Summary
Better Breaks Midlothian is a short breaks programme that supports parent carers in Midlothian. The programme offers dedicated packages of support to children/young people with a disability or additional support needs in order to allow their parent(s) to get some time away from their caring role.
What Better Breaks Midlothian did
19 children/young people received a dedicated package of support from our Better Breaks programme, between January and July 2019. The packages of support, which were provided by four professional support agencies, allowed the children/young people to participate in a range of activities, including swimming, football, cinema, arts and crafts, and much more. We received 28 applications from parent carers for the 19 places that were available. Parents completed a short, outcome focused application form that was presented to a funding panel made up of representatives from carers, VOCAL and Midlothian Council Health and Social Care Team. The funding panel assessed applications against set criteria and allocated 35 hour packages of support to 16 successful applicants (19 children). Unsuccessful applicants were given additional support from VOCAL’s Carer Support Team to look at other ways of supporting their caring role and short breaks requirements.
The support packages that were provided allowed the children/young people to receive one to one support from a professional support worker and created opportunities for them to have fun, develop friendships and engage in activities of their choice. This also gave the parent(s) carer(s) more opportunities to enjoy life outside their caring role and spend some time doing things that they would not normally have the chance to do. This included spending quality time with their other children or family members, meeting friends/socialising, going to the gym, getting spa treatments, going for lunch and much more. Evaluation discussions carried out with Parent carers at the end of the programme allowed us to establish that we were successful in addressing priority areas 1, 2 and 3 and that 84% of parent carers felt better supported in their caring role. The Project went largely to plan, although the four agencies that supported our programme found it difficult to recruit and retain the levels of staff required to service all the support packages that we had allocated. This created some difficulties for VOCAL and parent carers and delayed the delivery of our programme.
What VOCAL Midlothian has learned
As with previous years of operating the Better Breaks programme, we learned that our partner agencies can experience significant difficulties in recruiting and retaining the staff levels necessary to support the small packages of support that we offer parent carers. This had a significant impact on the timescales for our project and meant a number of support packages had to be put on hold until such times as the support agency had suitable staff available to support particular children and young people. In addition, the high turn over of staff in this line of work meant it was not always possible for partner agencies to provide the same member of staff throughout an entire support package and on some occasions support had to be put on hold until another suitable member of staff could be provided. This meant there was a lack of continuity for some children and young people, which made it more difficult for them to develop relationships and form bonds with the person that was supporting them.
These difficulties reinforced the need for more support and we managed to develop partnerships with two additional support agencies (Postitive Paths and Barnardos) who were able to provide support to 50% of the children and young people on our programme and help us address some of the difficulties that we were experiencing. We have also developed links with The Aberlour Child Care Trust, who will be available to support any similar programmes of support that we operate for parent carers in the future.
The difficulties we experienced also made us aware that the nature of the programme we deliverer is perhaps too restrictive and dependent on our partner agencies having staff available to service the packages of support that we have allocated. This model does not provide enough choice and limits parent carers to using support from an agency that has been allocated to them, at times and dates that are suitable to the agency and the staff member, rather than the needs of the parent carer, child/young person or the wider family circumstances. Some parents, who were frustrated with the delays in organising an appropriate support package, asked if it was possible to organise their own support and purchase services that were more suited to their needs, but this was not possible due to the nature of Better Breaks funding criteria.
There are many instances where a bit more flexibility could give parent carers more choice and the opportunity to negotiate their own support/break with agencies or services more suited to their needs. For example, we had one parent carer on the programme that could not get the type of support that she needed from any of our support agencies and wanted to use the equivalent amount of funds to take her partially sighted daughter to a programme of support that was available through the Royal Blind School in London (RBS). Her daughter would have benefited from specialist support through a range of activities provided by the RBS, while the parent carer would have had the opportunity to go shopping, sightseeing and spend some much need time relaxing. This is just one example where a more flexible approach to the Better Breaks Programme could have provided an opportunity for a parent carer to get the type of break and support that was more suited to their needs.
How VOCAL Midlothian has benefitted from the funding
Since the introduction of the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 VOCAL has witnessed a significant increase in the number of parent carers who are approaching VOCAL to get Adult Carer Support Plan (ACSP) completed or requiring other forms of support.
Parent carers now make up 16% of all the carers that VOCAL support and over a one year period (June 2018 and June 2019) we have witnessed a two fold increase in the number of new parent carers approaching VOCAL for support. Many of these parent carers are completing an ACSP, but fall below the threshold for direct intervention from the local authority and are left with limited support compared to other carers. A number of parent carers who took part in a VOCAL led consultation in 2018 reported that they found it increasingly difficult to have their caring role recognised and had to constantly fight to get the support that they needed to sustain their caring role.
In this respect, Better Breaks Funding has allowed VOCAL, as the recognised carer support agency in Midlothian, to meet the needs of parent carers who fall below the eligibility criteria threshold for direct support from the local authority and find it increasingly difficult to get their role recognised and gain access to other form of support. The application process also allowed us to gain a better understanding of each parent carer’s situation and provide a range of additional support that VOCAL has to offer, including welfare rights, legal advice, counselling, relaxation therapies, peer support and much more.
