Short Breaks
We all need a break and that's nothing to feel guilty about. Sometimes you give so much to the one child, that you need renewed energy for the rest of the family, as well as time for yourself. Short breaks or respite are all about giving you and the rest of the household some time off - allowing someone you trust to look after your child while you go out or spend time with other family members. It can include care in the home, day care away from the home, residential breaks, family link schemes, holidays, after-school clubs and holiday play schemes.
The other benefit of a short break is that it can be a great confidence booster, for you as the carer and for your child. You find out that it is possible to let your child go, and your child finds out that he or she can enjoy life away from the family. Some of us have found that this really pays dividends in the long term, because our children have learned to adapt to new situations and experiences much better than they might have done otherwise.
- Tips for getting short breaks
- Short breaks from the local authority or charities
- Foster care
- Social Care
- Private and other kinds of short breaks
Tips for getting short breaks
Be warned – short breaks can be hard to get! First you need to recognise you need it and deal with all the difficult emotions that may bring up; then you need to start asking for it. It may begin with just a few hours, but can then lead to longer periods that will give you a wonderful break. Here are a few tips:
- You can get up to 102 hours short breaks via the completion of a Common Assesment Framework (CAF) document with out Social Care input.
- If more than 102 hours short break time is needed then a referral to the Social Care Initial Assessment team will be needed this can be done via submission of a CAF or telephone.
- Explain how the demands of caring for your child are taking their toll and make it clear that things are difficult.
- Ask other professionals to support your request by writing to your social worker as well.
- What's right for one family may not be right for yours so think about what would work.
- If you are offered a family-based short break, meet with the family first and spend time agreeing how best to trial things.
- If you are offered a residential short break, go and visit first when other children are there and ask questions. If you want to, feel free to ask your social worker if they can visit with you.
- Write down a list of questions beforehand and take this with you to visits or meetings about respite arrangements.
- Keep an open mind as sometimes first visits don't go well and often it takes time for children to settle in with new people.
- If you want something more flexible, think about asking for Direct Payments. We explain about Direct Payments in the 'Money matters' section.
Short breaks from the local authority or charities
The following list may seem like there are lots of alternative types of short breaks for you and your child. However, in reality, this is not always the case and many of the following services are very small and have strict criteria of eligibility. It's important to persevere.
Short Breaks in Nottingham City:
Nottingham City offer the following care-based services, the access to these service are subject to the needs of individual children and young people and the amount of short break hours they are entitled to. View the Short Break's Leaflet for more information on Nottingham City's short break services:
- Crocus Fields
Provides residential short breaks to young people aged 10 year and up with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and autistic spectrum disorders, whilst maintaining young people within their families and local communities.
- Link Work Scheme
Provides community-based 'short breaks' for disabled children aged 5-19 years, by providing individual support to enhance social education and support to access community activities.
- Play Inclusion Support in Nottingham
Our aim is to provide Children, young people and families the help and support they need, when they need it. Disabled Children and those with additional needs can benefit from access to extra support and one to one play sessions. Transport can be arranged, if necessary. We will be working closely with schools and families to achieve positive outcomes.
Contact Details are to follow ........
Short Breaks in Nottinghamshire:
- DCATCH – Disabled Childrens Access To Childcare
Awaiting updated information from Children, Families and Cultural Services Department
- Flexible Short Breaks Scheme
Awaiting updated information from Children, Families and Cultural Services Department
- Youth Service – Disability Support Team
The Youth Service offer integrated youth clubs and a residential programme for young people aged between 14 – 25 years.
For more information contact Andrea Spink on 01623 626972 or alternatively email on andrea.spink@nottscc.gov.uk
- Children and Young People’s Play Development Service
The Holiday Project and The Saturday Club Project offers children and young people with additional needs and disabilities opportunities to enjoy play and leisure activities within their local community. This services is targeted at disabled young people aged 5 -14 years. Referral can come from a parent/carer as well as other professionals for the Holiday Project but can only come from a Social Worker for the Saturday Club Project.
For more information on the Holiday Project contact Linda Harling, Play Development Worker on 07783 078555 or email Linda.harling@nottscc.gov.uk
For more information on the Saturday Club Project contact Steph Roper, Play Development Worker on 01777 872590 or email steph.roper@nottscc.gov.uk
- Big House, Edwinstowe
Church Street, Edwinstowe, Nottingham NG21 9QA
Telephone 01623 822453
Short breaks (usually 2–3 days, maximum 9 days) for children in fulltime education with severe learning disabilities and associated challenging behaviour ages 4–19. Usually children are from north of county: Bassetlaw, Newark, Mansfield, Ashfield areas.
- Caudwell House
Upton Road, Southwell, Nottinghamshire NG25 0PT
Telephone 01636 813170
Short breaks for young people with physical disabilities and associated illnesses aged 3–4 years (if at school or special needs nursery) to 19 years. Also 6 bedded residential unit. 10 beds for short breaks.
- Minster View
Normanton Road, off Upton Road, Southwell, Nottinghamshire NG25 0PT
Telephone 01636 815450
Short breaks (4 beds available) for children aged 5–19 with severe learning disabilities and challenging behaviour. Also 8 bedded residential unit for young people with severe learning disabilities and challenging behaviour aged 9–19 years. Children from any county area.
