Safespace

As described above, the Safespace will eliminate all hard surfaces. This means that you are able to place the person inside in the comforting knowledge that their environment has been made as physically safe as possible for them. It also removes the dangers that arise from people having access to windows, radiators, lights and plug sockets. At the same time, the Safespace is made in calming colours and can be used with sensory equipment placed outside, so it is a pleasant environment for the person inside. A Safespace can be used in many creative ways. Some children are used to being able to watch television, listen to music or relax with sensory lighting. By using a Safespace instead of padded panels, all of these can be placed outside the Safespace out of harm’s way. A Safespace can be designed with viewing panels especially for televisions or sensory equipment, and white walls for use with a projector. Please see our Accessories page for ideas about these. Comfort and entertainment can often be forgotten where safety is the number one concern for the person. We are interested in providing a piece of equipment that cares holistically for the person, providing as pleasant a bedroom environment as possible for your child, such as you would want for any child whatever their needs.

Below are just a couple of common problems that our clients reported experiencing before they received a Safespace and how having the Safespace has helped.

• Injuries

  In many cases, a Safespace has been fitted due to a person hurting themselves on walls, floors and furniture either intentionally or accidentally. These injuries have sometimes been due to the person being destructive e.g. bleeding fingernails due to picking plaster off room walls. A Safespace eliminates all hard surfaces and its heavy duty materials can stand up to extreme force.

  A Safespace may also have been fitted to help protect other members of the family, or members of staff in a school, from injury due to a person lashing out with anger or frustration. A person can be placed inside the Safespace where they are able to take their anger out on the Safespace and not on other people. In a lot of cases, clients have reported back to us that the Safespace’s low sensory, calm environment has helped people calm down much quicker than they previously would have done. This seems particularly true if a person has had to be held still for their own safety.

  Many of our clients use the Safespace as an area where they can leave their child safely alone, sometimes just for a few minutes. They may have to do things such as answer an important telephone call, take a bath, or take the rubbish out! Just making these simple tasks easier can make a real difference to their day and how they cope with the demands of a child with special needs.

• Lack of Sleep

  Many people with special needs have poor sleep patterns. In particular, children with autism often only sleep for a few hours a night and it is common for them to have trouble ‘switching off’ and settling down for sleep. Couple this problem with a child who needs constant supervision due to safety issues and many parents and carers struggle to cope. This has left many parents and carers exhausted, having to manage the additional care a child with special needs requires, looking after other children in the family and often trying to hold down a job too. The Safespace helps in two ways.

  Firstly, the Safespace is a safer area where a child can be awake alone. Most of our clients leave soft toys inside the Safespace or have a ballpool fitted and some have a television placed outside a viewing panel so that the child can play comfortably and safely by themselves. This allows other family members get some much needed sleep. If you are nervous about leaving your child in a room alone, you can use a CCTV system to monitor them through a viewing panel in the Safespace. Many of our clients report that just being able to get ‘normal’ sleep has changed their and their family’s lives more than anything else.

  Secondly, it has been reported to us that the Safespace has actually promoted better sleep patterns in the child. Due to it being a low sensory environment, it removes the stimulation that can make it hard for a child to settle down at night. It also seems to help if the child is alone, as just the presence of another person nearby can mean a child is unable to ‘switch off’. This has helped many of our clients establish regular bedtimes and often results in more sleep at night for the child. This may be one of the reasons that better behaviour during the day has also been reported to us after a Safespace has been fitted.



• Practical Matters

  Some rooms may have fitted wardrobes, inset shelving or alcoves. We are able to provide zip-out panels in the Safespace walls, thus enabling access and continued use of these facilities. Double ended zips will be provided so you can attach a fastener of your choice to prevent the Safespace user from opening the panel.

  The Safespace requires no building work and so causes no major structural alteration to your home when installed. This also means the Safespace can be taken with you if you move house (provided the room you are taking it to is of a similar size and layout), and re-installed by Safespace fitters.