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Contents

1. How Children Receive a Service for Short Breaks/ Respite
2. Clockhouse
3. Brunswick Road  
4. Wedgewood House
5. Inclusion Project
6. Behavioural Evaluation Support Team (B.E.S.T.)
7. Children’s Community Support Team (C.C.S.T.)

1. How Children Receive a Service for Short Breaks/ Respite

The services all operate under and maintain the Councils Equal Opportunities Policy and therefore, a service will be provided equally and effectively to all children who fit the criteria within the individual services Statement of Purpose. Social Workers must ensure that the service meets the needs of the children/young people they wish to place.

Children can  referred to the service  by the care management social work teams, most referrals come via the “Children with Complex Health and Disabilities Team”, (CCHDT). Before any request for a service is made to a Short break service, a social worker must  have undertaken a Core Assessment, which is an individual assessment of a families needs. The criteria for assessment is that the child’s degree of learning disability is diagnosed as “moderate” to “severe”.

Referrals to the Children with Disabilities S.W. team can come from a variety of different sources e.g. Parents, carers, Social Workers/Health professionals etc. 

All referrals are taken to the Divisions Referral meeting, which is held on fortnightly basis, representatives from the social work team also attend.  Where a service is full, the child will be placed on a waiting list, which is continually reviewed. The referring Social Worker is informed of the process who will keep the family updated.

The referring social worker will determine what status a child will have within the service whether this will be a Child In Need (under 75 nights) or a Looked after Child  (see Reviewing Children Who Receive Short Term Breaks Procedure) and complete all the necessary paperwork before a service is given, unless it is an emergency placement, in which instance legislation allows a 72 hour window to complete all necessary paperwork.

Once assessed as requiring a service & a placement is allocated, introductory visits are arranged for the child and their families to tour the Unit, meet staff and discuss their needs. A pattern of introductions are geared to the needs of the individual and their family and generally consist of a few tea time visits to see how the child/young person copes with the experience, before a more formal pattern is agreed at a planning meeting. The service will agree a package of care that meets the needs of the child/young person by looking at compatibility of groups and other children who use the service. The services will move children around as necessary to ensure that the short break is continuing to meet the child/young person’s needs.

2. Clockhouse

Aims and Objectives                          

1. Maximise the life chances of children within their family, home and community by helping children work towards their potential in terms of their independence and behaviour;
2. Be “child focused” and operates a “children first policy”  we recognise every child’s wish to have a positive and enjoyable experience of childhood;
3. Promote a philosophy of acceptance and respect for each person’s unique and individual need;
4. Offer a wide range of activities and experiences tailored to the needs and wishes of our young people;
5. Provide support, training and advice to families.

Our objective is to provide short breaks of respite care that support the children, and their families, who use our service.

About the Children/Young People

Clockhouse provides a service for approximately 30 children a year. The children and young people are aged between 5-18 years old. All the children have special needs and require individualised packages of care. Many children have health needs, and in some cases these can be complex, chronic and life-limiting. Some children have autistic spectrum behaviours and benefit from a planned approach to their care and learning.

Staff and carers who provide intimate care which includes invasive procedures must be familiar with the Invasive Procedures Briefing Note.

3. Brunswick Road

Aims and Objectives

Brunswick Road is a Bradford Metropolitan Council, Social Care Service providing short breaks of respite care  to children and young people with learning disabilities, who also may have communication difficulties. The unit provides a range of overnight and day care, and after school service and holiday play schemes.

The main aims of the unit are:-

1. To enhance and develop the child/young persons skills;
2. To offer support to parents/carers;
3. To work closely with home/school/social and educational social workers so all the child/young persons needs are met;
4. Provide block placements where necessary, support to individuals during a transition period when moving on, either into alternative accommodation or community resources such as leisure/recreation;
5. We work within the Councils Equal Opportunities Policy;
6. There is no planned provision for emergency cover, but will try to respond to a crisis situation whenever resources allow.

About the Children/Young People

The service at Brunswick Road is provided for children/young people with disabilities, diagnoses range through Autism, Microcephaly, and Downs Syndrome etc. The communication difficulties experienced by the children/young people may result in aggressive outbursts and self injury, some  behaviours are associated with perceptive disorders.  The children/young people’s ages range from the youngest at 5 years up to 18 years of age.

