How we work

At St Paul's Child and Family Care Centre (CFCC), we work with you and your child to make sure they have the best experience possible.

Our highly experienced team is committed to enhancing the wellbeing of each child in our care. Our staff are often described by parents as patient, compassionate and skilled.

Families say that respite provides them with a break and peace of mind knowing that their child is happy and well looked after at St Paul's CFCC.

Pre-admission assessment

Before your child starts attending St Paul's CFCC, we work with you to find out what your child needs from our care.

During this assessment we consider what your child needs in terms of:

• socialising
• health
• safety
• communication
• education
• their identity (culture, religion, ethnicity)

Our goal is to tailor the experience of staying with us to match your child’s ongoing development and changing needs.

Respite days

To decide which day your child will come to St Paul's we consider which children and which group we can match them with. We also consider their interests, needs and abilities.

When your child starts respite, we will give you a respite day to work into your routine. We will aim to keep this the same day each week. But there are times when we need to change your child's respite day. If this happens, we will give you as much notice as possible.

Person-centred plan

We develop a person-centred plan for every child who attends our respite services. This focuses on their wants, needs, and learning goals. A member of our team will ensure the plan is implemented and that your child's rights are respected and upheld.

Personal plans may include details on:

• meal preferences
• communication styles
• recreational and educational activities
• intimate care plan
• supervision needs and risks
• sensory needs
• how to support your child if they are sick

We encourage children to be involved in the development of their plans. We can give your child a copy of their person centred plan in pictures or in words.

Setting goals

Each child has one goal they are supported to achieve during their time with us.

For example, their goal might be to:

• visit a new place
• make their bed
• help prepare meals
• use communication aids
• accessing the community

Health plan

Each child gets a detailed health plan outlining their specific health needs. It will also include your child’s vaccination and any allergy details.

If your child has a medical condition, we will create a medical plan. If needed, this can include an emergency response plan for staff. For example, what to do if they have an asthma attack or a seizure.

Medication

Our social care staff are trained in how to give medication safely.

Staff health training

All staff at St Paul's CFCC complete training in:

• CPR
• basic first aid - we have first aid kits in each of our locations
• how to give emergency medication, such as Midazolam

Healthy eating

We give children varied meals in line with their preferences and dietary requirements.

Staff will also:

• keep a food diary for each child
• help your child to communicate about food with words, pictures or a voice output system, if they use one.

Communication

We develop a communication profile for each child in our service.

This includes information on:

• your child's communication preferences
• how they communicate with others
• a total communication approach

Our staff are trained in various communication methods and will be guided by you and your child in terms of how best to interact with them.

Staying in touch with you

When your child starts in respite we will agree a communication system with you. This helps us to make sure that you are kept up to date while your child's staying with us.

This could be:

• phone calls
• emails
• communication diary

If your child would like to make direct contact with you during their stay, our staff can help them to do this if needed.

Empowering your child

We encourage your child to make choices about their activities, daily routines and food choices. We try to ask all children for their opinions on things like toys, equipment and bed linen, using a communication method that works for them.

For example, we have child friendly versions of our documents including our:

• resident’s guide
• complaints brochure and poster
• illustrated Charter of Rights for Children with Autism

If it's appropriate, your child will be invited to join annual review meetings and our children’s advocacy sessions (twice per year). These sessions give children an opportunity to talk about the things that matter to them.

In this way, children can help to shape our service and make requests.

All our staff are experienced in how to provide your child with the care and support they need.

All staff working at St Paul’s CFCC get mandatory training in areas such as:

• child protection and safeguarding
• fire safety
• managing behaviours of concern
• data protection (GDPR)
• how to support positive behaviour
  

We support them to get additional training if needed.

Our team regularly reviews your child's personal file. This ensures they are up-to-date on your child's personality, communication style, and support needs.

When handing over responsibility to another staff member, we do this in a structured way to avoid disrupting your child's experience.

Behaviour support

We use a positive behaviour support (PBS) framework to find the root causes of behaviour so we can offer person-centred support.

Our multi-disciplinary team works closely with respite staff to reduce concerning behaviours and increase positive replacement behaviours. Our goal is to improve your child's overall quality of life.

Using a positive and proactive approach, our PBS team support your child by advising staff on strategies that may be helpful. We will conduct a functional assessment and develop a PBS plan, based on the function of your child's behaviour. This will include advising staff on the the proactive steps they can take to support your child's behaviour.

Restrictive practices (such as the use of restraints) are only used as a last resort. This is to safeguard a child who is a risk to themselves or others.

All staff are trained in PBS approaches and how to safely follow our restrictive practices policy​ where absolutely necessary.

We involve parents by:

• taking your input into your child's personal plans
• inviting you to attend annual review meetings
• providing advocacy training and advocacy briefing sessions
• inviting you to events at St Paul's
• communicating with you regularly to keep you updated
• sending you our annual parent’s feedback questionnaire