Warrington Short Breaks services 21/1 Short Breaks services · 2018-12-12 · Warrington Short...

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Warrington Short Breaks services 2017/18

Short Breaks servicesShort Breaks for carers of disabled children in Warrington

2018/2019

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ContentsIntroduction 3Short Breaks - what are they? 4Who is eligible for a Short Break? 6Warrington’s Short Break offer 7How to access Targeted Short Breaks in Warrington 13Targeted Short Breaks - What’s on offer? 15Personal budgets for Short Breaks 18Transition into adulthood 19Listening to your views and experiences 20Make a difference 22Glossary 23

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Introduction The Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2011* placed a requirement for all local authorities, including Warrington Borough Council, to produce a statement explaining what ‘short break services’ are available to disabled children and their families, and how they could access them. The council has to publish the statement online, and review it periodically to ensure that information is updated whenever services change or new ones are developed. It is important that the council listens and responds to the views of children, parents, carers and professionals.

This ‘short breaks services’ statement is for families and professionals living or working alongside children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) living in Warrington. It is a guide to the short break services and support offered by Warrington Borough Council.

“I cannot fault the care or staff when my son stays at Westland Drive. It has changed all of our lives. It has enabled my son to feel safe staying overnight away from home, some-

thing he had never done prior to staying there. He loves to go and it

provides us complete peace of mind as a family to allow us to relax while

he’s there.

Parent October 2018

Feedback from buddy up scheme

…..The effort andattention each and every

one of you put in is second tonone. Every week, Megan always

looks forward to to Mondayswith her buddy

- Kim (Mum)

Our statement sets out the range of Short Breaks Services and support available in Warrington to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND and their families. It also explains what a short break is, who can access them and how. The Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2011 requires local authorities to:

• provide a Short Breaks Service to carers of disabled children to help people who provide care for their children at home;prepare and keep under review the ‘Local Offer’ of services; and • have regard to the views of carers in their area.

*More information on the Regulations can be found at www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/707/contents

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Short Breaks – what are they?A short break is a fun and/oreducational activity for disabled children, allowing parents/carers to take a short break from caring. Short Breaks are offered during evenings, weekends and school holidays. Taking a short break can give parents/carers the time to undertake, training, enjoy leisure activities, and carry out day to day tasks, or spend time with other children.

Short Breaks are sometimes referred to as ‘respite services’ and can include: • direct payments/personal budgets; • agency support; • daytime or overnight care; and • education or leisure activities including holiday clubs, group or individual based activities and visits.

These can be awarded in a variety of combinations.

Warrington’s Short Breaks local offer has two principal aims.

1. To provide opportunities for disabled children and young people to spend positive time away from their main carer/s

2. To provide parents/carers and their families with a break from their caring responsibilities.

Fundamentally, for families to benefit from a short break, they need to be assured that the needs of their child are being met. Our Short Breaks will, as far as possible, be tailored to meet the individual needs of children, young people and their families.

We are committed to:

• supporting disabled children and families to take part in local community life;

• providing clear information for families about support, services and how to access them;

• providing choices for disabled children and their families to help them make decisions that can best improve their daily lives;

• listening to the views of disabled children and families so we can continue to improve the quality of their lives;

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• working in partnership with disabled children and families to ensure their involvement in decision making, regarding the development of support services;

• supporting disabled young people to become more independent through a smooth transition into adulthood; and

• providing services that enable families of disabled children to have an improved quality of life within their communities.

Carers’ breaks are used as a preventative approach and form a key element of our Early Help offer to children and families; they should not be just made available to a few families in crisis. Local authorities are legally bound to take into account the needs of those families who children have profound and multiple disabilities, and families who are faced with continuing demands for parental care and constant supervision, for example children with behavioural difficulties or complex health needs.

Short Breaks must be age appropriate and fit for purpose, so that all children are able to access them. Children with multiple disabilities are likely to require specialist provision, which must be available within the range of Short Breaks services on offer to families.

In Warrington we are committed to consulting with families and disabled children to review Warrington’s Short Break Statement, and to use the information collated to develop services and communicate suggestions through to services we commission and furthermore to inform the statement going forward.

