SFC Community | Sport for Confidence

At SFC, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to take part in meaningful activity that supports their health, wellbeing, and everyday life, whatever their background or circumstances.

Rooted in Occupational Therapy

SFC Community brings together our Occupational Therapy-led services, using physical activity as a powerful tool for prevention, rehabilitation, and long-term wellbeing. Through a person-centred approach, we support individuals to build confidence, maintain independence, and connect with their communities.

Every journey begins with understanding the person – their needs, goals, and what matters most to them. Our Occupational Therapists work alongside individuals to create tailored pathways that embed meaningful activity into daily life, helping to prevent decline and improve overall wellbeing.

Across all services, we focus on enabling people to move more, stay independent, feel empowered, and enjoy life through safe, supportive, and inclusive approaches.

Two people filling in a form in a coffee shop

Pathways for Delivery

Our model is delivered through four connected pathways, each designed to meet people at different points in their health and wellbeing journey.

Together, these pathways create a flexible, place-based model that integrates health, care, and community, ensuring people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place.

Reconnect

Assessment Service

Reconnect provides community-based, early help and prevention support, helping people build routines, confidence, and connection through meaningful activity.

Assessment Service provides a front door to support, offering a holistic Occupational Therapy assessment that helps people understand their needs, overcome barriers, and connect to the right opportunities at the right time.

Primary Care

Good Food Good Moves

Primary Care embeds Occupational Therapists within GP practices, supporting people with complex needs, frailty, and long-term conditions to stay well at home and reduce avoidable health service use.

Good Food, Good Moves combines nutrition and physical activity to support people to develop healthier habits, improve wellbeing, and build sustainable lifestyle changes.

SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE

Where We
Work

Explore where SFC currently delivers community programmes across Essex and London.

Click on each location to find out where our sessions are held.

FAQs

Need more information? Check out our most frequently asked questions.

Why are you called Sport for Confidence if you are an Occupational Therapy led service?

We’re an Occupational Therapy-led health service that uses sport and activity as tools to improve health, wellbeing and independence.

The word “sport” reflects our belief that movement and meaningful activity can build confidence, identity and belonging.

But sport is not the outcome – it’s the vehicle. Our work is rooted in Occupational Therapy, supporting people to do the things that matter in their everyday lives.

So what do you actually do?

We deliver Occupational Therapist-led assessments and support in community settings, using meaningful activity (including sport) to help people achieve their goals:

Build confidence and independence
Improve mental and physical health
Reconnect with their community
Develop everyday life skills

Who is your service for?

We support adults who would benefit from therapeutic support and who are often ‘furthest away’ from sport and physical activity.

This includes people who may:

Be experiencing mental health challenges
Be neurodivergent
Live with long-term health conditions and or disabilities
Feel socially isolated or excluded

People sometimes assume we are only for individuals with learning disabilities – this isn’t the case.

Do I need to be sporty or fit to join?

No.

You don’t need any experience or ability. Many people we support have had negative experiences of sport in the past.

We focus on:

Confidence over competition
Participation over performance
Personal progress over comparison

Why don’t you publish your session timetables?

As a specialist Occupational Therapy-led service, our sessions are designed for people who need therapeutic support.
When timetables were public, people sometimes attended who didn’t need this level of support. This reduced access for those who did.

We now use a referral and assessment process to make sure:

The right people access the service
Our clinical expertise is used where it’s most needed
Attendance at any SFC sessions is decided in collaboration with an Occupational Therapist

Is this therapy or activity?

It’s therapy- delivered through activity.

Everything we do is therapeutically informed and outcome-focused, even when it looks like sport or play. This is not diversionary activity. We use activity intentionally to support health, wellbeing and independence.

We also believe therapy can (and should) be enjoyable and meaningful and having fun can be part of the process.

Does everyone need Occupational Therapy support to become more physically active?

Everyone who accesses Sport for Confidence is first supported by an Occupational Therapist, helping us to understand the person, their goals, strengths, interests, and any barriers they may face to engaging in meaningful physical activity.

From there, support is shaped around individual need. For some people, a small amount of Occupational Therapy support alongside access to inclusive community opportunities may be enough to help them build confidence and maintain engagement independently. For others with more complex needs, Occupational Therapy involvement may increase or continue as part of their journey.

Alongside our specialist support, we also work with partners to help develop inclusive, community-based opportunities that are open and accessible to more people.

We call this our Community Model — helping to grow a wider network of inclusive opportunities that support healthier, more connected communities.

How do people access your service?

Usually through:

Professional referrals (e.g. NHS, social care, partners)
Partner organisations
Direct enquiries (we’ll guide you)

What outcomes do you support?

Increased confidence
Improved mental health and wellbeing
Greater independence to do the activities that matter most to you
Stronger social connections
Re-engagement with everyday life

MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT

Get Involved

If you or someone you know would benefit from our community delivery model, please make a referral to one of our Occupational Therapists.

Together, we can help people move more, connect more, and feel a greater sense of belonging.

Make a Referral