Welcome to Warwickshire County Council

Family link Providing a short break for a disabled child can be demanding, but very rewarding. Being the parent of a disabled child can be hard work. Sometimes the needs of your child can mean that even ordinary things like shopping, decorating, helping other children with homework, or having a night out without the children can be difficult.

Disabled children sometimes miss out on activities outside the home which help them build up some independence from their own family as they grow up. Family Link makes it possible for parents and children to 'take a break' now and again. Family Link runs right across Warwickshire. Carers provide regular, short breaks to disabled children, including children with learning difficulties, Autism and physical disabilities. This gives new experiences and new friends to children, whilst for their parents it means some extra time for themselves and for any children in the family. Family Link carers come from all age groups and all walks of life and you don't have to have previous experience of disability. All you need is to be able to offer a child somewhere to stay overnight. Family Link Carers are recruited and approved in the same way as other foster carers. Once approved, family link carers are carefully matched up with a child who is gradually introduced to them. If this goes well, carers and family agree a pattern of visits, perhaps an overnight stay every two or three weeks or a weekend a month. Payment, insurance, training and support are provided by the family link fostering social worker as well as any equipment which may be needed in the home. Given the busy nature of modern life, being a family link carer enables families to be part-time foster carers for on average a couple of nights a month.

Catherine’s story

Family link carers offer short breaks to a whole range of different children with different needs. ‘Catherine’ is just one profile of a child that a Family link carer could expect to meet. There are many other children with different, possibly less complex needs, who need carers now. Catherine is 6 year old, she lives with her mum and younger brother, Oliver. Catherine has cerebral palsy, she uses a wheelchair to get around, and does need to be carried at times, as her mobility is limited. She is able to communicate by nodding her head, and indicates how she is feeling with a nod or a frown. She loves food and has a healthy appetite. No one is quite sure how much Catherine understands and her mother and school are always looking at new ways of helping Catherine to express herself. Catherine’s parents separated 3 years ago and so mum is juggling the complex needs of both Catherine and Oliver on her own. She is aware that Oliver in particular misses out on individual attention. She had made enquiries about the Family link short break scheme as a means of support for herself and a way of balancing her children’s different needs.

A family was found who could manage Catherine’s mobility needs in their own home and who could offer her the time, attention and stimulation she needed. Catherine needed carers who could feed, dress, bathe and change her, as she cannot control her own bladder and bowels and wears nappies. The introductions to the foster family were organized very slowly and gently, as mum and Oliver needed to feel confident about leaving Catherine. Catherine herself needed time to adjust and feel secure. She now stays one weekend a month with the foster family. Her smiles and excited behaviour indicate her pleasure at having a weekend away and she benefits from the change to her usual routine. Mum and Oliver can have some special time together and everyone has gained from this regular, planned short break. There are many more children that need the skills that you may or may not know that you have. If you can offer short breaks to a child with disabilities, or you would like to find out more about the family link scheme, please contact: Team Leader Family Link Short Breaks Fostering & Adoption Development Team Saltisford Office Park Ansell Way Warwick CV34 4UL Tel: 01926 743097 Since August 2005 we have had a small, dedicated Family Link Team within the Fostering Service that provides services countywide based at the above offices. The main aim of the team has been to increase the numbers of Family Link Carers in the north of the county and to develop a Family Link Contract Carer Scheme. This Scheme would run alongside the current Family Link Service to increase placement choice for children and young people with disabilities in the following ways: provide short break placements for disabled children who have multiple needs, or who are severely disabled, many of whom also have medical needs requiring invasive procedures; provide, for the first time in Warwickshire, family based accommodation that is fully accessible to children using wheelchairs.