Shapes
At Shapes, each child or young person has an individually tailored programme and works with a small team of fully trained child support workers.
We support children and young people with a wide range of disabilities and our support workers are trained and have lots of experience working with children with complex medical and/or behavioural needs.
Children and young people can expect to be looked after by a small team of carers who will learn about their likes and dislikes and are trained to look after a wide range of needs, by they medical or behavioural.
Personalised care
The care provided at Shapes can be tailored around the child and family’s needs, whether it is within the family home or community based. Children can be assisted to access leisure activities, going out for meals, shopping, and much more.
Care can also be used to assist within the home for personal care tasks, any time day or night. This allows families to have time out from their caring role with the knowledge that their child is being looked after by highly trained, experienced support workers.
Before your sessions start, a detailed care plan and assessment of needs will be carried out to work out how best we can support your child and family.
To access Shapes, an assessment is required by the local authority. Some families access Shapes through local authority funding, however, it is possible to use Shapes through Direct Payment methods or other funding. The cost of the service is based on individual requirements.
Click here to download our short brochure about Shapes and Lily’s Place.
What to expect…
Shapes staff perform most tasks that the parents carry out in their caring roles; personal care, administration of medication, feeding (including alternative methods), epilepsy care, oxygen therapy, overnight 1:1 observation, outings and trips in the community.
This is a very flexible service as times of care are organised to suit your family’s needs. Typically, Shapes is organised for school mornings and after school. Getting ready for bedtime including bathing, overnight care, waking nights, or sleep-in on call nights.
Also, during weekends or school holiday times to take children on activities or out of the family home for a short break. We’ll work with you to see which session times would be appropriate, along with the tasks our staff would perform.
A network of support
Shapes works closely with Lily’s Place, our children’s respite home.
Close liaison is maintained with social services, community nurses and other professionals to ensure that Shapes is meeting the needs of each child.
The service is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and follows the Domiciliary Care Standards. Click here to read our latest report.
Parents may take this opportunity to have a short break. Some families like to use the extra help to go out with their child and siblings on an outing with the knowledge part of the pressure of their caring role is taken away. However, Shapes staff cannot take responsibility for other siblings.
Our history
Shapes was established in 2004 as the charity’s domiciliary service for children and young people offering flexible support for those aged 0 to 18 years old with physical and/or learning difficulties.
We began offering our transitions service in 2018 for young people aged between 18 and 25, based within Lily’s Place. In 2019 we opened a respite home for these young people, Lawford Lodge, named after Marion Lawford whose daughter has been supported by Diverse Abilities for more than 50 years.
Getting in contact
Phone: 01202 718238
Email: shapes@diverseabilities.org.uk
Address: Shapes, 17 Manor Avenue, Poole, Dorset, BH12 4LB