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Who is eligible for a Short Break? This section tells you who may be eligible for Short Breaks and how we work with disabled children, young people and their families, to make sure they receive the services that best meet their needs. In Warrington, we see disabled children as being those children and young people aged 0–18 years whose daily lives are substantially affected by one or more of the following diagnosed conditions.

A hearing impairment

A visual impairment

A learning disability

A physical disability

A chronic/life threatening physical illness

A communication disorder (including autism)

A consciousness disorder (e.g. epilepsy)

A mental health condition

Their condition should usually be expected to last for more than 12 months and have a substantial effect upon the child in one or more of the following areas.

Physical ability

Communication and understanding

Awareness of risk and danger

Behaviour

Independence

We understand that children and young people may also be disadvantaged because of other factors, such as their environment; other people’s attitudes; poverty and social exclusion. However, these factors alone do not entitle them to be considered for Short Breaks services.

Each individual child and family will have different needs and the impact of the child’s disability needs to be considered against what would usually be expected for any child of the same age. Their family’s circumstances will also be different and so it is important to assess how their situation impacts upon their ability to lead a fulfilling life within the community.

Information about up and coming events and new activities can be found on the Local Offer, under activities at the bottom of the home page www.askollie.warrington.gov.uk

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Warrington’s Short Break offerWarrington Borough Council offers a variety of Short Breaks and support services for disabled children and their families in conjunction with private and voluntary providers who receive council funding to deliver the service on the council’s behalf.

We offer a spectrum of support that is based on the level of need the child and family requires. This can range from offering support, guidance and sign posting to relevant services, to a more complex level of need which requires a higher level of support.

The Local Offer

The Ask Ollie website sets out Warrington’s offer of support for parents and carers of children and young people with SEND. It includes provision from birth to 25 years, across education, health and social care and is informed by the feedback received from children and young people, parents and carers, and local services, including schools, colleges, health and social care agencies.

More detailed information regarding local offer can be found at www.askollie.warrington.gov.uk/localoffer

Universal services

Short Breaks can be provided through access to ‘universal’ short break services, for example attending a youth group or club/activity.

A ‘What’s On Guide’ can be found on the Ask Ollie website and provides parents and carers with information on the regular, inclusive play and leisure activities and events for children and young people with SEND, including sessions at the Warrington Play and Sensory Centre in Woolston.

WARRINGTON

Borough Council

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Warrington Play and Sensory Centre is a purpose built facility for young people and adults with additional needs/disabilities. The centre has been carefully planned and is fully accessible with a number of different areas where visitors can relax or play.

• Active zone - A large soft play structure built over two floors, highlights include; dizzy disc, slide, swinging ball and ball pool. • Calm zone - A low level soft play area for those with reduced mobility or for younger children. This zone includes a low level trampoline, swing, DVD and overhead hoist track. • Sensory room - A calm environment with a heated water bead, bubble tube, interactive light board, fibre optic curtain, ball pool, visualite ceiling panel and overhead hoist track. • Café - Provides hot and cold drinks and a selection of hot food and snacks.

The centre offers separate sessions for different age groups including pre-school sessions, Lego club and young adults’ social evenings. Exclusive hire slots (minimum two hours) are available on request for celebrations and parties. The Centre also hosts its own annual Halloween, Christmas and New Year parties.

Warrington Play and Sensory Centre works closely with lots of support groups and agencies for support and advice including, Warrington parents and carers, Ask Ollie, National Autistic Society, Friends, FUN (Fam-ilies United), Child Development Centre and many more.

Opening times, prices and weekly timetable are available online at www.warringtonsensorycentre.orgTelephone: 01925 817347Email: [email protected] can also follow on Facebook

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Children’s centres

There are six children’s centres in Warrington:

Warrington South: Westy and Sunshine.Warrington East: The Orchards and Sandy Lane Warrington West: Great Sankey and Dallam.