Approximately 30 families can use the service at a time, depending on the size of the packages of care required to keep the children/young people at home. The service caters for up to 6 children/young people staying overnight in the unit at any one time.

Our philosophy of working with children and young people is to see each as an individual and treat them as such. We aim to provide continuity of care from home and school, whilst striving to provide stimulating activities, making sure cultural and religious needs are being met and choices given where appropriate. We aim to promote equality to all.  Brunswick Road offers the opportunity to mix and socialise with friends and peers, experience a range of activities as well as providing care and stimulation, in a safe and caring environment. The main aim of Brunswick Road is to keep the child/young person within their own home and community as much as possible.

Staff and carers who provide intimate care which includes invasive procedures must be familiar with the Invasive Procedures Briefing Note.

4. Wedgewood House

Aims and Objectives

Wedgewood House is a Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Social Care Unit, providing short breaks in the form of respite care for children & young people with disabilities and complex health needs. 

The main aim of the Unit is to help children with disabilities remain in their own home and community, by providing support through respite care for children and young people, their families and carers. 

Short breaks can include a variety of different Care Packages, depending on individual need.

Our philosophy of working with children and young people is to see each as an individual and treat them as such. We aim to provide continuity of care from home and school, while striving to provide stimulating activities, making sure cultural and religious needs are being met and choices given where appropriate. We aim to promote equality to all. Wedgewood House offers the opportunity to mix and socialise with friends and peers, experience a range of activities as well as providing care and stimulation, in a safe and caring environment.

About the Children/Young People

The children and young people who come to Wedgewood House are aged between (5-18) years old. All have a learning disability and physical disability; many also have a sensory impairment.  Most of the children and young people have medical/health needs ranging from epilepsy to some, which are more complex. All have the use of a wheelchair, although some are mobile and able to walk short distances with assistance. Many of the children use specialist equipment to aid seating, posture, communication, stimulation, feeding and personal care. Approximately 30 families can use the service at a time and it caters for up to ten children/young people using the Unit at any one time.

Staff and carers who provide intimate care which includes invasive procedures must be familiar with the Invasive Procedures Briefing Note.

5. Inclusion Project

Aims and Objectives

The scheme targets disabled children and children with complex health needs where more detailed planning is required to achieve inclusion. Information from key workers in care, education and health services is used to establish safe protocols that promote the child’s engagement in activity. Parents are consulted so that the protocols reflect their preferences. The Community Nursing Team advise on protocol development for individuals, as necessary and sometimes provide whole session support if required and otherwise support individual children with health intervention as part of the child’s protocol.

We have a team of four Leisure & Recreation Co-ordinators. They can do a home visit to discuss the options available to children and young people and their carers

We offer young people support to access leisure and recreation opportunities in community or specialist settings. 

We can help your young person find something just for them.  It may be a hobby, an interest group or something like a youth club.

We run our own groups as well as accessing community groups. We work in partnership with a number of organisations, who can help us to assist you.

Accessing a Service from Inclusion

We can accept referrals from parents, social workers and multi discipline teams, you do not need an assessment to access this service, just a letter will activate our staff to contact you. Parents of children who are registered disabled will be provided with information about this scheme. Information is available from the Disabled Children’s Information Service.

6. Behavioural Evaluation Support Team (B.E.S.T.)

Aims and Objectives

The Behavioural Evaluation Support Team (B.E.S.T.) Project is a service that aims to enable children and young people, aged 5-18 years, (both male & female) who have a learning disability and challenging behaviour, to remain at home with their families.

The B.E.S.T Project provides a managed environment to enable children and young people to be assessed. Through a process of monitoring, planned interventions and evaluation the children’s behaviours are improved. The staff team devise behaviour management plans that are implemented which promote positive behaviours. These programmes are then transferred to other settings where appropriate i.e. home, other respite units, school and the child’s community.

Due to the physical layout of the building the B.E.S.T. Project is unable to offer a service to physically disabled young people who need wheelchair access.

The B.E.S.T Project will focus on the child/young persons challenging behaviour, as defined within the Kings Fund Definition (see below) to erase any learning block and enable the young person to take an active part in their community.

