Family Support and Family Support and Short Breaks Statement 2018 | page 1

Family Support

and Short Breaks

Statement 2018-2020

For parents and carers of children and young people with additional needs and/or disabilities

Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome to this guide that sets out some of the family support services and short breaks offered by West Sussex County Council to children and young people (0 -18) with additional needs and/or disabilities. It tells you about the range of services and how to access them.

Our current short breaks offer is focused on 0-18 year olds; although to reflect new legislation and the development of West Sussex County Council’s (WSCC) Lifelong Service, we are looking at opportunities to extend the Short Breaks offer to provide some short breaks for young people aged between 18-25 years.

Every Local Authority has to produce a Short Breaks Statement and listen and respond to parents’ and carers’ views so we have integrated them together to form one document. This statement covers the period 2018 until 2020.

You can find more detailed information about the specific services in your local area for children and/or young people with additional needs and/or disabilities through the West Sussex Local Offer. www.local-offer.org

We welcome your questions, comments, ideas and feedback about anything relating to Family Support, Short Breaks and other services your family uses. Please tell us what you think either directly at the email below or indirectly to the West Sussex Parent Carer Forum or Carers Support West Sussex or another organisation.

If you would like access to this guide in a different format, please contact us.

We have also have a Short Breaks Facebook page for parents and carers of children and/or young people with additional needs and/or disabilities that lists new and upcoming events along with photos and links to Short Break activities. https://www.facebook.com/groups/407136026068540/?fref=ts

Our Team email is SENDCommissioningteam@westsussex.gov.uk

Best wishes from Michael Rhodes-Kubiak, SEND Commissioning Manager (Short Breaks), on behalf of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Commissioning Team.

Family Support and Short Breaks Statement 2018 | page 2

Family Support and

Short Breaks for

disabled children

and young people

Short Breaks Quiz

We have created this short quiz which is designed to give you an overview of Short Breaks in West Sussex and will help you to understand more about Short Breaks.

1. West Sussex County Council carried out its most recent public consultation on Short Breaks in 2015 which has led us to commission some diverse new services that are provided today. Between January and April 2015 how many responses do you think were received in relation to the consultation?

From parents and carers ( ), from children and young people ( ), from siblings ( ), from short break organisations ( ),

2. Can you name the 7 different districts and boroughs in West Sussex on the map below?

1 ( ) 2 ( ) 3 ( ) 4 ( ) 5 ( ) 6 ( ) 7 ( )

3. What do you think is the annual budget for Short Breaks in West Sussex?

£950,000 £1,250,000 £1,340,000 £2,500,000

4. In 2016/17 approximately how many hours of Short Breaks were delivered in West Sussex?

50,000 hours 64,000 hours 87,000 hours 94,000 hours

5. In 2016/17, can you guess roughly how many children and young people accessed Short Breaks in West Sussex?

750 1,000 1,500 2,000

6. How many people do you think are on the Short Breaks Facebook Page? (as of June 2018)

765 893 930 1273

Answers can be found at the end of this document.

Family Support and Short Breaks Statement 2018 | page 3

Section 1: Introduction and summary

What are Short Breaks?

A break is an opportunity to recharge batteries, spend time with others or pursue a particular interest. Short breaks may also allow your child to have a change of scene, try different experiences, have fun and make friends (Contact a Family 2018). More details about Short Breaks at https://contact.org.uk/advice-and-support/social-care/short-breaks/

It also describes services which support disabled children and young people to have fun, taking part in leisure and social activities and give them opportunities to increase their confidence and learn new skills. Activities could include a summer playscheme, youth club, drama group or fun day for the whole family.

Short Breaks are available to children and young people with a wide range of additional needs and/or disabilities including wheelchair users, those with autistic spectrum conditions, profound and multiple learning disabilities and complex health needs.

Who can access Short Breaks?

Short Breaks services are currently available for children and young people with additional needs and/or disabilities who live in West Sussex and who are aged between 0-18 years old and are in receipt of either the middle or high care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or the standard or enhanced rate of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or have equivalent needs.

We know that not all families who may qualify for DLA/PIP currently receive it and WSCC provide benefits advice and support in order to help you make an application for this government benefit. Should you have any DLA/PIP related questions you can contact Robert Hayes – Benefits Advisor. Robert.hayes@westsussex.gov.uk

How can Short Breaks help me and my family?

For your child/young person:• to have the same opportunities appropriate to their age

and ability as their non-disabled peers• to try new things, have fun and make friends• the ability to access mainstream services with support • to enjoy activities together as a whole family

For you:• provide a break from your caring responsibilities• feel confident that your child is having fun – with staff who are able to support them well• allow you to build friendships/networks with other families who share similar experiences • allow you to spend time with other family members

Family Support and Short Breaks Statement 2018 | page 4

Section 2: What Short Breaks are provided?

