respite care

Families can request “respite care” for five days at a time to get temporary relief from serving as caregivers.

Complete caregiver breakdown would also not qualify someone for respite care, because respite care is specifically designed to be temporary relief.

Alessi, now aged four, requires round-the-clock nursing, and Reagan, her sole carer, only receives six hours a month of respite care from the Jessie May charity.

The Northern Trust said it did not place anyone in Hydebank as it was "a matter for the judicial system" and added that current pressures on respite care and residential placements across Northern Ireland have caused "significant challenges".

He first started respite care when he was four, as his mother needed help because she felt his behaviour was no longer manageable at home.