The Pave Project Report - Queen's University Belfast

The PAVE Project Report 61
“… the thing about the trips is that you are with people you know, and maybe
between 10 and 20 people, and where you are in the… you can go and stay
individually, you don’t have to be with the group during the day. We kind of break
up into small groups and then we meet up for tea or we meet up for dinner or we
meet up… And you’re always meeting people who you know, and I find that very
good.” (Interviewee J)
“… decided that we would like to go for maybe wee weekends and things. And it
was a great, great success. And I mean, a great success. Everybody enjoyed it.
And the only thing they didn’t enjoy was coming back home and like myself, going
in, looking at four bare walls again. And I think that this was great to get away
together, talk about it, and chatting and doing things like that. So, it grew from
there on, then, the… pantomimes and shopping trips, weekends away. And everyone
in the group really, really, really enjoyed it. And still does.” (Interviewee C)
Recommendations:
Based on our findings, services could be categorised as respite care/time-out if they
include the following:
1. Day trips, short breaks, or holidays for service users;
2. facilitated by staff members with a qualification in the caring professions;
3. a selection process to identify facilitators and service users;
4. activities that are pre-planned and have a definitive time span and location.