The centres offer a range of services for young children and families including health advice, play and learning, and parenting support. Each children’s centre will review its offer each term, most of the sessions need to be pre-booked and some are by referral only; however parents can self-refer into many group sessions. Each centre will have a slightly different programme, reflecting the community they serve. The typical offer is as follows.

• FAB groups - This is a targeted offer for babies who are in the neonatal unit at Warrington hospital. Warrington Children Centre Support Workers (CCSW) visit the hospital to meet parents and babies and invite them to attend Family and Baby Sensory groups (FAB) once their child is discharged. FAB Sensory aims to support a baby’s all round development by building strong foundations based in play. The sessions run once a week.

• Baby Massage - A 6 week programme for babies aged 6 weeks to pre-crawling. Learn massage to help soothe, relax and bond with your baby.

• Baby Explorers - A 6 week programme for new parents of babies under the age of 6 months. Parents can learn about early play and development, basic first aid, baby massage, and introducing solid

foods.• Ready Steady Nursery - A fun 6 week programme to help children and parents learn all the skills they will need for nursery or pre-school. Aimed at children aged 2 years +

• Chatterbox - A 6 week programme for children aged 18 to 30 months aimed at improving early speech and language. This intervention has been designed by our Speech & Language Therapists and is delivered by trained CCSW in the children centres. Through the programme children will develop the building blocks for communication through focusing on activities that support listening and attention, imitation, eye contact, taking turns and play.

• Talking Chefs - A 6 week course for children aged 2 years + and their parent/ carer, aimed at improving early communication and language skills through fun and practical cooking activities.

• Sensory Room at The Orchard - Filled with opportunities for light and sound play, the sensory room is available to book. Contact the Orchard Children’s Centre for availability.

• Adult Learning - Courses for parents to learn new skills such as Maths, English, First Aid, Confidence and Understanding Your Toddler’s Behaviour. A crèche may be available but not guaranteed.

• All kinds of play - Stay and play age relevant drop in sessions for young children and their parent/carers including sessions focused on babies from birth to walking and sessions focused on confident walkers to school age.

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Portage service Portage is a home visiting educational service for pre-school children with additional support needs and their families. This is a relatively new Warrington service and it supports and strengthens our Early Help offer for children with additional needs. The portage team works with children up until a secure transition into a nursery or school has been achieved. This service is secured through referral from a professional. Portage workers typically visit children in their own home once a week to support them with their holistic development.

Funded childcare for eligible two year olds

Some two year-olds can get free early education and childcare the term after their second birthday. Eligibility is set by the Department for Education (DfE). Currently children are eligible if the parent receive one of the following benefits.

• Income Support • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) • Universal Credit • Tax credits and you have an annual income of under £16,190 before tax • The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit • Support through part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act • The Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

A child can also get free early education and childcare if any of the following apply.

• They are looked after by a local council • They have a an education, health and care (EHC) plan • They get Disability Living Allowance • They’ve left care under a special guardianship order, child arrangements order or adoption order

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Early Years Education Entitlement

All children aged three and four are eligible for 15 hours of funded childcare for 38 weeks of the year. Children become eligible the term after their third birthday.

From September 2017 the extended funded childcare entitlement for working parents of three- and four-year-olds provides eligible parents with a total of 30 hours of free childcare per week, over 38 weeks or the equivalent number of hours across more weeks per year. The additional 15 hours will be available to families where both parents are working (or the sole parent is working in a lone parent family), and each parent earns, on average, a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum wage (NMW) or national living wage (NLW), and less than £100,000 per year.

More information for all of the above can be sought from the Families Information Service on 01925 443131 or at www.mylifewarrington.co.uk

Warrington Youth Club

Warrington Youth Club (not managed by Warrington borough council) delivers a wide variety of projects to children and young people from across the Borough of Warrington, aged 7 to 19, and up to 25 for those who have a disability. These projects range from open-access youth clubs where young people can socialise and have fun, to more focused projects in sports and arts, as well as personal development programs which promote life-skills and wellbeing, and training courses where young people develop volunteering and employment skills.

