Examining the Experiences of a Short Break Scheme amongst Adolescents with Disabilities (Service Users) and their Parents

Globally, families who care for a child or adolescent with disabilities have been found to experience high levels of maternal ill health, stress, depression and family breakdown. In extreme cases, children and adolescents may have to move away from their family to a permanent residential placement. A potentially more appropriate and cost-effective approach is the provision of family support services; predominantly these have taken the form of short break schemes, whereby temporary (respite) care is issued to provide short-term relief for the family (e.g. regular afternoon care). This research reported the impact of a short break scheme from the perspective of the service users and their parents by conducting interviews with adolescents with disabilities and quantitative questionnaires with the parents, following a summer short break scheme.     

The weight of waiting: the impact of delayed early intervention on parental self-efficacy

Early intervention is a systematic approach for identifying and co-ordinating support for children up to five years of age with developmental delay. The increasing number of children needing early intervention is leading to longer waiting lists for assessment, treatment and diagnosis. Through a mixed-methods approach, this study examined the impact of waiting lists on parental self-efficacy (PSE). An online survey was completed by 197 mothers of children with special educational needs aged one to seven years. Six mothers later took part semi-structured interviews. The research aimed to establish (a) whether there was a relationship between length of time on waiting lists and PSE, and (b) whether there were specific themes or patterns associated with delayed early intervention and PSE. Results showed no significant relationship between time spent on a waiting list and perceived PSE. The qualitative results, however, found that limited contact and poor quality of interactions alongside a lack of information did reduce perceived PSE.