Services across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire:
CARIN4 - Continuing Care and Respite in Nottingham 4 Families
The CARIN4 Families Team is a team of children's community nurses and family support workers based at the Queens Medical Centre campus. They are a short breaks/ continuing care service, providing care for children with complex health needs in their own homes or other community settings. For more information visit http://www.nuh.nhs.uk/nottinghamchildrenshospital/carin4.aspx
Foster Care
Foster Care in Nottingham City
Home from Home
Offers a daytime and overnight foster care service to children and young people aged 0-19 with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder.
Telephone 0115 883 8280 or john.imms@nottinghamcity.gov.uk. The Home from Home Service are based at The Mary Potter Health Centre, Gregory Boulevard, Hyson Green, Nottingham, NG7 5HY
Foster Care in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County fostering team 0845 301 8899
Social Care
Disabled Children’s Teams
The Disabled Children's Team's work with children and young people between birth -19 years (the City Disabled Children's Team work up to 19 years for those individuals who are in a special school and up to 18 years who attend a mainstream school/college). They must have a permanent disability, and whose welfare, health or development are likely to be impaired without the provision of specialist short breaks services or adaptations and equipment
The Disabled Children's Team is an integrated service which includes Social Work, Occupational Therapy and Family Support Workers with specialist knowledge in the area of childhood disability.
Social Workers and Family Support Workers within the team work in partnership with children and young people, their families, carers and other agencies to assess needs and ensure that required specialist services are provided.
The assessment covers areas such as:
- health
- education
- emotional and behavioural development
- self-care skills
- identity and social presentation
- family and social relationships
- family history
- housing and environment
How to access services
The team operates a public duty point which is staffed by workers from within the team who can answer questions, offer advice, take referrals and signpost to the appropriate service.
A referral to the team may be made by phone or through a Common Assessment Framework (CAF) document submitted by the family or carers, the child or young person, or any professional involved with the family who has consent.
Nottingham City Disabled Children's Team
The Mary Potter Health Centre, Gregory Boulevard, Hyson Green, Nottingham, NG7 5HY
Telephone: (0115) 8838266
Email: disabledchildren.team@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Nottinghamshire Disabled Children’s Team
North Team
Meadow House, Littleworth, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG18 2TB
Telephone: 01623 433433
Fax: 01623 433245
South Team
The Hall, Bridgeford Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 6AD
Telephone: 0115 9141500
Portage Early Education Team (PEET) - find our more on PEET
Direct Payments
Direct Payments can be a way of funding respite care and other types of support for disabled children and their families. We have included more information about this option in the Money Matters/Other benefits section as many parents say it is well worth considering.
After school clubs and holiday play schemes
For many parents the most helpful kind of short break is an after school activity or play schemes that take place in the holidays. They are a lot of fun for your children while also giving you a break.
To get all the latest details on after school clubs and holiday playscheme contact Nottingham City Familes Information Service or Information for Families in Nottinghamshire Service.
Services for children with life limiting disabilities
Butterfly Project
2 Clinton Avenue, Nottingham NG5 1AW
Telephone: 0115 9691177
Email: sherwood@barnados.org.uk
A service for children and young people (up to the age of 18) with a life-limiting condition and their family/carers. The Butterfly Project provides volunteers, siblings groups and support with educational issues, consultations with BME worker and where possible funding for therapeutic activities for the immediate family
Private and other kinds of short breaks
If you've exhausted offers of help from your family and the forms of short breaks we've described above, there are private short break agencies, though these are expensive.It is not usually possible to get funding for this.
Time Out Care Services Ltd
Provides care to relieve relatives in the home who care for physical, mental and sensory disabled children who are residents of Nottingham City. Their main focus is to support BME families.
Telephone 0115 8758842/3
Room 16, New Brook House, 385 Alfreton Road, Radford, Nottingham, NG7 5LR
Community Service Volunteers
Community Service Volunteers (CSV) can provide home based respite care. Although in some areas an organisation may take on and supervise a group of volunteers who work with a number of families, it is also possible to have an individual volunteer living with one family and providing support to parents. There is a cost attached to this, however, as the volunteer is paid a weekly allowance as well as being given accommodation, and CSV is paid a fee so that the organisation can provide proper support and supervision for the volunteer.
Childcare and childminders
The Families Information Service in the City and the Information for Families in Nottinghamshire Service, have a list of registered childminders, playgroups, nurseries and after-school clubs. In some cases they offer an extra support service which can help you find suitable childcare if this might not be straightforward for your child. They have developed training and support for those childminders who work with children with special needs and formed a Childminding Network. To find out more you can contact Nottingham City Familes Information Service or Information for Families in Nottinghamshire Service.
At Home Childcare
@Home Childcare provides a quality, pay-as-you-go, home-based childcare service within the Nottinghamshire area. They provide Ofsted registered childcare in your home to fit in with your working hours or study.
Part time childcare is particularly useful for parents who need day care or unsocial hours.
For more information visit www.athomechildcare.co.uk
Telephone: 0845 0760 042