The youth club’s ethos is ‘Inspiring Young People to Achieve’. All projects offer personal and social development opportunities for young people to grow and flourish, and make a positive impact on their communities. The club is committed to inclusive and accessible practice, regularly welcoming children and young people who have disabilities and learning difficulties, across the organisation. Projects which are specifically aimed at children with disabilities are:

• Buddy Up - A unique befriending project which works with young people who have disabilities and matches them up with positive role models who become their ‘Buddies’, helping them to grow in confidence, make new friends and practice independence skills.

• Buddy Up Film Nights - Fortnightly film nights for children and young people with disabilities and their families, funded by Warrington Borough Council – Short Break Care for Disabled Children. The film nights aim to give families of children with additional needs a genuine cinema-going experience in a safe and supportive environment.

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Warrington Youth Service

Warrington Youth Service (managed by Warrington Borough Council) offers group and 1-2-1 support to young people aged over 11 years. Young people can drop in to any of our open access sessions at Orford Youth Base or to the Youth Café in the town centre for support. Across our groups, young people can get involved in a range of activities such as music and lyric writing, debates, cooking, sports, crafts, film-making and photography. For young people who may need additional support to access groups on their own, professionals and families can refer into the service and a worker will get in touch to discuss how we can help. There are targeted groups for young people with specific needs so there are plenty of options to ensure that we can match the young person to the most appropriate groups. Please contact the service to find out what may be available. Although Warrington Youth Service always has lots going on, the most appropriate group for a young person with disabilities is UFI. Unique Friendly Individuals (UFI) is a group for young people aged 13-19 who may be at risk of social isolation, bullying, exploitation, poor family life, disengaging from society or who may need support with building social skills and friendships. This targeted group can provide a wide range of support to help young people build their confidence, self-esteem, resilience and life-skills as they go through the teenage years and into adulthood.

Targeted services

It will not always be appropriate for all children and young people with disabilities to access the universal opportunities without additional support and, in some cases they will need to access ‘targeted’ short break services which cater for their needs. These services require an assessment by the local authority; options and services available will be discussed through the assessment process.

Accessing ‘targeted’ short break services

This section should be read in conjunction with the Fact Sheet – An Introduction to Short Breaks.

Families’ needs in relation to Short Breaks are always individual and personal and whilst the needs of some children and their carers may appear similar, the circumstances of the family and therefore short break needs can be very different. The capacity of parents to care effectively for their disabled child can vary significantly, influenced by the carer’s own health and well-being, other caring responsibilities and the support that is available through family and friends. Also taken into consideration is whether they have joint or sole caring responsibilities and other matters like work patterns, family finances and housing.

Families can ask to be assessed at any time for a targeted short break service. Currently in Warrington, families can either self-refer for an assessment, or they may be referred by someone working to support them or their child.

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How to access Targeted Short Breaks in Warrington

Professionals A professional making a referral for a disabled child to access targeted Short Breaks is expected to complete an Early Help Assessment in order to find out about the needs of the child and family and what services have been tried out already.A Multi-Agency Request for Services (MARS) should accompany the Early Help Assessment explaining the request for Short Breaks.

Families without an allocated workerPhone the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) team on 01925 443400 or email [email protected]. The MASH team manage all initial enquiries about children’s services; as the front door for access to Early Help and Social Care Services for children will direct requests for support to the appropriate team.

Families with an allocated workerPhone the Children with Disabilities team to speak to the duty Children and Families Practitioner on 01925 442917 or email [email protected]

ReferralsThe MASH team will pass information onto the Integrated Services for Children with Additional Needs team, who will make contact with parents and/or professionals to gather further information.

Assessment The Integrated Services team will decide if there is enough information to make a decision about the need for Short Breaks or if further assessment is needed.

When a referral is received, an assessment is undertaken by a children and families practitioner or a Social worker from the Children with Disabilities team in conjunction with a ‘decision support tool’.

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The disabled children’s team is a service that is part of Integrated Services for Children with Additional Needs, which look at placing a team of professionals around the family, and also includes professionals from health and education. In addition the teams work closely with WarrPAC, (Warrington Parents and Carers) and Warrington SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service), previously known as Parent Partnership, to provide a more holistic support package for children and families.

