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Day care short breaks

August 16, 2011

Day care short breaks from Core Children’s Services offer children and young people an opportunity to encounter new experiences within a controlled environment. A parent looks at the benefits that Hauwa has drawn from short break care in the extract below.

“My daughter Hauwa has Down’s Syndrome and exhibits challenging behaviour. She is ‘on the go’ constantly and having short breaks has really helped us as a family.
“Hauwa started having short breaks a few months ago. I found the process of setting up a carer for our family very efficient. After giving the social worker all the information about Hauwa we were introduced to Mandy who was matched to our family.

“I think Mandy was a good match – I had requested a carer who reflected Hauwa’s culture and identity and who had experience in managing challenging behaviours. The introductions were done at a pace that suited Hauwa and our family before we began the day care. Hauwa goes two days a month to Mandy.

“When Hauwa goes on her short break, as a family we are able to relax a bit more. As parents we are able to spend time with our son and do activities that we cannot always do with Hauwa. My husband and I are able to simply sit down and relax on the sofa sometimes. When Hauwa is home we are constantly watching her and checking that she does not break something or go where she shouldn’t.

“Hauwa is out enjoying herself also. Mandy has an active, busy family and it is an ideal setting for Hauwa as she likes to be out and about and loves the company of others. Hauwa is enjoying spending time with Mandy’s daughter also who is younger than Hauwa but they relate well to each other. Mandy also goes out with her sisters who have children. I like the fact that Hauwa gets chance to mix with mainstream children also to give her different experiences to when she goes on her play schemes or is at school.

“Short breaks work well for us and particularly because Mandy is flexible in arranging dates with us and we work well together. “