You may wish to try the YMCA day camps at Winchester House where you can bring along your siblings, or the specialist swimming sessions at West Wight Sports Centre. Alternatively, book your child onto a day’s sailing or dinghy-surfing at UKSA in Cowes (packed lunches provided). Or your child may want to take part in fun, active sessions with the Play Rangers at St. George’s school or visit Nettlecombe Farm in Whitwell in order to visit the coarse fishing lakes and farm animals. Your child may already be receiving an overnight service from Beaulieu or day care from Family Link or the Carisbrooke Contact Centre.

Why are some starting in September?

Is it easy to recruit staff?

No. Recruiting short-break workers (someone who is used to working with a disabled child) is very difficult on the Isle of Wight. The Island relies on trained, specialist staff, most of whom work either at Beaulieu House or in the special schools or centres with disabled children. These staff are trained to manage challenging behaviour, alternative forms of communication (where a child can’t access language) and to cope with a child’s self-care and complex medical needs.

We have found that many of these ready-trained staff are already working with parents and children, above and beyond their weekly working commitments. They willingly give up their time for holidays and evening work but do need a break themselves!

Volunteers, with the right attitude and energy, are a great asset to working with children, but these still need to be trained properly in key areas of safeguarding, health and safety, communication, behaviour and first aid. This takes time.

Unfortunately, the Island does not have a ready-made short break workforce. This is something that has to be developed.

Some of our commissioned providers have needed to recruit new staff so as not to over-use the same people again and again. There has been a distinct lack of interest in short-term, or sessional posts. Most people want full-time work which is not always what is required. Other interviews have failed to recruit staff for this reason, even though the work offered is advertised as temporary. This is frustrating and means that our providers have to readvertise externally. CRB checks then need to take place; some can take up to 12 weeks to process, delaying matters.

Why are venues so important?

Venues need to be DDA compliant i.e. disability-friendly, safe and accessible. Most schools are not always accessible in the holidays as necessary work is taking place where, for example, the water might be turned off. Group activities cannot run in such conditions! Venues also need to be level, with easy access to parking and safe – with locked doors and an enclosed environment.

Transport is an issue for some parents. Parents need to access a venue that is safe and nearby with parking facilities.

Must I stay with my child?

Not all parents want to stay with their child so that they can access a short break themselves. That is fine. However, some parents have told us that they don’t want to be apart from their child. They want to be part of the short break experience and to see their child having fun.

Are all providers fully trained?

We require that our short break providers are CRB checked, fully-referenced and have appropriate training. We will support providers with specialist training as required. Once again, this training takes time to organise, using the best people and providers need to tell us what they require, in addition, to their existing skills.

A comprehensive training programme has been planned from September onwards which providers can access, to supplement their existing skills.

This seems to take so much time!

Aiming High funding has enabled us to expand our services for disabled children. However, because these children have very individual and complex needs, there is no quick and easy solution to meeting these needs. We recognise that more parents and carers urgently need a break and that disabled children find everyday activities hard to access. However, we cannot just give anyone money to provide a short break service ... Stringent checks need to be made to ensure that these short breaks are safe and appropriate. Providers need to feel supported and to be paid for what they are offering. Parents need to be kept fully informed and to understand how to access these.

We are working hard with our providers to support them.

How do I know my child is eligible?

Make sure that you pick up an Enrolment form from FIZ – the Family Information Zone – by Newport bus station. This will ask you to tick certain boxes and will make it clear if your disabled child can access a short break. Once you have decided which short break you would like to access, complete the form and hand it to Lesley Forde, Information Officer at FIZ.

Your child needs to have had an assessment from a professional to be eligible.

What if I don’t have a key worker?

You do not need to have a key worker to access a short break or activity. You may not have used the Children’s Disability Team for services and support. Neither may your child have a key worker who coordinates activities for your child. Not everyone wants this intervention and that is fine. However, your disabled child can still access a short break if they have a professional’s assessment as above.

The tick list on the enrolment form also makes it clear that your child may:

Once I’ve filled in the form, then what do I do?

Hand this in to Lesley Forde at FIZ. She will pass this information on to the Short Breaks Officer who will use this to plan future services and demand for short breaks. A copy will be sent to the provider so that they have your information. You then need to contact the provider of your choice to arrange a booking.

What information do I need to give the provider?

It is important to indicate what support your child needs i.e. whether they require help to go to the toilet.

What will happen next year?

Once we have a good idea of how many parents require a short break and what the demand is, we will use a passport system. With your passport and vouchers, you will then be able to access the short break of your choice. Vouchers will be issued to parents with a passport on a regular basis and ensure that the system is fair. (To gain a passport, proof will be needed of the professional diagnosis or statement.)

How do I access the caravan for short breaks?

The new caravan is a specialist model which has just arrived on the Isle of Wight at Lower Hyde, Shanklin. It has been built for use by disabled children and families and is adapted accordingly. The Family Link team – with support from Parent Voice – have worked hard to choose the most appropriate site and to ensure that your short break is a safe and pleasurable one.

The caravan is now available for use. If you are interested in using the new caravan for a short break for you and your family, please contact one of the Family Link team at Ryde to register your interest.

Family Link Team can be contacted on: 01983 566011

How can I access one of the new Landeez wheelchairs?

It has been a lengthy process to acquire these specialist wheelchairs and they are based at Dinosaur Isle and Beaulieu House. These have been trialled with the support of children and staff at St. George’s school and Carisbrooke High school. We have also been meeting with professionals who will find these wheelchairs of use.

Currently, two chairs are available at Dinosaur Isle and one at Beaulieu House.

If you wish to hire the chair, you will need to leave a refundable deposit upon booking the wheelchair and you will be expected to sign for the use of the chairs and to return them in the condition in which you find them. These are valuable wheelchairs and we want them to last and to be maintained so that future generations can enjoy them.

The cost of a morning or afternoon session is £3. Your refundable deposit is £25 but this is returned with the chair. You will need evidence of photographic ID.

In the first instance until March 2011, we would ask that the wheelchairs are used solely by accompanied children i.e. 5 – 19 year olds, as the Aiming High funding is targeted at this age group. These wheelchairs are not self-propelling and need an adult’s supervision.

What if I have more questions?

Please contact either the Information Officer at FIZ or the Aiming High Short Breaks Officer. You can also contact Parent Voice if you have questions or comments that you want to feedback. If we are unaware of problems, we cannot help to solve them.

Lesley Forde, Information Officer, FIZ Contact: 01983 821999

Email: [email protected]

Moira Henderson, Short Breaks Officer Contact: 01983 533523
Email: [email protected]

Parents Voice Contact: 07977 068 416
www.parentsvoice-iw.co.uk

Thank you for your patience while we grow and support these exciting new activities for disabled children.