Refer a Child
All of your questions answered...
Is your child coming to CHICKS or perhaps you have referred a child for a respite break?
Either way we are sure you'll want to find out more about their time with us?
CHICKS Child / Parent DVD from CHICKS_Charity on Vimeo.
Please read below, where we hope we have answered all of your questions, if not contact our team on 01822 811020 (option 2)
Please click on the links below to find out more...
How much will the break cost?
Where will the children stay?
Who will look after the children?
What will they be doing?
What do they need to bring?
What can my child not bring?
How do I contact my child?
What will happen if they are on medication?
Can the children bring pocket money?
General Information...
Our breaks are completely free to you. We are a registered charity so we raise funds to give children opportunities that they would not normally have.
The only area we do not fund is transporting the children from home to the South West. We do have a series of collection points in the South West and the Coordination Team will work with you directly regarding this.
For information only – each child place costs CHICKS £722, we believe every child should have the chance to build happy childhood memories and that is what CHICKS is all about.
CHICKS have two stunning Retreats in the South West; Coastal Retreat by the seaside and Moorland Retreat on the edge of the Dartmoor. Each Retreat can take a maximum of 16 children (eight boys and eight girls) on one break.
We have large grounds with beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. Outside we have barns with floor level trampolines, basketball nets and pools tables as well as fields for football and cricket. Inside there are board games, arts and crafts and lots of other fun things to do.
Sleeping arrangements are separated into boys and girls bedrooms with en-suite facilities and bunk beds. They are beautifully decorated and functional for everyone to stay in.
We have a lounge and dining room at each Retreat which means everyone can sit together at mealtimes.
Who will look after the children?
Each camp will have three fully trained professional members of the CHICKS team. They run the breaks with the support of up to eight volunteers (four male & four female) who help to ensure that everything runs smoothly and we maintain our ratio of 2:1 children to adults.
All staff are fully qualified in working with children and we have all necessary safety checks and regulations in place. First aid, child protection, food hygiene and many other areas are included as well as annual CRB checks for all staff, plus CRB and reference checks for all volunteers involved.
At CHICKS we have our own cooks who provide excellent home-cooked evening meals and cleaners who try to keep things tidy!
During a CHICKS break we do lots of different activities, from climbing to horse-riding, dancing to adventure parks and lots, lots more! We try and do something for everyone and the emphasis is on a fun and welcoming atmosphere.
All activities are "challenge by choice". No child is ever forced to take part in anything they do not want to do and activities do vary slightly according to the time of the year, weather and age of the children.
CHICKS have plenty of spare items so do not panic if you don't have everything.
CHICKS can provide waterproof coats, wellington boots and any other items that may be needed.
We have washing and drying facilities at CHICKS for use if necessary.
Your child just needs to bring comfortable everyday clothes that they will be happy mucking about in; e.g. several jumpers & t-shirts, trousers / jeans and shorts (if it is sunny!) plus several pairs of socks and underwear, sensible shoes such as trainers, a swimming costume or swimming trunks and a towel.
They will also need: a toothbrush & toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel, deodorant (not spray) and a comb or hairbrush.
Many children bring a comforting teddy, blanket etc. Something from home can often help comfort them if they are missing family and friends.
Mobile phones (CHICKS phones will be available for the children to use)
Aerosol sprays (they interfere with the fire alarm systems)
Games-consoles & personal stereos: with so much packed into each week there is just not enough time
Valuables are brought at your child's own risk. CHICKS cannot be held responsible for the loss or damage of these items during their stay
Your child will be booked at one of our two Retreats and the telephone numbers are below. It is best to ring in the evenings as they are often out during the day doing activities.
Please remember you will need the password given by our Coordination Team if you wish to ring whilst your child is at CHICKS.
Coastal retreat – Cornwall – 01726 815383
Moorland retreat – Devon - 01822 810732
On the first evening the children are all encouraged to phone home and let you know that they have arrived safe and sound.
Please be assured that we will always contact you if there are any problems or should your child need to speak to you for any reason. We will also contact the referral agent if needed.
What will happen if they are on medication?
Your child's medical details should be written on their consent form with their application.
Please make sure that your child brings all necessary medication and that we are aware of dosages and times. If they have only recently started taken a medication you must inform our office, 01822 811020 (option 2) so we can update our records.
Can the children bring pocket money?
A CHICKS break is completely free of charge. All meals, accommodation and treats are paid for. However, there is an opportunity during the week for children to visit a shop where they can buy keepsakes and mementos to take home. We recommend children bring a maximum of £10 for this.
Food...
Please let us know of any dietary requirements, religious needs or allergies that your child may have. CHICKS provide good, home-cooked meals using fresh ingredients wherever possible, and there is always a good choice of different foods available.
We will never force a child to eat anything they do not wish to eat – but we may try to tempt them into trying something new or eating a little more to keep their energy levels nice and high for all the activities.
Smoking Policy...
CHICKS operate a no smoking policy. Children will NOT be allowed to smoke for the duration of the break.
Our breaks are just the beginning....
We give every child a free post envelope so they can keep in touch with the people they have met on their break such as other children, volunteers or the CHICKS team that they were with on camp with.
No contact details are ever pasted on as everything goes through CHICKS.
We receive thousands of letters each year from children who have been on camp and it is a fantastic way to keep the memories and time at CHICKS alive.
Each time a child or volunteer's writes in we send another free post envelope to enable the contact to continue.
This contact is always lead by the child and we have found it can go on for years!
Throughout May we will be running our Change for CHICKS campaign. We're asking all our supporters to encourage their friends, family and colleagues to donate their small change to CHICKS. More...