The process of operating the Better Breaks Programme has also allowed us to develop new relationships with Positive Paths and Barnardos, as well as identify another potential partner in The Aberlour Childcare Trust. As stated previously, this will give us more capacity to deliver similar programmes of support for parent carers in the future and provide a bit more choice, in terms of the number of organisations that will be available to support parent carers.
Project Outcomes
Outcome
19 children and young people will have participated in activities that they enjoy outside the home
Results
19 children and young people were matched with a support worker who helped them to participate in a range of fun, recreational activities of their choice, out with the family home.
Case study
The parent carer was a 37 year old woman who stayed with her partner and two young children. Her 8 year old son was diagnosed with autism, hyperacusis, ADHD, anxiety and had frequent melt downs which caused significant difficulties within the family, school and other environments. The carers son was on the go constantly, his behaviour was unpredictable and he had no awareness of common dangers. He also needed help with eating, dressing and encouragement to do other everyday activities. This prevented the carer and her partner from going out very often and restricted the time they were able spend with their other 3 year old son.
An application to VOCAL’s Better Breaks Fund was successful and a 35 hour package of care was put in place with one of VOCAL’s partner support agencies, which provided the clients son with 1–1 support from a professional member of staff, who had been specifically matched to the boy’s needs. This allowed the 8 year to engage in a number of activities with the support worker including swimming, cinema, trampolining, bowling and adventure play. The boy was also able to take part in some group activities and trips that the support agency had organised for other children they were caring for and this allowed him to socialise and interact with other children.
The parent carer felt the support sessions were a great success and had really helped her son to cope better with social situations and develop friendships with the support worker and other children. He got on really well with the support worker, always looked forward to his weekly outings and allowed him to do something different. He thoroughly enjoyed taking part in different activities and having fun with other children, while also benefiting from some one-to-one support from the agency worker. The four hour support sessions were also of great benefit to her and the rest of the family, as her and her partner were able spend some quality time with their 3 year old son and take him swimming and to soft play. She was also able to meet friends and go for coffee or lunch, which would not have been possible if her eldest son had been around.
In the service evaluation review at the end of the programme the parent carer reported that the support had been brilliant and enormous benefit to her and her husband. They had been going through a very tuff time when the support package was allocated and this had made their life so much more manageable. She used to dread Friday afternoons, when her son finished school early and found it difficult to cope with him and her 3 year old son. She always felt stressed and guilty that she was not able to dedicate more time to her youngest son. The support on offer from Better Breaks had really reduced her stress levels and lifted a great weight from her shoulders. She had never negotiated or organised care for her son before, but felt the process of engaging the support agency had given her the confidence to do this again in the future, if necessary.
Outcome
34 – 39 carers will directly and indirectly benefit from flexible respite packages to enable a short break from caring responsibilities.
19 carers who directly benefit will report an improvement in social wellbeing and/or changing relationships and/or health and wellbeing
Results
29 carers directly or indirectly benefited from a flexible respite package which enabled them to get a short break from their caring responsibilities.
16 parents/carers were supported to explore health and wellbeing goals, with 14 reporting an improvement in their health and well being.
Case study
The parent carer was a 42 year old married woman who shared a house with her parents, her husband and their 7 year old son, who had complex additional support needs. Her son was diagnosed with ASD, ADHD, ANKRD-11 Associated Disorder, Hyperacusis and Hypermobility and needed constant interaction and supervision. His hyperactive, impulsive behaviour and incessant talking was very difficult to deal with on a day to day basis and made her caring role extremely difficult and challenging. The carer also looked after her husband, who had Asperger’s Syndrome and this dual caring role was leaving her absolutely exhausted and was having a significant impact on her health, well-being and ability to earn a living.
An application to VOCAL’s Better Breaks Fund was successful and a 35 hour package of care was put in place with one of VOCAL’s partner support agencies, who provided the client’s son with 1 – 1 support from a professional member of staff, who had been specifically matched to the boys needs. The support package that was organised provided the parent carer’s son with six hours of support every Sunday for a six week period. This gave him the opportunity to engage in a range of activities and interests, which he had identified when his family met with the care agency prior to the support package starting. Activities included arts & crafts, playing games, going swimming, walking the dog, as well as visiting local parks and farms.. The ability to plan ahead knowing they had a full day where they could relax and enjoy some time away from the caring role was invaluable to the whole family. The parent carer used this opportunity to spend some time with her husband and parents and catch up with outstanding work commitments. Her parents also enjoyed their free time and had an opportunity to switch off from the intensity of looking after their 7 year old grandson and do things that they didn’t get much chance to do normally.
In the service evaluation review at the end of the programme, the parent carer reported that the support had been fabulous and had provided her and the rest of the family with the space and time they needed to relax and focus on other elements of family life. She stated that a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders on a Sunday and her stress levels had reduced quite significantly. She had been able to spend some quality time with her family and catch up with some work that had been overwhelming her and causing a great deal of stress and anxiety. The free time on a Sunday had also allowed her to focus on her son’s longer term needs and spend some identifying and contacting other services and resources that would enable her put more structured support in place for her son and help her sustain the caring role.
