8 March 2010
The results of a
UKwide survey are out in Share the Care Week (7-14 March).
The survey commissioned by Shared Care Network shows only 3 in 10
people have heard of the opportunity to become a short break carer
compared to 8 in 10 who have heard of fostering. However it did
show that a high number of people would do it if they knew about
the opportunity. 1 in 5 people said they would consider being a
short break carer in the future. Short break services nationwide
are running recruitment camapaigns to encourage more people to find
out how they can Be the BIG Difference in the life of a disabled
child and their family. View the news release here
survey shows more people willing to support disabled
children final.doc
View the reuslts of the survey here
Shared care network awareness survey.pdf
7 March 2010
It is
Share the Care Week (7-14 March) and we are launching our Be
the BIG Difference campaign. Hundreds of short break services are
running recruitment campaigns to encourage more people to come
forward to support disabled children and their families. We are
launching our new DVD Be the BIG Difference!. You can view the
short films which feature on the DVD by visiting
About short breaks
Our
new DVD "Be the BIG Difference" supported by the Department
for Children, Schools and Families is helping services throughout
England to recruit short break carers. Seven films show different
types of carers including family based carers, young
befrienders,sitters and outreach workers providing short breaks to
disabled children and young people. We find out what they do and
why they do it. Jo Whiley who has a disabled sister provides the
introduction.
View the news release about the Be the BIG difference
campaign here
Campaign launched to recruit short break carers for
disabled children.doc
4 March 2010
When looking at ways to save money from their budget, the
leaders of Northamptonshire Council may find it a hard task when it
comes to finding savings in the children and young people's
department.The
£100 million department provides some of the council's most
vital, and emotionally charged, services, from support to foster
carers, services for severely disabled children, the county's
schools and support for children in care.
4 March 2010
Young Minds have published a
survey which shows that a third of parents with disabled
children don’t get the
support they need for their children’s emotional or mental
health problems and
60% of those who do receive help question its worth. 87% of
parents found
barriers to getting help.
3 March 2010
During Share the Care Week,
Gloucestershire County Council is asking people
to consider if they could "be the big difference".
Seventy five disabled children and young people from across
the county benefit from short breaks under the county council’s
Family Link service, but another twenty are still waiting to be
matched with a
carer. Gloucestershire County Council currently has 70 Family
Link carers.
2 March 2010
Young people wanting to learn the difference between a slam
dunk and a double dribble, a hand spring and a vault, and a body
pop and a break dance should visit Bracknell town centre on
Saturday, March 13 2010.
2 March 2010
Help give disabled children and their families a short
break in support of Share the Care Week.Reading Borough Council’s
Family Link Team is supporting the national campaign between March
7 and 14, with events to raise awareness of the need for more short
break carers.
23 February 2010
BBC East Midlands Disabled Sportsperson of the Year, Richard
Whitehead, is urging people to ‘be the BIG difference’ in the life
of a disabled child and their family by becoming a short break
carer.
The Nottingham athlete is supporting the service as part of
Share the Care Week (7-14 March), to raise the profile of short
breaks and The BIG difference they make to disabled children and
young people and their families across the City.
Nottingham City Council’s Home from Home service offers short
breaks to a range of disabled children and young people aged 0-19
years. Home from Home short break foster carers usually provide
overnight stays to a disabled child or young person two or three
nights a month, allowing them to have a break from their family
home and their family to have a break from caring for them.
Richard said: “I am proud to back this worthwhile campaign.
Short break services are a lifeline to many families with disabled
children or young people. Not only do they give parents a regular
break and
time with their other children, disabled children get to
spend time away from their family whilst having fun and gaining
independence. I hope many more people come forward in Nottingham to
take on this rewarding role.”
22 February 2010
Be the BIG Difference DVD
Our new DVD, Be the BIG Difference! is now available. The
DVD will help short break services recruit short break carers. The
DVD shows 7 short films of different types of short break carer. It
shows what carers get out of providing short breaks and how
disabled children and their families benefit.
With an introduction by DJ and TV presenter Jo Whiley, the
DVD contains short films about:
- Family-based short break carer Nicola and her daughter provide breaks for 11 year old Davina, who has learning disabilities.
- Contract carers, Naomi and Peter, provide family based, overnight breaks for four children with complex health care needs.
- Contract carer, Debbie, provides family based overnight breaks for children with complex health care needs including Greer who has specific communication needs.
- Outreach workers, Justine and Aimee, and sessional worker, Bev provide short breaks with access to community based activities to support families at times of crisis.
- Befrienders, 17 year olds, Tom and Harini, socialise with 17 year olds Max and Amy to help broaden their experiences of teenaged life and develop their independence and confidence.
- Sitter, Robina, cares for Aneesah after school while Aneesah’s
mother attends
training courses and collects her other children from their school. - Mother, Jane, tells how 13 year old Jake’s short breaks with Naomi support both Jake and her.