Following the assessment, the needs are considered by a multi-agency panel. The panel meets on a fortnightly basis with the purpose of reviewing the needs of the family for a short break, and to make a decision regarding an appropriate package of support. Short break provisions are reviewed regularly through child in need meetings or early help meetings and children in care reviews. Families First panel

Social Care InvolvementChild and family assessment completed.

Early Help SupportEarly help Assessment completed. This is a comprehensive document looking at various areas of a families’ situation and need, and will be completed following a home visit.

Short Breaks matrix completedThis supports the equitable allocation of resources but in Warrington we have decided not to use a strict resource allocation system as we recognise all families are unique.

PanelPanel meets monthly to consider the needs of child and family and suitable local services. If no services are available then panel will consider how the needs can be met and gather information for future service provision.

Panel will agree a level of Short Breaks either in hours or as an indicative budget and will be reviewed on a regular basis.

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Targeted Short Breaks –What’s on offer? Warrington Borough Council aims to provide a wide variety of targeted Short Breaks services and a selection of the types of Short Break currently offered is shown below. This list is not exhaustive and a comprehensive assessment of need will take place in order to match services to the needs of the family.

Day-time Short Breaks Over-night Short Breaks

Holiday clubs like Playability…Playability is a registered charity that provides a unique service of respite care for parents and carers of children and young people with severe learning disabilities. We run playschemes from 9.30 am – 3.30 pm during school holidays, using local community based venues, including Green Lane Special School.

There are opportunities for 5 to 19 year olds to explore, interact, grow, play, learn, get messy, socialise, experience new things and have fun. An opportunity they might find hard to get elsewhere. We tailor our activities to meet individuals’ needs wherever possible allowing children to develop their skills, confidence and friends.

Our services not only benefit the young person directly, they impact everyone in the family. It gives parents the time to spend with their other children or just a break from the demands of being a carer.

Sport worksBased at the Orford Jubilee Hub we provide 2 hour weekly sessions over 50 weeks for disabled young people aged 4-16 years. Each session will be split into 2 x 1 hour periods;- Period 1 will be multi skills and inclusive activities in the sports hall. These will be relevant for the participants and aim to develop skills in leadership, group working, communication and organisation.

Examples of activities are;Traditional - basketball, dodgeball, wheelchair rugby, tag rugby, hockey, cricket, gymnastics

Residential overnight support, Westland Drive:

Westland Drive Short Break Home provides short-term residential breaks, to young people and children with Physical disabilities or learning disabilities. In addition we provide excellent support to young people on the Autistic spectrum. Children can access the service from aged 3 to 18. The home can provide residential breaks for up to three children or young people, of both genders, at any one time.

The objective of the home is to provide an environment that is enjoyable, stimulating and assists children and young people to achieve their potential within the community. Great emphasis is placed on providing social and leisure experiences for children and young people that enables them to enjoy activities with their peers. Where a child or young person has developed a friendship with another child staying at the home we try to ensure that their stays coincide. We support the concept of friendship and socialisation for young people with Autism, as we thoroughly understand that this can be difficult for them. We assess their individual needs focusing on them as an individual, their sensory requests and routines.

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Innovative - tri golf, cheerleading, non-contact martial arts, target hoops, volleyball

- Period 2 will be a swimming session where the focus will be centred around play and water confidence. Here at Sport Works staff enter the pool with the young people to ensure safety and water familiarisation.

Parents/carers are welcome to join in activities, observe from the side or not take part at all, from our experience some gain as much enjoyment taking part themselves, whilst others enjoy a quiet moment of personal time.

Personal assistant through direct payments / Personal budget.

Direct payments is the money that the council gives to carers to enable you to set up and control the services to meet your child’s needs.

Support and guidance around how to find and employ a personal assistant can be gained from Warrington Disability partnership. Warrington Council currently part funds an advice and support team, to help you to recruit a PA and to discuss the process of direct payments. For further information please con-tact Independent living team on 01925 240064 or visit their website

www.disabilitypartnership.org.uk

Group based activity sessions through Mpower:

Provides support to children and adults with disabilities from the age of 8-80, they are specialist in provided outdoor group activities to build socialization, learning opportunities and life skills.

