We pride ourselves on a person-centred approach and this is reflected in our referral process:

1. Visit the Farm

If you or a family member is interested in a social care placement, or you are thinking of supporting a client to attend the farm, please contact us via email info@bigfishfarm.co.uk or call 07503 026679 to arrange a mutually convenient day to come and have a visit. 

People can come on their own or be supported by a referral partner, support worker, care worker or family member. Upon arrival we do ask for a risk assessment and pre-enrollment form to be completed. Once this has been completed you are invited on a tour of the farm. This usually lasts about an hour. They will get a chance to see what we do and ask any questions. 

Please also send any SEND, Care Assessment and their latest review documents to info@bigfishfarm.co.uk. It is important that we have a full and complete picture of the client’s needs, wants, risks and behaviours if the placement is to be successful.

2. Arrange a Taster Day

After visiting the farm, if you/ the client would like to attend and we feel we are able to provide the right support, we will arrange a free taster day to try out the service before any commitment is made.

At this stage, we would encourage the interested party to speak to family members or referrers to think about how Big Fish Farm could fit in with their other activities and what day would be best for them to attend the farm.

3. Attending a Taster Day

The day starts at 9.00am and finishes at 3.30pm. We are outside all day, however we can provide shelter during lunch if the weather requires it.

The person attending the farm will need to bring the following:

  • Clothing appropriate for the weather to work in.

  • Steel toe capped boots (wellies or walking boots are also acceptable for taster day) to change into for working on the farm.

  • Gloves to work in (e.g. gardening or DIY type)

  • Packed lunch and any drinks they like.

We will provide all other specialist PPE if required as well as tea, herbal teas, coffee and cold drinks.  There is currently no electrics onsite so we will be unable to warm up food.

4. Evalutating Taster Day and Finalising Funding

Following the taster day, we would encourage family members, referrers and/or support staff to discuss with the client and their support networks about how they felt the taster day went. This may work best over time, to enable the client to process the day and how they feel about it.