Smile (support & care)

Our support and care services range from family to family, from taking a disabled child to enjoy a trip to a swimming pool, to round the clock care involving medication administration and intensive physiotherapy for an individual with a life-limiting condition.

Support

At Smile Support & Care we have an established network of experienced support workers who provide help in your own home or wherever you choose.

We provide support at the times which suit you and our staff are specially selected to match your needs. You also have a choice as to who supports you.

We work alongside families in numerous ways:

• We support many families simply by giving them a break from caring for a disabled child.
• Sometimes we act as an 'extra pair of hands' to help a family member who has a physical or learning disability.
• Where an individual needs constant support throughout the night, our workers will stay up with them.
• We support an individual if they have to go into hospital, and care for them at home when they have a life-limiting condition.

Care

We provide support staff on a flexible basis in order to supply part-time or round the clock care to severely disabled children and young adults.

Our care services include:

• Healthcare for those with profound and multiple disabilities: gastric feeding, suctioning and oxygen therapy, administering medications.
• Social care to ensure children are included in activities in which they can enjoy and excel: taking them to school, swimming classes, leisure activities.
• Respite care helping families enjoy a much-needed break from full-time care provision, following dedicated programmes from physiotherapists, occupational therapists etc.
• Community care to help children be included in community activities of their choice: youth clubs, holiday play schemes, Cubs or Brownies.

To ensure we provide the best care our teams work closely with other professionals in the health and social care sectors to develop positive relationships and ensure frequent and purposeful communication.

When meeting families for the first time we also carry out an initial assessment, which is regularly reviewed and forms the basis for creating a programme of support.

Tailored to a family's requirements, the programme of support features regular monitoring visits or ‘touch points’ to ensure we continue to provide help in the most effective way.