A carer provided through an agency.

An example of one of the agencies that we use are Warrington Community Living (WCL). WCL are a long established local charity that seeks to support children and adults with learning and physical disabilities, mental health issues to lead their lives in a purposeful, healthy and

Family based overnight care.

Families can be offered a short break through fosters carers approved by the local authority. There are currently two approved foster car-ers in Warrington who can provide overnight respite for children with additional needs. These specialist foster carers have all received core training and also specialist training in relation to specific needs. This form of respite specialists in family based support, rather than in a residential setting.

Access to Hospices across the North West, for example Claire house

Claire House Children’s Hospice (CHCH) helps seriously and terminally ill children live life to the full by creating wonderful experiences and bringing back a sense of normality to family life. By providing specialist nursing care and

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enjoyable way as full and equal members of their local community.

WCL will • Employ specialist staff including learning disability and mental health nurses and have expertise in the support of many forms of learning and physical disability, dementia and autism.• Provide support within the family home as well as offering outreach services in the community. • Currently support nearly 600 people in the Warrington area with the help of 270 full and part-time staff.

Service Provider Name: Warrington Community LivingAddress of Registered office: The Gateway, 89 Sankey Street, Warrington WA1 1SREmail Address: [email protected] telephone : 01925 246870

emotional support CHCH help families smile again when life couldn’t get any tougher CHCH helps seriously and terminally ill children live life to the full by creating wonderful experiences and bringing back a sense of normality to family life.

Claire House has a team of trained professionals who are as passionate about what they do as they are talented at doing it. Staff includes nurses, physiotherapists, play specialists, counsellors and we also have four dedicated doctors who visit the hospice.

Claire House Children’s HospiceClatterbridge RoadBebingtonWirral, CH63 4JD

Telephone : 0151 334 4626

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Personal Budgets for Short BreaksThis section contains additional information specifically relating to Short Breaks services provided through a Personal Budget.

Some families might prefer to arrange their own service as this may offer greater flexibility and choice of activities that may be better suited to their child and family’s needs. The process for accessing a Personal Budget is through the targeted short break referral process.

Once it has been established that your family is eligible for Short Breaks, the relevant assessment will identify your child’s needs and the worker will discuss all the options available to you including a Personal Budget.

Warrington currently has three types of personal budget available for Short Breaks. These are: • an individual agency contract organised and paid for directly by Warrington’s Disabled Children Service or Social Care; • a direct payment which can be used to employ a personal assistant to support your child either in the home or outside in the community; and • A mix of both contracted and direct payment.

If the ‘lead professional’ for your family is a social worker, they will complete a Child and Family Assessment. If the lead professional is a children and families practitioner they will complete an Early Help Assessment.

The assessment will establish the level of support that is appropriate for your child and family and they will agree the appropriate services which may include a personal budget.

Guidance notes and relevant documents will be available on Warrington’s Local Offer - Leisure section under ‘Short Breaks’. Each child that receives a Short Break via a personal budget will have an individual plan. This will state: • the Short Break service to be provided; • Outcomes that should be delivered; and • the person responsible for coordinating the service, ensuring that it is safe and delivers the outcomes in the plan.

Personal budgets for Short Breaks: Where can I find more information?

This is available on Warrington’s Local Offer within the Education, Health & Care Plan section. Warrington’s Personal Budgets Guidance for Short Breaks 2016-17 provides information for families wishing to manage a personal budget and this can be found on Warrington’s Local Offer website Ask Ollie.

Visit www.askollie.warrington.gov.uk and search “personal budgets”.

What if I have a problem with the short break activity?

If you have a problem with a short break activity or service, you should raise your concerns with the provider in the first instance, and ask for a copy of their complaints policy if needed. If you remain unhappy or you need some support to address the problem contact the Short Breaks manager 01925 442917 or email [email protected]

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Transition into adulthoodThe transition from school to adulthood is a time of celebration, change and challenge. Young people and their families will be considering and making decisions about their career, their continuing education, their social life and where they will live.

