Respite for Families
Planned short breaks so that parents can rest, work, or spend time with their other children.
Parents of disabled children do not get evenings
Parenting a disabled child does not have the natural breaks that other parenting has. There is no age at which it gets easier on its own. There is often no babysitter, because nobody else can manage the seizures, the feeding, the routine or the personal care. Nights are frequently broken for years rather than months.
Short breaks exist for that. A few hours so parents can go out, or sleep, or take the other children somewhere. A regular afternoon so there is something in the week that is not caring. A weekend so a couple can remember they are a couple. Cover during a hospital appointment or an operation for somebody else in the family.
The siblings part deserves saying out loud. Brothers and sisters of disabled children frequently get whatever attention is left, which over years is not much. Parents know this and it is one of the things they carry hardest. Respite that exists so a parent can take the other child swimming is doing something genuinely important.
Breaks can happen at home, which is usually least disruptive for the child, or at our day service where being somewhere else with other children is itself the good bit.
This is likely right if
- Parents have not had a proper break in months or years
- Siblings need time and attention that there is currently no room for
- A parent has their own appointment, operation or work commitment
- Nights have been broken for a long time and the household is exhausted
- A family event or holiday is coming up
Something else may fit better if
- Ongoing daily support is what is needed, where a care package fits better
- The situation has become unsafe rather than tiring, which needs an urgent assessment
The shapes a break can take
Whatever actually produces a break. The right shape depends entirely on the family.
A few hours
A carer comes to the house so parents can go out, sleep, or take the other children somewhere.
A regular slot
The same afternoon or evening each week. Predictability is what makes it usable, because it can be planned around.
Overnight
Cover through the night so parents who have not slept properly in years actually can.
A weekend or a few days
Planned well ahead with a full handover, so nobody is managing it by phone from somewhere else.
At the day service
For some children the break works better as a day out with other children than as a carer at home.
Holiday cover
Blocks of days across school holidays, which is when families are most stretched and least supported.
What is included, and what is not
Set out plainly so there is nothing to discover later. Anything not listed here can still be discussed, and often arranged.
Included as standard
- A written plan covering routine, communication, medication and what settles the child
- Enhanced DBS checked staff trained before working alone
- Medication given as prescribed and recorded at the time
- Existing feeding, positioning and health plans followed exactly
- A proper handover in both directions
- Notes covering what happened while you were away
- Breaks at home or at our day service
Arranged separately
- Residential overnight respite units, which we can help you look for
- Nursing tasks requiring a registered nurse
- Support in school hours, which is arranged through the school
From first call to first visit
Planned breaks are best arranged well ahead. Urgent cover is answered the same day.
Tell us what you need
Dates, or just that you cannot keep going at this pace. Both are reasonable ways to start the conversation.
We learn the routine
In detail. Not only the tasks but the order, the words you use, the things that go wrong and what fixes them.
Introductions
The carer meets your child before the first break wherever there is time. A stranger arriving on the day is harder for everybody.
The break, then feedback
You get notes afterwards. If you asked not to be contacted unless necessary, we will hold to that.
How this is paid for
Local authorities have a specific duty to provide short breaks for families of disabled children, and short breaks funding exists for exactly this purpose. A great many families never claim it because nobody has told them it exists. Ask your local authority children with disabilities team about short breaks by name.
Parents are also entitled to a Carer Assessment in their own right. Direct Payments are widely used for short breaks and let families choose the provider and arrange the hours themselves.
Read the full guide to fundingWhat families ask us about this
How do I get short breaks funding?
Ask your local authority children with disabilities team about short breaks by name. Councils have a duty to provide them for families of disabled children and to publish what is available locally. Many families never ask because nobody has told them.
Can the break happen at home?
Yes, and for many children that is the least disruptive option. Others do better going out to the day service and being somewhere different with other children. We will talk through which fits your child.
What is the shortest break you will do?
A few hours. A regular weekly afternoon is often the most valuable respite we provide, because it can be relied on and planned around.
Can you cover overnight?
Yes. For families who have had broken nights for years this is frequently the thing that matters most.
Will you follow the plans we already have?
Exactly. Feeding, positioning, epilepsy protocols, communication. We follow what is already working rather than bringing our own version of it.
Is asking for a break admitting we cannot cope?
No. The families who reach the point of not being able to continue are almost always the ones who never took a break. Using short breaks is what makes carrying on possible.
Services that often go together
Day Activities for Children and Young People
A structured programme of activities outside school hours and through the holidays, with transport and meals included.
Read morePersonal Care for Children
Care in the child own home, built around their routine and around the family that is already doing most of it.
Read moreLearning Disabilities and Autism Support
One to one and group support for children with learning disabilities and autistic children, built around communication, sensory needs and routine.
Read moreWhen did you last get an evening?
Ask us about a break, and ask your local authority about short breaks funding and a carer assessment. Both exist and both are frequently unclaimed.
Emergency placements are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.