If you're a caring individual, who wants to support children and young people (0-18yrs) with disability/neurodiversity, live in Devon or the surrounding area, have a spare bedroom and are over 21 years of age, then short breaks fostering could be for you.
Caring for children or young people with disability is an incredible thing to do. As a short break foster carer, you will provide a safe and fun environment for a child or young person with disability/neurodiversity in your own home for set periods of time.
Short breaks foster care (formerly termed as respite) are agreed short stays for disabled/neurodiverse children that happen in the home of the carer. Each short break stay lasts for at least for 24 hours, more often 2 x24hr periods consecutively. These can occur at weekends, midweeks, and school holidays.
Short break carers offer children a safe, meaningful, and enjoyable experience within their family or household. They also support the child's family to get a much-needed break from the demands of the caring role and parents are reassured by knowing their child is safe and well cared for during this time.
As a short break foster carer, you will provide the children with enjoyment, safety, and fulfilment during their short breaks away from their own home. In addition to the role being personally rewarding, our objectives are to support the children to manage their own self-care, risk/danger awareness, promote independence skills, support positive behaviours, build new relationships within a different household and support access to the local community.
Short Break Foster Carers support children/young people with a range of different disability and/or neurodiversity, for example learning disability or autistic spectrum condition. We also support children with communication difficulties or needs affecting the senses, children with attachment, trauma, or associated emotional needs. Some may have medical needs, such as epilepsy, and others may have global development delay or specific syndromes, for example Down's Syndrome.
We’re here to train and support you during your comprehensive fostering assessment, training and afterwards, post approval. As a short break foster carer, you will receive:
- Excellent training in managing children’s disabilities, neurodiversity’s, emotional and health needs.
- 24-hour support - carers have their own supervising social worker who will support you throughout, plus access to our out of hours telephone support service.
- Further multi-professional support from an experienced Paediatric Nurse, Child & Family Practitioner and a Transitions Worker.
- Access to Changing Minds UK Psychology service. Carers can access sessions with a clinical psychologist to better understand a child’s needs and behaviours and receive advice about different approaches.
- Support groups - carers are invited to bi-monthly support groups – where carers have the opportunity to meet with other short breaks foster carers.
- Events - we arrange events throughout the year for children and carers. This gives the children and carers the opportunity to mix and have fun with other short breaks children and families.
If you’re a caring, energetic person with a passion for supporting children with disability/neurodiversity and open to learning new skills, then we want to hear from you!