For disabled young people and those with special educational needs this is often a time of big decisions and access to timely and comprehensive information, advice and guidance will help them reach their full potential.

By Year 11 (age 16) young people should have a transition planning meeting to plan the services and support that will be required into adulthood. For young people with complex needs, this planning will start earlier in Year 9 at age 14.

Each child/young person will have a named transition coordinator. From the start of the process, professionals must work with the young person and their family to ensure that, with their permission, information is shared so that assessments are detailed and plans are based on a real understanding of the young person’s needs. Assessments will be undertaken under the Care Act criteria.

More information is available via the following link

www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-statutory-guidance/care-and-sup-port-statutory-guidance#general-responsi-bilities-and-universal-services

Where the young person does not have the mental capacity to contribute fully to these decisions, the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 can be taken into account.

Full information for families and young people is available in a transition pack called ‘Travelling to the future’ . The guide covers a range of issues such as the transition process, benefits, money and advice, accommodation and support, education, transport, etc.

The operational manager for transition is Helen Taylor who is based at Newtown house she works closely with the Children with Disabilities team and can be contacted on 01925 446050.

More information regarding the support available and how becoming an adult can affect the services available to you can be found at www.warrington.gov.uk.

http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-statutory-guidance/care-and-support-statutory-guidance#general-responsibilities-and-universal-services




http://www.warrington.gov.uk

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Listening to your views and experiencesWarrington Borough Council and its partners are committed to listening to the views of children and young people with SEND and their families, so that they are fully involved in decisions about their support and have more choice and control in the decisions made about their lives.Parents continue to have a voice within key decision making and strategy groups, working in partnership with the local authority and health consortiums to influence service provision and decisions. Warrington Parents and Carers Forum contribute to key work programmes, such as the SEND Impact Group; procurement processes to select service providers; the ongoing management of projects like the Sensory Centre and advise a workforce group looking at training and development of staff.

How do we gather your feedback?We have worked alongside Warrington Parents and Carers Forum to review the Short Breaks Service and have consulted with parent/carers across the borough. Drop in sessions were held with parents and surveys were posted to all parents/carers with EHC Plans (as well as being made available on Ask Ollie). A total of 65 people responded to the survey, 80% of whom currently use the service in 2016. The responses told us about families’ experiences of the Short Breaks service and provided an opportunity to suggest ideas and improvements around any gaps in services to help us to commission and develop new services. A further survey was conducted to parents, carers and profes-sionals in February 2018, in relation to the short breaks statement and short breaks service.

Families can talk to any of the staff delivering the Short Breaks services to share their views or concerns about the

services they use. Workers routinely gain families’ views when discussing the assessments, Short Breaks plans and reviews. They also talk with carers at coffee mornings, Carers Forums, Support Groups and information events at a range of locations across the borough. In addition when provider’s contracts are reviewed on a 6 monthly basis, the commissioning team

“My son, who has Cerebral Palsy and visual impairments and struggles with anxiety, has been a regular attendee at the inclusive cinema nights. Prior to the project, he would never have attended a mainstream cinema, however since attending he has gained the confidence to visit his local cinema and they have been able to go as a family. Mum explained that this was a huge step for Alex and his independence.”

Parent 2017 about Warrington Youth Club Film nights

I think the document is quite long, however I understand why this is, and I would just use the sections that are relevant to me.

I think the lay out is clear, and I appreciate the flow charts, I also believe it has been completed with consultation from other services and Warrington parents and carers which is really positive.I like the use of language used, it is clear and easy to follow, especially in relating to the different types of services, and how families can access them.

(Feedback parents February 2018)

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look at areas of good practice and new ideas of development, this has come from ideas from parents and where providers have identified a gap in service.

How this statement has been prepared?

The Short Breaks statement will be reviewed each year with consultation from members of Warrington parents and carers, providers, professionals and young people.

Participation in future reviews

This statement will be reviewed annually to ensure it remains a good reflection of current services. We are likely to make changes to the statement as our services develop, and we will notify parents and carers of the changes and the new developments via, the local offer website and via Warrington parents and carers forum.

