The impact of short breaks on families with a disabled child: report one of the quantitative phase

Abstract

We would also like to thank members of the research policy steering group who reviewed the progress of the research and advised and commented on draft materials etc. It is our Policymakers and local authorities will also need to consider such a rebalancing beyond the provision of 'child' services, as many young disabled people move into adulthood whilst still living with their family carers. Such a transition point is often felt as catastrophic by families as an array of family supports, including short breaks, are drastically reduced as their child officially becomes an adult, although the needs of the disabled young person and their family carers may change little over this transition point. Page 12Factors associated with main carer using a narrower range of adult-focused health and welfare services in the last 3 months Univariate Associations (*p<0.05; **p<0.(n=154, % correct classification 87.0%-90.9%, Nagelkerke R 2 =0.36) Child lower SDQ total difficulties Main carer not longstanding illness/disability Household managing better financially Wald (p) 12.69 (p<0.001) 4.79 (p=0.029) 9.17 (p=0.002) Factors associated with main carer greater satisfaction with life Univariate Associations (*p<0.05; **p<0.Table 80 Factors associated with the disabled child's usage of a wider range of child-focused services in the last 3 months, data from respondents to main carer questionnaires Factors associated with disabled child usage of a wider range of child-focused services in the last 3 months Univariate Associations (*p<0.05; **p<0.Short break family experience/satisfaction: Logistic Regression Disabled child usage of a wider range of child-focused services for children in last 3 months (median split, n=191, % correct classification 57.1%-71.7%, Nagelkerke R 2 =0.23) Child not in Target Group A Child needs more supervision 10pm-6am Child uses a wider range of short breaks Wald (p) 9.55 (p=0.002) 16.19 (p<0.001) 5.57 (p=0.018) Logistic Regression Disabled child lower SDQ emotional symptoms (median split, n=240, % correct classification 60.4%-70.0%, Nagelkerke R 2 =0.18) Child not in Target Group D Child in TDC Priority Group B Child uses centre-based short breaks Main carer satisfaction: extent to which short break providers listen to the family Wald (p) 7.86 (p=0.005) 6.93 (p=0.009) 5.13 (p=0.023) 9.04 (p=0.003) Factors associated with disabled child lower SDQ conduct problems Univariate Associations (*p<0.05; **p<0.Disabled child lower SDQ hyperactivity (median split, n=272, % correct classification 71.7%-77.2%, Nagelkerke R 2 =0.31) Child not in Target Group A Child not in Target Group D Child in Target Group E Older main carer age Wald (p) 16.20 (p<0.001) 22.63 (p<0.001) 13.93 (p<0.001) 8.10 (p=0.004) Impact on well-being and behaviour, child using short breaks: qualitative analysisCarers reported increases in children's self esteem and self confidence; these were marked for some children whilst for others these were small but important changes."It has allowed Christopher to have a social life, to interact with his peer...

Disabled Children and their Families: A Decade of Policy Change

“…The development of new practice has often taken the form of pilot or pathfinder initiatives and the independent evaluations of key programmes are still in the early stages or have yet to report (e.g. Jessiman and others, ; Welch and others, ). It is unlikely therefore that children and families in any numbers will have experienced the scale and type of benefits that the policies set out to deliver.…”

“…Gordon and others () reported that within the population of families with disabled children in Britain, the poorest 20 per cent often obtained fewer services than others. While more up‐to‐date research on the social patterning of service usage across the whole population of disabled children is lacking, a recent study found inequality in access to a key provision, short breaks, with families in more deprived circumstances tending to receive less support than those who were better off (Welch and others, ).…”