31 July 2012
During a routine inspection
We met with the registered manager of the IDS Short Break Service. We discussed care and support for children who use the service and looked at some of the records and documentation held there. We were told the IDS aimed to provide quality assured short break provision to those families in need of a break.
We spoke with the parents of three children that received support from IDS. They told us they were involved in care planning and were happy with the support their children received. One parent commented about their child's support worker, 'It is nice to be able to go out for a few hours knowing my child is in good hands.'
We met with a support worker in the office and spoke with another on the telephone. We found they were very positive about working for IDS. They demonstrated a sound understanding of the needs of the children they were supporting. They also told us they were provided with plenty of training, including training specific to individual children's care needs. One support worker said, 'The service is constantly re-assessing our training to make sure we are competent in our roles.'