Celebrating our CYP Services this Disability History Month

Celebrating Squirrels

16 November – 16 December is UK Disability History Month: an annual opportunity to celebrate the achievements of people living with a disability and to raise awareness of their challenges. First launched in 2020, Disability History Month provides a platform to focus on the history of disabled people’s struggle for equality and human rights.

The theme for Disability History Month 2023 focusses on the experience of disablement amongst children and young people in the past, present, and what is needed for the future. To mark the occasion, Paula Little, Senior Nurse on our Children’s Short Breaks Home Nursing Team, created this blog post to explain how our services at NCH&C support children and young people with a disability in Norfolk…

“NCH&C provide a range of services for Children and Young People (CYP). Across a large range of these services, many of the children and young people we work with will have a disability.

“Our services are varied and include a wide range of clinical specialists such as nurses, consultants, AHPs, and psychologists, as well as highly trained support staff. We deliver services that assess and diagnose, services that offer treatment, as well as services that support the families of those CYP that are most vulnerable to maintain resilience.

“Our aim is to ensure that all CYP regardless of any disability of health condition can enjoy and achieve in their communities along side their peers. We offer training and support to education providers and some third sector providers so that CYP with complex health needs and disabilities can take part in a range of activities.

“One very important service we deliver is respite care. This is where we help look after CYP who are usually looked after by their families. For younger children, we deliver this service in their own homes. For older patients (aged 5-18 years), we deliver respite care in our specialist unit, Squirrels, based in Aylsham. The aim of both services is to support families, enabling them to build resilience whilst they take a break from delivering high levels of care. They are also an opportunity to provide a fun and enjoyable time for the CYP.  It is important within these services that we recognise each CYP as an individual and embrace their individuality, their likes and dislikes, tailoring activities to best suit the needs of each child.”

Find out more about our Children’s Short Breaks Residential Service here.