Archived: Fun and Breaks

This was the service’s first inspection under this registration. The service was previously provided as Fun and Breaks (Chichester and Arun) and Fun and Breaks (Crawley, Horsham and Mid Sussex)

Fun and Breaks [FAB] is registered as a domiciliary care service which is run by West Sussex County Council. It provides support to children with disabilities, their parents and carers. It provides care to children within their home and in the community. The service is provided to those children who meet the threshold for the Child Disability Teams in West Sussex. Each family is matched with one volunteer who offers a regular commitment. The service provides children and their families with support for up to two hours per week with a trained volunteer. The time is used flexibly as arranged between families and volunteers. Volunteers take full care of the disabled child and can also look after siblings. At the time of our visit 25 families were receiving a service. There was also a waiting list for further families who wished to receive this support.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Children and young people were actively and positively encouraged and supported to engage in everyday activities and hobbies with the volunteers that enabled them to live good ordinary lives. Families fed back that the support they received had befitted their child or young person and enabled them to have, ‘new opportunities’, ‘be more independent’, ‘be more confident’, ‘develop social skills’ and that the support provided enabled the family to have, ‘a break’. Children and young people were very positive about the volunteers and the relationships they had developed with them. Children said that the volunteers were their friends and family observed that there were meaningful relationships developed with ‘trust’. We saw that wonderful relationships were fostered between volunteers and families. Professionals were also extremely complimentary and positive about the ‘outstanding’ service provided by Fun and Breaks to families at times of significant challenges in their lives. Volunteers made a real difference to avoid crisis for the children, young people and their families.

Without exception, families, children and young people all told us that they were very happy with the support they received from the volunteers who were ‘matched’ to their individual preferences. Feedback from young people and children demonstrated that they were exceptionally happy with the support they received from the volunteers whom had evidently become very valued in their lives of the families as well as the children and young people. Relatives and children alike felt safe and ‘comfortable’ with the volunteers. Volunteers completed safeguarding training and were aware of infection control safe practices. However, young people and children did not routinely receive regular personal care from the volunteers.

Volunteers were exceptionally well supported in their roles by the registered manager who provided regular opportunities for face to face supervision sessions and provided training for the volunteers that was tailored to meet the specific and individual needs of the children and young people. Volunteers felt well supported and able to request further training to support them and those whom they supported.

Medicines were not routinely given to children or young people by the volunteer staff, unless in an emergency. Correct measures were in place to ensure that this would be done safely.

Volunteers were recruited safely. Necessary recruitment checks were completed which ensured that all volunteers were safe to work with young people and children. Children and young people’s needs were assessed with family involvement. Volunteers knew to ‘signpost’ to other services for appropriate support if this was required by families. Support was provided to families to attend appointments which ensured access to important healthcare appointments when needed. Regular training and supervision was completed by volunteers. This meant that they were competent and well supported in their roles to provide the best support possible to families, children and young people.

Volunteers were described by family members of young people and children who received support as, “calm” and “patient” and that the volunteers made the children and young people feel “valued.”

The service was led by a very caring, competent and dedicated registered manager and coordinator who evidently had the children’s and young people’s needs at the heart of the service they provided, whilst being aware of the strategy and business needs of the organisation.