool to combat burnout and inject energy into demanding shifts.

The staff at Wickett Hern Road and Eden Lodge were fantastic advocates for this pilot to be upscaled. Their resilience, self-reflection and desire to understand the theory behind the work clearly demonstrates how invaluable this could be as we work towards making creativity a permanent fixture in adult social care.

Conclusion

This targeted pilot project proved that when creativity is woven into the fabric of daily social care, rather than treated as a fun activity or a luxury, everyone in the room benefits. The pilot changed routine tasks into heart-warming shared moments, as well as providing practical evidence of the benefits of using creativity on a daily basis. It provides clear evidence of the need to permanently influence creative care across Doncaster’s adult social care sector. The learning from the project will help shape a future funding bid to scale this creative approach across the social care sector in Doncaster.