Outcome
33 - 39 carers will directly and indirectly benefit from flexible respite packages to enable a short break from caring responsibilities.
19 carers (direct beneficiaries) will report an improvement in health and well being and/or changing relationships and/or confidence in caring role.
Results
29 carers directly or indirectly benefited from a flexible respite package which enabled them to get a short break from their caring responsibilities.
16 parents/carers were supported to explore health and wellbeing goals, with 14 reporting an improvement in their health and well being.
Case study
The parent carer was a 37 year old woman who stayed with her partner and two young children. Her 8 year old son was diagnosed with autism, hyperacusis, ADHD, anxiety and had frequent melt downs which caused significant difficulties within the family, school and other environments. The carers son was on the go constantly, his behaviour was unpredictable and he had no awareness of common dangers. He also needed help with eating, dressing and encouragement to do other everyday activities. This prevented the carer and her partner from going out very often and restricted the time they were able spend with their other 3 year old son.
An application to VOCAL’s Better Breaks Fund was successful and a 35 hour package of care was put in place with one of VOCAL’s partner support agencies, which provided the clients son with 1–1 support from a professional member of staff, who had been specifically matched to the boy’s needs. This allowed the 8 year to engage in a number of activities with the support worker including swimming, cinema, trampolining, bowling and adventure play. The boy was also able to take part in some group activities and trips that the support agency had organised for other children they were caring for and this allowed him to socialise and interact with other children.
The parent carer felt the support sessions were a great success and had really helped her son to cope better with social situations and develop friendships with the support worker and other children. He got on really well with the support worker, always looked forward to his weekly outings and allowed him to do something different. He thoroughly enjoyed taking part in different activities and having fun with other children, while also benefiting from some one-to-one support from the agency worker. The four hour support sessions were also of great benefit to her and the rest of the family, as her and her partner were able spend some quality time with their 3 year old son and take him swimming and to soft play. She was also able to meet friends and go for coffee or lunch, which would not have been possible if her eldest son had been around.
In the service evaluation review at the end of the programme the parent carer reported that the support had been brilliant and enormous benefit to her and her husband. They had been going through a very tuff time when the support package was allocated and this had made their life so much more manageable. She used to dread Friday afternoons, when her son finished school early and found it difficult to cope with him and her 3 year old son. She always felt stressed and guilty that she was not able to dedicate more time to her youngest son. The support on offer from Better Breaks had really reduced her stress levels and lifted a great weight from her shoulders. She had never negotiated or organised care for her son before, but felt the process of engaging the support agency had given her the confidence to do this again in the future, if necessary.
Outcome
33 - 39 carers will directly and indirectly benefit from flexible respite packages to enable a short break from caring responsibilities.
19 carers (direct beneficiaries) will report an improvement in their own health and well being and in that of the child or young person they support.
Results
29 carers directly or indirectly benefited from a flexible respite package which enabled them to get a short break from their caring responsibilities.
16 parents/carers were supported to explore health and wellbeing goals, with 14 reporting an improvement in their health and well being, as well as the health and well being of the child/young person they supported .
Case study
The carer was a 49 year old married woman who stayed with her husband, 19 year old daughter and 14 year old son. She cared for her 14 year old son who had Cerebral Palsy, Global Development Delay, Dystonic Quadriplegia and was confined to a wheelchair. He was unable to talk, needed constant support and prompting. His conditions and behaviour had a significant impact on family life and they got very little time to themselves. The parent carer and her husband worked full-time and she also cared for her elderly parents, who both needed a great deal of support.
An application to VOCAL’s Better Breaks Fund was successful and a 35 hour package of care was put in place with one of VOCAL’s partner support agencies, who provided the client’s son with 1 – 1 support from a professional member of staff, who had been specifically matched to the boys needs. The support came at just the right time for the carer and her family, as they were beginning to struggle supporting their son, while also looking after her parents, whose conditions had deteriorated quite quickly.
An introductory meeting with the support agency allowed the parent carer to arrange weekly support sessions for her son and he spent four hours each Sunday with a care support worker, engaging in a range of fun activities that were of particular interest to him. This included going for rides on the train, tram and bus, as well as going shopping, visiting local parks and feeding ducks. The four hour Sunday session were invaluable to the carer and her husband and gave them the opportunity to relax, spend some peaceful time together and speak about important issues concerning their family. The free time on a Sunday also allowed them to go out for lunch now and again and spend a bit more time looking after her elderly parents.
In her end of grant evaluation the carer reported significant improvements in both her and her husband’s health and well being. She stated that they felt so much more relaxed knowing that their son was going out every Sunday enjoying himself with the support worker. She also stated that she took a lot of confidence from her interaction with the support agency and the process of arranging suitable support for her son’s Better Breaks support package. She had tried to recruit and appoint personal assistants to support her son previously but had always found this challenging and frustrating. She now felt more confident working with support agencies and better placed to sustain her caring role in the future.