The Vision

Norfolk House was established in 2012 to fulfil my vision for post-19 respite care. This vision came about as the result of a gap I saw in the way young adult respite care is provided. This gap arises because as soon as a young person moves out of childrens services they are classed as adult, it does not matter if they are 19 or 65, all adults receive the same service.

Having worked with disabled children for 8 years, I became aware that the outstanding children’s services I was offering pre-19 was not always being offered post-19. The mainstream care on offer is not always personalised, adaptable and flexible and is rarely offered in a domestic setting. I believe that care should be all of these things.

I believe that respite care should be a positive and rewarding experience for all concerned and is an effective means to keep a family together and feeling relaxed, supported and refreshed. It must be a positive experience for the young adult and parents alike.

The Young Adult

The young person should be encouraged to be as independent as possible but help is on hand by caring and understanding staff if support is needed.

I believe that as young adults they should be treated as young adults, and be allowed to have life experiences in common with adults of their own age who do not have a disability. They should have the freedom to go to the pub, to a late night concert or to the cinema without having to leave early due to care staff shift change.

They have the right to be treated with respect, with dignity, by trained staff who are used to dealing with challenging behaviours and have strategies in place to deal with times when things don’t go to plan.

They have the right to be able to communicate in which ever medium they choose and have someone there who can communicate effectively with them. I can use Makaton and PECS effectively.

The Parents

Parents need to know that the respite care is safe, welcoming and stimulating; where individuality is encouraged and nurtured. They need to know that the person looking after their young adult is fully trained, fully committed, reliable and flexible and that the young adult is at the forefront of the care.