Overview
Hollybank is a warm, friendly and specialist short break service in Petts Wood, Orpington. We support children and young people with complex healthcare needs, physical disabilities, learning disabilities, autism and behaviours that may challenge.
We aim to give every child a safe, enjoyable and nurturing place to relax, while offering families valuable time to rest and recharge. We work closely with you and other professionals (schools, health care professionals) to keep your child with the family.
Hollybank is designed to feel warm and welcoming, with trained staff who understand each child’s individual needs. Children are encouraged to personalise their space and take part in activities that help them develop independence.
We are based at:
Hollybank
143 Chislehurst Road
Petts Wood
Orpington
BR6 0DS
Take a look at our brochure: Hollybank Brochure
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Who is this service for?
Hollybank supports children and young people aged 5 to 17 years who have disabilities, complex health care needs, autism, and behaviours that may challenge.
You must be living in the Bromley Borough or registered with a Bromley GP to come to Hollybank.
How to access this service
If you would like to use Hollybank, you will need to contact the Disabled Children’s Social Work and Short Break Team. They are based at:
Bromley Civic Centre
Stockwell Close
Bromley
BR1 3UH
đź“ž 020 8464 3333
Someone from the team will arrange to visit you at home. During this visit they will assess you and your child’s needs and help decide which short break service is the best match for your family.
If Hollybank is recommended, you will be invited to come and look around the service before making a decision. This gives you the chance to meet staff, see the environment and ask any questions you may have.
See inside Hollybank (videos)
We’re based in a quiet residential area and designed to feel homely, not clinical. We encourage children to personalise their rooms with their own favourite things, such as blankets, photos or toys.
Two specialist units
Hollybank has two separate, fully equipped units:
1. Sunshine Unit: A complex needs/physical disabilities unit
2.Poppy Unit: An autism and challenging behaviours unit
Both units are self‑contained but share leisure spaces. Bedrooms and bathrooms are adapted to meet a wide range of needs, including hoists, specialist baths and wet rooms.
Activities
Children have access to a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities, including outdoor play areas and garden, soft play room, messy play room, sensory room, Internet café, and Toys, books, games, music and games consoles.
We also offer regular day trips such as bowling, cinema visits, parks, restaurants, seaside trips and train rides to London.
Sunshine unit
Poppy unit
First floor facilities
Getting ready for Hollybank
Once it has been agreed that your child will come to Hollybank, our team will arrange to visit you at home and visit your child at school. This helps us gather all the information we need to care for your child safely and confidently. You will also receive an information pack that explains everything you and your child need to know before their first stay.
To help your child get to know us, we will invite you both to Hollybank for a series of tea visits. These take place straight after school and usually finish between 6pm and 7pm. During these visits, your child can meet other children and the staff who will be looking after them.
After around three tea visits, we will offer your child dates for their first overnight stay. This gradual approach helps children feel comfortable, familiar and ready for their break.
We have a guide with pictures that you can show your child, so they can see what happens at Hollybank. View the Hollybank Guide for Children and Young People – Easy Read.
Our Hollybank Information Pack gives you all the details you and your child need to get the most out of your child’s short term break and enables you to keep all the information together in a colourful folder.
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Our emergency bed service
If you are the parent or carer of a disabled child, you may worry about what would happen if you suddenly became unable to care for them. While other children might be cared for by family or friends, a disabled child may still be vulnerable because of their additional care needs or the need for adapted accommodation.
To support families at these difficult times, Hollybank can offer an emergency bed for a disabled child whose needs are similar to the children who already use our short break service. This service is not only for children currently known to Hollybank – it can be used by other families in urgent situations.
For more information read our leaflet.
Statement of Purpose
Hollybank’s Statement of Purpose describes our aims and objectives and the services and facilities we provide:
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Ofsted report
Click here to view the latest Ofsted report.
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
More information
Children who come to Hollybank need our care and support because they are living with a range of needs and health conditions. Information from NHS UK tells you a bit about more some of the conditions that our children may have.
Other information and advice
A registered charity working with and on behalf of people with a learning disability in Bromley.
A specialist charity offering a range of services supporting children, young people and adults with differing needs.
A charity that supports disabled people and their families to lead the lives they choose.
Below are a number of national organisations which you might find useful
A leading UK charity for people with autism (including Asperger’s syndrome) and their families, providing information, support and campaign for a better world for people with autism.
The only UK-wide charity providing advice, information and support to the parents of all disabled children.
Royal National Institute for the Blind
Supporting blind and partially sighted people.
Royal National Institute for the Deaf
Helps to improve life for deaf and hard of hearing people.
Supports people with a learning disability, and their families and carers, to lead a full and valued life.
A national charity who’s vision is a world where disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else.
Leaflets
For professionals
Registered Manager: Emma Fullagar