1. Children with relatively simple or straightforward needs.

These children need either short-term or relatively ‘ordinary’ substitute care.

Why are they a child in care?
Their families may be stable and supportive, but there has been a crisis or difficulty and they need short-term support, for days or weeks.

What do they need?
Good-quality daily care and support.

How will they behave?
There can be a reasonable expectation that the child will return home and resume their usual lifestyle.

Where will they be placed?
Usually fostering, but there are many children who have a preference for residential child care or are unsuited to fostering and so can go to a short break children's home or a short-stay mainstream children's home.

Case Study:

Geraint is 14 and has been using NCH's Blackwood Resource Centre for seven years, where he spends two nights a month in short break care. He was diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder at two and went to full-time school at four.

NCH's short breaks service has opened up a wealth of new experiences for Geraint, says his mother Ann: "Using the service has given Geraint different experiences, like going swimming and meeting different people. I would say that getting used to being supported by other people, and not being totally reliant on me as his sole carer, has been the greatest benefit."

Geraint has severe communication difficulties. Ann stresses the positive impact that accessing the service has had for her son: "He doesn't speak but you can tell he is happy to go there. He is now very well balanced. He has improved his social skills as well." (Ref: NCH, 2007)