- Grandparents, Jim and Ann, explain how 7-year-old Ben’s short
breaks with the
outreach team also support them and the rest of the family.
Jo Whiley is the latest BIG name to back the BIG Breaks campaign
DJ Jo Whiley and TV presenter Amanda Holden are the latest BIG names to back a our campaign to double the number of disabled children getting short breaks. The campaign aims to encourage more people to Be the BIG Difference in the life of a disabled child and their family.
View the press release: Jo whiley backs big breaks campaign.doc
9 February 2010
Savings of £174m a year can be made if the government maintains short break funding for disabled children and their families beyond 2011, a report has claimed.
8 February 2010
Children with disabilities in Barnet will get the chance to enjoy a range of fun filled short breaks this half term. Dozens of children will benefit from a variety of tailor-made activities organised by Barnet Council together with its voluntary partners.
3 February 2010
A third of parents of disabled children say they are getting no support with their children's emotional or mental health problems, according to a survey by the charity YoungMinds.
3 February 2010
ANYONE interested in fostering disabled children or providing respite care should contact Lucy Kirkby, Recruitment Officer Fostering & Adoption, on 01924 483707 or email her at lucy.kirby@kirklees.gov.uk
3 February 2010
The Lancet today finally retracted the paper that sparked a crisis in MMR vaccination across the UK, following the General Medical Council's decision that its lead author, Andrew Wakefield, had been dishonest.
27 January 2010
THOUSANDS of disabled children and their families could soon be experiencing the thrills of watersports, performing arts, and other short breaks as part of a major support programme.
Staffordshire County Council will spend more than £800,000 in a
year to improve provision for vulnerable youngsters.
26 January 2010
[EDCM] congratulate the Government on its previous commitment
to provide £430 million over three years for improving the services
that disabled children and their families receive through the
Aiming High for Disabled Children (AHDC) programme until 2011;
congratulates the Every Disabled Child Matters campaign for the
steps taken to monitor how this funding is spent and for working
with primary care trusts to improve the services that they provide;
notes with concern that disabled children and their families are
one of society's most vulnerable and marginalised groups; further
notes that rates of
family breakdown are significantly higher in families with
disabled children; further notes that of the UK's 770,000 disabled
children, only around 6 per cent receive any form of regular
support, and that disabled children are nine times more likely to
be excluded from school than other children; and calls on the
Government to guarantee beyond 2011 sustained investment in the
services and resources that AHDC has provided.
26 Janurary 2010
GOVERNMENT FUNDING earmarked for helping
disabled children in Scotland—including more than £3m for Tayside
and Fife—has gone “missing,” a coalition of leading charities
will claim today.
23 January 2010
Rupert Isaacson believes riding has transformed his autistic son. Now he wants others to benefit from his experience. But is it too good to be true?
22 January 2010
Outstanding achievement and innovation recognised which has helped businesses and citizens interact with Government.
Public sector technology implementation from national and local government, the NHS and other public sector organisations were praised at the sixth annual e-Government National Awards ceremony.
Winners included the National Archives’ publication of the 1911 Census and a scheme by Suffolk County Council allowing disabled children to book short breaks online.
21 January 2010
Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) welcomes Conservative proposals to focus on early intervention through the Sure Start programme. The Early Support programme has demonstrated how effective multi-agency support during early years can make a difference to families with disabled children. However, we know that families with disabled children require ongoing support, particularly at key transition stages like moving into childcare, starting or changing schools, and moving into adult services.
‘Making Britain More Family Friendly’, the latest chapter of the Conservative’s draft manifesto, was launched by David Willetts MP yesterday (20th January).
For this reason, EDCM is calling on all parties to consider measures to provide consistent ongoing support. This could be achieved through improving the national provision of key workers from 0-19, and by sustaining funding to services such as short breaks through the Aiming High for Disabled Children programme.
18 January 2010
The number of people who consider fostering children and young people has dropped to a record low, according to a new poll from children's charity Barnardo's.
13 January 2010
Scope Inclusion Northwest - a service which provides personalised specialist support for disabled children and adults and their families - is expanding to East Lancashire to reach out to more families across the county.Today the service, which is run by disability charity Scope and which is currently based at its Beaumont College in Lancaster, opens a new office in Burnley.
12 January 2010
A charity which has supported children with disabilities in Lincolnshire for more than 25 years faces closure within two weeks unless it is thrown a cash lifeline.
Strut in the Community, which supports around 150 disabled
county children each year, has seen a dramatic cut in donations
coupled with higher overheads and now needs to find at least
£10,000 to plug a funding gap.
New research from Mencap has revealed that despite increased levels of government funding for short breaks, some families with severely disabled children are actually receiving a reduced level of service compared with 2008.
4 January 2010
A new £12.5m scheme to help families with disabled children make the most of childcare in their communities has been launched by Schools Secretary Ed Balls.
3 January 2010
Millions of pounds earmarked to give Britain’s unsung army of carers vital short-term breaks is being plundered by the NHS to plug big holes in health budgets.
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