Short Breaks Survey Results and Workshop

30/07/2024

PACC recently hosted a workshop for parent carers to discuss the responses to the Shropshire Council Short Breaks Survey and to consider next step in commissioning Short Break Services in Shropshire.

The survey had 70 responses from parent carers in total, the majority of which had children and young people in specialist education. Two thirds of these responses were from parent carers in employment. The three main themes in the feedback were

1.          Accessibility – this include locations not being accessible and transport barriers, there not being sufficient places or opportunities, poor communication meaning that families don’t know what is on offer or how to access it and poor choice or lack of suitability of activities offered.

2.          Short Breaks are valued by families and make a positive difference when accessed – feedback highlights the positive impact on mental health, increase in confidence and opportunities to build friendships offered by Short Breaks. They also enable parent carers to have a break from caring responsibilities and spend time with other family members, support preparation for adulthood and increase independence from family support and improve physical health by increasing activity levels.

3.          There is insufficient Short Breaks Opportunities for those with complex needs – this particularly relates to those who might need 1:1 support, have significant communication needs, need personal care support, are wheelchair users etc  - NB there is a need for some young people who attend mainstream school to have a higher level of support to help with anxiety etc.  This might mean that there needs to be a higher level of support initially which can possibly be reduced in time.

It was also noted that there was a need to recognise the issues with insufficient overnight provision that has been experienced by families (some families are not receiving the level of overnight stays that they are accessed as needing) and the significant challenges faced by families in accessing holiday provision in Shropshire.

You can read more about the feedback including the full report can be read here

In the second half of the workshop, we discussed different ways that the Short Break Offer could be developed in Shropshire.  All practitioners and parent carers participated in discussions about;

• Social Prescribing
• Care and Support in the Home (Domiciliary Care)
• Support for the Early Years (0-5years)

For all of these topics we explored what these different types of Short Break support would need to look like for the SEND Community and any barriers or benefits. 

Social Prescribing

What is it? – A free and confidential service to help individuals improve their health and wellbeing by being supported to access social / community activities. With the support of a trained advisor, you will be able to access support and community groups in your area, such as: Walking groups, befriending, housing advice, fitness classes, social activities and employment services.

How can this work for the SEND Community? – There needs to be improved communication with the SEND Community so people know what is available. Support to access activities will be needed, recognising the impact of social anxiety, additional support needs and to overcome the barrier of re-engaging what is an isolated community. Individuals need to feel confident that they will be welcomed at community activities and that those delivering the activities will be trained in how to support participants from the SEND community.

Care and Support in the Home (Domiciliary Support)

What is it? - a type of care which allows you, or a loved one, to receive care in the comfort of your own home. You will receive regular visits from a fully trained worker who can support you with every aspect of your life, from personal care to household tasks and food preparation.

How can this work for the SEND Community? – Questions were raised about how a disabled young person might feel about staying at home when the rest of the family go out and if this care and support could be extended to siblings.  The challenges around finding care and support staff were discussed, especially if a family lives in a very rural part of Shropshire.  Parent Carers wanted reassurance that the support would be more than a sitting service and young people would be provided with stimulating and appropriate activities, a focus on supporting preparation for adulthood was particularly highlighted as needed.

Support and Care in the Early Years (0-5years)

What is it?  – Providing support from the earliest possible point to reduce the likelihood of families going into crisis and requiring intensive support. Supporting parent carer to adjust to a new family experience with a focus on achieving the best possible outcomes in the long term.  Recognising the need for emotional and practical support.

How can this work for the SEND Community? – Parent Carers felt this there should be a clear support pathway from the point of diagnosis for this under 5 group, bringing parent carers together and linking to a key contact point.  Parent Carers talked about how valuable opportunities provided by the Child Development Centre and Portage were and that more families should have the opportunity to benefit from these. Practical support at this stage was identified as really important, parent carers told us that that support with shopping, housework, laundry etc would have really helped so that they could either sleep or spend time with their child. The need for emotional support was raised to help parent carers to adjust the loss of the family life they expected.

Work is continuing on recommissioning the Short Break offer in Shropshire and all the feedback collected will inform this process.  The next stage is to develop service specifications to be shared with potential providers, in readiness for the new contract to be in place from April 2025.  If you have any additional feedback or questions about this work please email PACC on enquiries@paccshropshire.org.uk