How Jothno Care supports children with additional needs and gives parents time to rest and recharge.
What is respite care for children?
Respite care for children is short-term planned or emergency breaks that provide care for a child so that parents and family caregivers can take a rest (Haringey Council).
Respite care can be provided at home, in the community or in specialist settings. It is especially valuable for families of children with disabilities, complex medical needs or behavioural challenges.
Why families might need respite care
Daily care for a child with additional needs can be physically and emotionally demanding. This is particularly so when the parents work or run a business, have other children to support or have responsibilities to other family members (e.g. elderly parents) or the local community.
Respite care helps prevent burnout and supports the parents’ mental health. It can strengthen the whole family’s resilience, making care over a lifetime manageable. It can also benefit siblings who also need time and attention from their parents.
Types of respite care for children
Planned short breaks: regular, pre-booked sessions (weekly or monthly or annually) to give parents predictable time off for rest, appointments or family activities. For example, Jothno Care supports a child with sensory disabilities weekly when they need to attend college.
Emergency or unplanned respite care: care at short notice when a parent becomes ill, needs urgent hospital treatment or faces a sudden crisis.
Residential care: short-term or permanent residential care in a residential home or supported living accommodation – Jothno Care runs supported living accommodation in Slough, Berkshire.
Day care: daily or weekly sessions at a community day care centre during specified hours.
In home respite care: respite care that takes place in the home while the family caregivers are elsewhere or while they remain in the home but are occupied with other activities.
How respite care supports the child
Respite care provides a child with safe, skilled care. It can support them with personal care (bathing, dressing, toileting), feeding, medication, mobility, company and social interaction. These are tailored to your child’s needs and abilities.
The activities will provide fun and stimulation, play, sensory activities, and outings designed to build confidence, independence and enjoyment at home and away from home.
Culturally sensitive respite care for South Asian families
As a South Asian family business, Jothno Care understands the family dynamics of South Asian families.
Many households involve multigenerational living, with the expectation that caregiving will be shared among the family and that care will be handled within the household. This can make it difficult to seek external help, but hiring skilled carers can be part of caring for the family. And respite care is supplemental to family care.
Jothno’s carers respect language, faith and culture and we match carers who understand or speak key languages, can accommodate prayer times, follow religious practices, provide modesty in personal care and cater for cultural food preferences for the child.
Children’s respite care from Jothno Care
Jothno Care can provide short term respite care, regular breaks for parents and short term sheltered living accommodation.
Our carers are trained to assess, understand the child’s medical needs, communication style, sensory preferences, routine and personality and take into account the family’s expectations.
We provide our carers with specialist training in autism-friendly practices, safeguarding, disability awareness, behaviour support and non-verbal communication.
We can provide flexible home-based support in London from short visits to longer sessions or block in hours to cover work shifts, important appointments, religious events, family events or much needed rest time.
Our carers are culturally aligned. As well as South Asian carers, we can provide carers from diverse backgrounds including English, Asian and Arabic carers.
Our personal care plans will provide the overall assessment of routines, medication, and support needed. We communicate with the parents at all times and are open to feedback and adjustments.
Arranging respite care for children in London
To arrange respite care for children in London call our office, email us, visit us, or fill in a referral form and we will get in touch. There is no need to wait for a GP referral. We work with many London councils to arrange care.
If you are a parent of a child with special educational needs or a disability and you feel you need a short term break or regular childcare contact us for an informal conversation about respite options that are tailored to your child and your family.
We would be delighted to discuss your cultural and faith needs so that we can design a care plan that feels safe, respectful and genuinely helpful.