Archived: Fun and Breaks

Updated 30 August 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014. 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)

The inspection took place on 14 June 2018 and was announced. We gave the registered manager 48 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to make sure someone would be in the office. We were assisted throughout the inspection process by the registered manager.

Two different inspectors undertook this inspection. We undertook information gathering as part of this inspection process on the 12 December 2017 and conducted a second day inspection on the 14 June 2018. There was a delay with us conducting the second day of this inspection which was due to a technical problem within the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed previous inspection reports and notifications received from the service before the inspection. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. This enabled us to ensure we were addressing any potential areas of concern.

We sent out questionnaires to people, their relatives, volunteers and professionals before the inspection. We received 22 replies to the questionnaires. As part of the inspection we reviewed the responses to our questionnaires.

We reviewed records for two volunteers and two care plans for children and young people who used the service. We attended a ‘steering group’ meeting with the registered manager, two volunteers, social worker [also FAB coordinator], group manager, ‘Choice’ team practice manager and a ‘short breaks’ commissioning engagement officer. We also received feedback from two other external professionals, which included a senior social worker and family support worker.

Updated 30 August 2018

The inspection took place on 14 June 2018 and was announced. We gave the registered manager 48 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to make sure someone would be in the office. We were assisted during our inspection by the registered manager. We gathered information about the service before the inspection and also attended a ‘Steering Group’ meeting as part of the inspection process.

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.