Children’s Residential and Respite Care
Bridgend County Borough Council provides children’s residential and respite care across the county borough:
- Children’s Residential Care – Accommodate children and young people who have been assessed as requiring residential support. The duration of these stays will depend very much on the individual’s circumstances and the actual service and its purpose.
- Children’s Respite Care - Look after a dependent person temporarily to allow their carer to have a break. These breaks should provide a positive experience for both the person cared for and the carer, to enhance the quality of their lives and support their relationship.
Children’s Residential Care
Bridgend County Borough Council has several children’s residential services, which accommodate children and young people who have been assessed as requiring residential support. The duration of these stays will depend very much on the individual’s circumstances and the actual service and its purpose.
We are committed to consistently providing the children who access these services with positive experiences and progression towards the aims and goals of that young person. Each young person will have their needs met, be safe from harm, and have support to build positive relationships with the professionals working at the service. As a service we are dedicated to working towards positive outcomes for children and young people in our care.
CIW Rating
All of our residential provisions are required to adhere to a high quality of care. To ensure this happens, there is a vigorous internal quality assurance process which helps ensure regulatory requirements are being fulfilled, but also that children and young people in these services feel supported and are having their voice heard.
Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) who are the regulator conduct inspections for services to gauge the quality of care being provided and make recommendations and prompt improvements where necessary.
To ensure we are meeting our requirements, the service is inspected against RISCA. RISCA also has the provision that all children’s regulated services in Wales publish their ratings or scores. Ratings for each of this council’s respective children’s residential services are accessible below.
The inspections cover rating of four themes:
- Wellbeing
- Care and support
- Environment
- Leadership and management
Each area has four potential ratings:
- Excellent
- Good
- Requires improvement
- Requires significant improvement
Hillsboro provides care and support for one child/young person between the ages of eight to 25 years old who due to their complex needs cannot be placed alongside others.
Hillsboro will be used as a short-term bridging placement towards a more suitable and stable long-term placement for a young person. Where a suitable longer-term provision either isn’t identified or available, Hillsboro may support a young person in the medium to longer term.
Hillsboro provides specialist support for children and young people who are experiencing difficult circumstances, until they can move to a longer-term home in a planned way, as set out within their care and support plan. Staff work with children and young people through an intensive approach, which could include therapeutic intervention and positive behaviour support.
CIW Rating: Awaiting results
Meadow View provides care and support for up to seven children and young people within the age range of six and 17 years old (mixed gender) at any one time.
Admissions into Meadow View will be carefully considered to ensure compatibility, considering the potentially wide age range. This consists of four placements within the assessment provision and three within the emergency provision.
Meadow View offers a therapeutic environment for children and young people, using a trauma informed approach to provide the most effective support possible, enabling them to understand their individual circumstances, develop resilience, and self-care skills.
The staff team are all trained in the TRIBE model and have the constant support and guidance of a behaviour analyst who is employed on a full-time basis at Meadow View.
CIW Rating: Awaiting results
Sunny Bank provides four placements of varying lengths to children and young people between the age of eight and 17 years old, who cannot live with their own immediate or extended family.
Staff are skilled at supporting placements for those who are particularly vulnerable and present with varying needs. They work with children and young people through an intensive approach, which can include therapeutic intervention and positive behaviour support. The approach is to work in partnership with children/young people, parents/carers, and professionals to stabilise the child or young person in order that they successfully move on to a more permanent placement.
CIW Rating: Awaiting results
Children’s Respite Care
Respite care services look after a dependent person temporarily to allow their carer to have a break.
These breaks should provide a positive experience for both the person cared for and the carer, to enhance the quality of their lives and support their relationship.
Bakers Way provides a short breaks service to disabled children and young people aged from birth to 18 years old, who live in the Bridgend County Borough.
A maximum of five children can attend at any one time and the service will address their individual needs, support their families, and promote their right to use to community services and facilities.
Harwood House provides residential care for looked after children.
They are able to take up to three children or young people with complex needs, aged from 8 - 18 years old, and who are enrolled in Heronsbridge School.