King’s Fund Definition

“Behaviour of such intensity, frequency, or duration that the physical safety of the person, or others are likely to be placed in a serious jeopardy, or behaviour which is likely to delay access to, and use of ordinary community facilities”.

Examples of such behaviours could include; aggressive outbursts, self injurious behaviours, severe destructive behaviours.

B.E.S.T. will, in the majority, work with children and young people who have severe learning disabilities, however consideration will be given to a child / young person have a mild/moderate learning disability. The unit manager would consider the skills and expertise of the staff team and whether they can positively influence a child/ young person’s behaviour. The unit manager would also consider the potential risks/impact on the other children /young people who use the unit.

The B.E.S.T Project support children and young people who have a learning disability and behaviour that challenge their current care support networks and are at risk of being excluded from services.

This could be because:

• Family conflict and the child/young person are at severe risk of becoming looked after;
• The child /young person are at high risk of significant harm, due to medical therapy/nursing/care programmes not being carried out;
• Evidence shows that the child/young person is at high risk of significant physical, emotional or sexual abuse, physical or emotional neglect, or self injury;
• Parents/carers are unable to respond to the child/young person basic care needs or essential added needs, arising from complex health or disability;
• Parents/carers persistent inability to ensure child/young persons safety, anticipate risk and act appropriately to minimise it;
• Parents/carers persistent, extreme or inappropriate discipline. Dangerous role modelling is being carried out by carer;
• Parents/carers are unable to set appropriate boundaries or promote independence;
• Where the quality of life is severely affected, the B.E.S.T Project will offer and maintain, where possible a respite package until an appropriate placement can be found.

Accessing a Service from B.E.S.T.

Families can be referred by a Social Worker, as described for the other services. The service can also be accessed through a multi-agency referral meeting ( in partnership with Health and Education professionals) where other children/young people are discussed who may benefit from receiving a service from B.E.S.T.

7. Children’s Community Support Team (C.C.S.T.)

Aims and Objectives

The Children’s Community Support Team is essentially an out reach service, which aims to enable children and young people, who have a learning disability and behaviour management difficulties to remain at home with their families and have and maintain access to community resources.

The Children’s Community Support Team will provide assessment, advice and training, centred on the young person’s individual needs, which involves working closely with their family, carers and other professionals. Strategies are devised for promoting, positive behaviours by modifying and/or manage any behaviour that blocks the young persons learning or presents a risk of the young person becoming excluded from services.

The Children’s Community Support Team focuses all behavioural strategies and skills teaching on positive methods of care. The over riding philosophy of the team is one of positive intervention; for example mutual respect and bonding between carers and the child/young person.

The child/young person must have a learning disability and display behaviour which “is of such nature, frequency, intensity or duration that this seriously limits or may limit access to service available to that child/young person according to age and ability”.

Examples of such behaviours may include aggressive/violent outbursts, self-injurious behaviours, and severe disruptive behaviours.

For some young people, challenging behaviours can be a method of communicating and for these young people we endeavour to provide them with more appropriate/positive communication strategies, thereby reducing the need to display negative behaviours.

The Children’s Community Support Team supports children/young people and their families in the devising and implementation of routines and positive behaviour management strategies.

Accessing a Service from C.C.S.T.

Families can be referred by a Social Worker as described for the other Short Break/Respite services. The service can also be accessed through a multi-agency behavioural panel in partnership with Health and Education professionals by completing a C.A.F. and sending to the panel via special school or health professional.

The child/young person must have an active Social Worker/Community Nurse who can provide referral details along with the an assessment, which should have the relevant current needs from the latest review notes.

The referring agency must also agree a contract for service with the Children’s Community Support Team and be committed to providing information for reviewing the contract.

Once a referral has been received a worker will contact the referee and other people involved in the care of the young person to complete the essential information and behaviour profile. This will enable the team to establish whether the referral meets their criteria and if so to prioritise it along with other referrals. The team aims to complete the initial information gathering within a 4-6 week period and to then inform the referee of the outcome.

Additional contracts may be drawn up and work commenced to devise and implement behaviour management strategies that may be required.

End