West Sussex County Council commissions a range of organisations to provide Short Breaks services across the County. All organisations providing Short Breaks on behalf of the Council have been through a rigorous selection process and comply with on-going monitoring. We obtain a wide range of informal and formal feedback and use this information to adapt and/or commission new services in order to meet the changing needs of the families who access services e.g. families told us that they wanted to enjoy breaks together as a whole family and so we made this a priority area. We also use information from the West Sussex Compass Card Disability Register in order to look at changing patterns in need and to identify where we may need to commission new services. https://westsussex.local-offer.org/services/82

The cost of Short Breaks varies across organisations based on a number of factors. Parent/carers are asked to make a small contribution to the cost of the Short Breaks with the majority of the cost met by the Council.

Mainstream and Universal Services

These are services provided to all children and young people and their families, such as youth clubs and leisure centre activities. The Short Breaks funding provides extra support to mainstream and universal services to enable disabled children and young people to access their services. We have also worked with universal providers to make sure their workforce is confident and competent to work with children and young people with additional needs and/or disabilities.

Targeted Services

These are services set up for children and young people who need additional support or who may need activities or groups tailored to meet their needs which can then be funded through the Short Break offer.

Family Support and Short Breaks Statement 2018 | page 5

Section 3: Family Support Services

Despite the comprehensive range of Short Breaks on offer, we know that there are some families that need additional or bespoke support. Many families are able to use their own resources of friends and families and other support groups, however, some families may find that they do not have this support available to them and that they need more help from the Council.

The Compass Card West Sussex (Amaze)

The Compass Card West Sussex is a disability register and associated concessions card scheme for children and young people under 25 who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The scheme is run by Amaze, a Brighton-based charity, on behalf of the Council. To join the scheme you will need to complete a registration form and this information is used as part of the disability register. The register helps to build up a clear picture of families across West Sussex and is used to map and plan services. Registration information is held securely by Amaze. Once registered families will receive a Compass Card that can be used at selected locations across the county and a current list of offers can be accessed through the free Compass Card West Sussex app, through the Compass Card website or listed on the Local Offer. The Compass Card can also double up as your West Sussex library card.

You’ll need to complete a Compass Card Registration Form for each child or young person with special educational needs and disabilities. A Compass Card is valid for two years after which time you will be automatically asked to re-register. To find out more about the scheme or to access the registration forms https://www.compasscard.org.uk/

Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)

The MASH provides a single and consistent point of access to advice, guidance and decision making around deciding the right level of support for a child/young person with additional needs and/or disabilities. This could be in the form of targeted support through Integrated Prevention and Earliest Help or through social work support. A specialist child disability social worker is part of the MASH team. https://westsussex.local-offer.org/services/731

Integrated Prevention and Earliest Help (IPEH)

Integrated Prevention and Earliest Help (IPEH) is a range of coordinated services for children and families from 0-25 years old. Within the IPEH service there is a ‘whole family’ approach to support, with the aim that it gives all children the best start in life and makes it easier for families to get the help they need. The service is in six geographical areas or ‘Hubs’ supported by a small, centrally based team. IPEH can support your family through developing an Early Help plan or co-ordinating support for your family. https://westsussex.local-offer.org/services/94

Family Support and Short Breaks Statement 2018 | page 6

The Local Offer

The West Sussex Local Offer is a central website containing information about all services, support and events for children and young people aged 0 - 25 years who have SEND. You can read feedback about services, or watch videos on different subjects. If you sign up as a registered user of the Local Offer you can save your searches to your unique Pinboard and share them with friends as well as receive newsletters and bulletins. The Local Offer is constantly improving to make it as helpful to families as is possible. www.local-offer.org

The West Sussex Parent Carer Forum (WSPCF)

The West Sussex Parent Carer Forum is a parent carer led charity for parent carers of children or young people 0-25 years old with any SEND. Parent Carers are adults who have parental responsibility for disabled children and include Kinship or Adoptive parents. WSPCF is a

membership organisation and part of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums with an aim to work with all statutory bodies (locally this is the County Council

for education and social care services and Clinical Commissioning Groups for health services) to improve services and support for parent carer families

in West Sussex. They provide information, support and advice to help parent carers understand, improve and make positive changes to

the lives of their families and others. They also provide support and training for parent carers to enable a positive experience in navigating through the health, education and social care world of special educational needs and disabilities. http://www.wspcf.org.uk/

