Children's short breaks
Be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution, achieve economic well-being
Who are we?
We are a specialist healthcare team that provides overnight short breaks to learning disabled children who have additional health care needs.
Our team consists of Registered Nurses, Assistant Practitioners and NVQ trained support staff; they provide 24 hour support to the people who stay with us.
The service aims to deliver the core offer by achieving its mission statement:
‘To create a homely and friendly environment offering help and support that promotes health, independence and inclusion whilst recognising and valuing individuals’ choice and preference’.
What do we do?
- We work in partnership to provide person centred support that will ensure safe, stimulating and fun short breaks.
- We promote the five outcomes of ‘Every Child Matters’.
- We provide specialist assessments and interventions with identifiable meaningful outcomes.
- We offer advice and support to families and carers.
Who can access short breaks?
We provide short breaks to children under 18, who are registered with a Bury GP and who have a severe learning disability and additional healthcare needs.
These can include:
- Profound and multiple learning disability
- Complex health needs
- Complex epilepsy
- Autism
- A range of behaviours that may appear challenging
- Sleep disturbance
- Sensory impairments
Where are we?
We are located in a fully accessible bungalow on a residential estate in Whitefield, Bury.
What you can expect when receiving a short break?
A newly refurbished bungalow which has created a homely and child friendly environment that includes:
- A large spacious lounge and conservatory
- 3 single en-suite bedrooms
- An accessible environment including adapted equipment
- Freshly prepared meals and snacks of your choice as required
- Outside soft play area
- Sensory activities
- The opportunity to be involved in the planning of your short break, to enable you to take part in your favourite activities and also try something new.
The Valuing People Support Team (DOH 2007) recommends essential ingredients for all short breaks.
These recommendations form the basis of the Short Breaks Core Offer.
- Trained, caring, respectful and friendly staff that are able to establish good relationships: All team members have access to a comprehensive training programme that focus’ on quality support and dignity.
- A continuous link with one carer so that the person with a learning disability and their family can get to know them well: A Named Nurse is identified for all individuals and their families who access a short break.
- Where groups are involved they should be small, giving people the chance to stay or meet with their friends: Only 3 individuals stay for a short break at any one time and consideration is given to enable friends to stay together.
- Arrangements are in place to enable families to plan ahead if needed: Short breaks are planned on a 3 monthly basis following the receipt of requests for specific breaks from individuals and their families.
- The service design should build in flexibility and allow for changes: The Short break service has a proven track record of service modernisation. The flexible approach to planning breaks allows us to support families through difficult periods
- Services are run in a way which suits individual’s needs, even within a group. Service providers make sure that people who do not like each other are not in the same group: Individual person centred support plans are in place for all individuals who receive a short break. Breaks are planned with the individual prior to their stay to ensure that they participate in activities of their choice. Alternative breaks are made for individuals who express a wish to not stay with certain people.
- Positive risk assessments involving staff, users, carers and professionals are used to help people with the highest support needs to have ordinary breaks: Risk management plans are in place for individuals receiving a short break to enable them to safely participate in activities and to not exclude them from any opportunities.
- There is regular consultation with users and carers about their service: The short breaks teams have a variety of methods to involve individuals in the support they receive. This includes obtaining feedback after each short break, regular formal reviews of support, regular newsletters and informal feedback sessions.
In addition to the above good practice guidelines, the Children’s Short Breaks Core Offer also identifies meaningful outcomes based on Every Child Matters (DOH 2003).
The Every Child Matters identified the five outcomes that are most important to children and young people:
- Be healthy
- Stay safe
- Enjoy and achieve
- Make a positive contribution
- Achieve economic well-being
The five outcomes are universal ambitions for every child and young person, whatever their background or circumstances. Improving outcomes for all children and young people underpins all of the development and work within the Children’s Short Breaks Team.
How many short breaks will I receive?
We provide a core offer of 28 overnight breaks per year. There is no charge for a short break, as we are an NHS Service.
How can I make a referral?
We operate an open referral system. To make a referral please contact us at Cambeck Close. When we receive a referral we will arrange to meet with you so we can discuss your referral.
What you can expect when you stay at Cambeck Close
We promise to:
- Write a plan with you to say how you would like to be supported
- You will have a key worker to help you with this
- Help you do the things you want to do
- Help to keep you fit and well
- Help you go out and about
- Encourage you to speak up for yourself
- Encourage you to meet with your friends and family
- Let you choose what you want to eat and when you want to eat it
- Encourage you to try new things
- If you are not happy for you can tell us about it so we can make it better for you
We want you to be happy!
If you are unhappy tell someone about it!
You can talk to anyone of the following people:
- Your key worker or any of the other staff who support you
- Speak to Belinda on 0161 796 6415
- Speak to Gerry on 0161 796 6415
- Speak to Stuart on 07904 379 651
- Speak to someone at Community Services Bury on 0161 762 3102
Any of these people will speak to you and get back to you the same day and will come to speak to you if you prefer.
Contact details
T: 0161 796 6415
F: 0161 796 1067
E: enquiries.shortbreaks@bury.nhs.uk
Address:
Children's Short Breaks
2c Cambeck Close
Whitefield
Manchester
M45 8NF