We will be reviewing how we can involve children and young people and making a plan of how to improve this. The Short Breaks Manager Clare Pickering would love to hear from children and young people about their Short Breaks experiences, to include in future statements. If you have anything you would like to include please email Short Breaks service at [email protected].

Our vision for short-break services in Warrington

Warrington’s SEND strategy 2020 Vision highlights the aims and aspirations we have for all children in Warrington with additional needs. You said... We did...

Increase the holiday offer, more empower sessions, sports works etc, we have developed a new sports works session running from November 2018-March 2019 this has reduced the waiting list and ensured there are activities in the winter months, in addition during the summer holidays the contract for playability has been changed so that there are still 12 session throughout the year, but families can use 10 session in the summer holidays instead of 8. Try to restart the dolphin group, this has been re-established through joint working between Warrington Borough council and Warrington Wolves foundation, these sessions run every Monday during school holidays at the play and sensory centre and are inclusive to siblings also, we have currently supported 12 families and the feedback has been excellent, this will continue into 2019. Plan outcome focused services which are high quality and value for money - Warrington Borough Council have started to develop an outreach service based at Westland drive respite home, this is currently running each week and during school holidays and supports 6 children currently with complex health needs andAutism, again this has provided support for children who were unable to access other support due to their needs.

“We want children and young people with SEND to do their best at nursery, school and college; find employment; lead happy and fulfilled lives; have greater control over the support they receive and feel valued.”

Warrington SEND strategy 2020 vision

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Make a differenceWarrington Parents & Carers is a voluntary group of parent, carers and grandparents of children and young people under the age of 25. We want to be a part of your journey and be able to support you along the way. We need you to share with us your positive experiences and challenges that families with disabilities and additional needs face every day. Together we have the ability to influence decision makers and shape the services that affect YOUR life in YOUR town.

Our aims for the future To develop a SEND mums and Tots group based around support and advice for parents and carers whilst also encouraging a stimulating environment based upon inclusiveness for all. To work more closely with the play and leisure forum to establish smarter ways of working to support cultural, sporting and independence opportunities for our children and young adults, this will be based around outreach, creative leisure opportunities and work placements. To develop the Warrington Borough Council outreach service to support more children and their families, based upon a holistic way of working and practical support.

The Short Breaks statement can be found within the Local Offer section of the council website.

We hope you find the information useful but if you have any queries about Short Breaks then please email: [email protected] or phone the team on 01925 442917.

For further information or to get involved find us on: www.facebook.com/warrpac Twitter @warrpac Website: www.warrpac.org Email: [email protected] Tel: 07581302172

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GlossarySEN The needs of children who have a learning difficulty, which means that they require special educational provision to be made for them. Children who have a learning difficulty find it harder to learn than the majority of children of the same age, or they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from accessing the education provided for other children.

SEND strategy The local authority’s plan that sets out their vison and key principles to supporting children with special educational needs or disabilities in the areas or education, social care and health.

Short Break Short breaks can last from just a few hours to a few days – from daytime and evening activities to weekend and overnight or maybe longer. They can take place in a community setting, the child’s own home, the home of an approved carer or in a residential setting. They also provide parents and families with a necessary and valuable break from caring responsibilities.

Local Offer Part of the reforms in September 2014, it is a way of enabling the sharing of information about all services available in the local area. Covers social, health and education services: what is available, how to access it, cost, and reviews. “Ask Ollie” is Warrington’s Local Offer. www.askollie.warrington.gov.uk

Personal budget If you or someone you care for get help from social services, you can apply for direct payments. These let you choose and buy the services you need yourself, instead of getting them from your council.

SENDIASS SEND Information Advice and Support Service provides support and guidance to parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs from 0 to 25 living in Warrington. SENDIASS works alongside Warrington Borough Council but operates impartially. Tel 01925 442978 www.warringtonsendiass.co.uk

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Warrington Short Breaks services 21/1 Short Breaks services · 2018-12-12 · Warrington Short...

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