Carers Support West Sussex (CSWS)

Carers Support West Sussex offers a range of services to parent carers across West Sussex including groups and workshops, counselling

and individual support. https://www.carerssupport.org.uk/

Carers Support West Sussex and the West Sussex Parent Carer Forum are two organisations who work closely with the County Council and

support them in developing and improving the Short Breaks offer. The West Sussex Parent Carer Forum and Carers Support West Sussex also

work together to administer the Carer Health and Wellbeing Fund. The money from the fund can be used flexibly on purposes which would enhance a carer’s health and/or wellbeing; for instance carers have previously used the money such as gym or swimming sessions, breaks away, massage and de-stressing therapies. You will need to be registered with Carers Support West Sussex to apply for the grant. More information is available at https://www.carerssupport.org.uk/our-services/carer-health-and-wellbeing-fund/

Family Support and Short Breaks Statement 2018 | page 7

Family Support and Short Breaks Statement 2018 | page 7

Section 4: Children’s Social Care

Child Disability Team

The Disability social work teams provide a specialist service to children and young people with severe and/or complex disabilities and their families. They provide information and advice, take referrals and complete assessments of needs, and work to develop plans so that children and young people are supported and their wellbeing promoted. This may include provision of funded support services e.g. a personal budget or an overnight short break. The teams also support children who are Looked After or subject to Child Protection Plans. https://westsussex.local-offer.org/services/265

Choice Team

The Choice Team provides support to families who meet the social care criteria but need less regular support and therefore don’t need a child disability team social worker as they are able to use their own expertise of their child to plan and manage their care, with some additional support e.g. through a Personal Budget. After an initial assessment, the Choice Team offers an identified Keyworker to act as point of contact and advice for families, and to review the support plan annually to ensure that it continues to meet the child’s needs.

The Choice Team also offer some short-term targeted work related to the child’s individual disability needs.

The Fun and Breaks service is part of the Choice Team, offering trained volunteers to support disabled children and their families with 1:1 support and activities.

Children’s Deaf Services are also part of the Choice Team, offering advice and providing services to children with significant hearing loss and their families. This may be through provision of specialist equipment or through individual work to help children live safely and independently in the home. https://westsussex.local-offer.org/services/580

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information and Advice Support Service (SEND IAS)

SENDIAS offer accurate, up to date and impartial resources and information about the law on special educational needs and disability, providing information in a range of different formats. They offer advice, training, attending meetings with parents/carers and supporting with discussions with the local authority, school or other setting. They will also signpost to other groups or organisations. https://westsussex.local-offer.org/services/7

Family Support and Short Breaks Statement 2018 | page 8

Personal Budgets

A Personal Budget is an amount of money identified by the Council to deliver parts of the provision set out in your Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. It gives you the flexibility to choose which services and support you may need to support meeting the outcomes in your child’s Plan. You can access a Health, Social Care or Education personal budget or any combination of the three. A Social Care personal budget can be used to access Short Break services. More information about Personal Budgets including eligibility criteria and contact details can be found at https://westsussex.local-offer.org/information_pages/12-personal-budgets-animation-and-leaflet

Overnight Short Breaks

Some Short Break providers offer overnight breaks as part of their programmes. Some organisations have buildings which families can use to access overnight breaks which can be funded through personal budgets or privately.

Overnight Short Breaks can also be offered in local authority residential settings or with foster carers and are accessed via a children’s social care assessment. These assessments can be requested through the MASH or if you have a social worker then you should talk to them. If you have a social worker you should talk to them. Access to overnight Short Breaks will be dependent on the outcome of the assessment.

Lifelong Service

West Sussex is developing a ‘Lifelong Service’ to better support children, young people and adults with lifelong disabilities, autism and their families. It will provide a joined up and coherent experience for the people who are eligible for the service and enable individuals to live a ‘good life’ as defined by them.

Family Support and Short Breaks Statement 2018 | page 9 | WS1318 9.18

Quiz Answers

Question 1:173 responses from parents and carers; 88 responses from children and young people; 31 responses from siblings17 responses from Short Break organisations

Question 2:1 is Worthing 2 is Arun3 is Chichester4 is Horsham5 is Crawley6 is Mid Sussex7 is Adur

Question 3:The annual budget for Short Breaks is £950,000. (Please note that this figure covers daytime short breaks only.)

Question 4:Approximately 64,000 hours of Short Breaks were delivered

Question 5:Approximately 1,500 children and young people received a Short Break

Question 6:930 people are on the Short Breaks Facebook page (as of June 2018). If you are not already signed up then why not do it now?