The Shared Care Scheme offers short breaks for children and young people with a disability where they are looked after in the carer's home. Shared carers offer regular, planned breaks and would be expected to offer up to 28 overnights per year. This usually takes the form of one weekend per month with an additional longer period of care once a year.
Caring for a child or young person with disabilities provides both challenges and rewards to parents, siblings and wider family members. Depending upon the child's disability, they can require additional support and care in many aspects of their lives. This, in turn, can cause additional pressure and stress on their families who often miss out on experiences and opportunities which we take for granted.
Families with children affected by disability can greatly benefit from regular short breaks where their child is going to a carer or family who they know and will be able to look after them. Share care can offer parents the chance to have a break and spend some time by themselves or with their other children. The children and young people themselves also really enjoy getting to know the carers that they visit.
Being a shared carer is a rewarding and fun experience as you are giving children new opportunities and experiences. While many of the children will need additional help with day to day living, many of the care tasks are the same as those required of all children and as a shared carer you need to have the patience and understanding of the child's individual needs.
Caring for a disabled child requires extra energy and commitment and ongoing training and support will be provided to you by a specialist worker from the Fostering and Adoption Team.
