What is a short break?
A short break gives children with disabilities the opportunity to take part in fun activities and experiences, spend time with friends, develop new skills and build their independence.
It also provides parents and carers with a valuable break from their caring responsibilities and can help families connect with other sources of support and local services.
Many children accessing short breaks may also have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
As children approach adulthood, planning will take place to help them prepare. Depending on their needs, support may continue through adult social care and other services.
Further information about preparing for adulthood and adult services can be found through the SEND local offer and adult care transition pages.
Types of short breaks:
- universal short breaks: available to all children with disabilities and can be accessed through self-referral
- youth clubs
- holiday activities
- community groups
- children’s centres
- scouts
- brownies
- leisure centres
- libraries
- targeted short breaks are designed specifically to meet the needs of children, and include weekend, holiday activity schemes, and evening activities
- specialist short breaks are services for disabled children with the most complex needs. Specialist short breaks support children, and their families where the child's disability has a substantial and long term effect on their ability to have opportunities to be safe, develop skills for life and be part of their local community growing up
- care support, this can be at home or outside the home for a specific assessed need, it might include:
- direct payments is a budget of money given to you to support with employing a carer within the home or community
- domiciliary care: personal care provided at home and in the community
- overnight stays: your child might stay at one of the local authority’s specialist residential children’s homes, which are registered and inspected by Ofsted to ensure outstanding care
Benefits of short breaks:
- independence: children get to spend time away from their parents, boosting their independence
- social skills: they have fun with friends, which helps develop their social skills
- parent and carer support: parents and carers get a break from their responsibilities
Short breaks are designed to support children and their families before difficulties reach crisis point and to help families continue caring with confidence.
Helping activity workers understand your child's needs:
You can download the "All About Me" booklet to help activity workers understand and meet your child's needs. It can be filled in electronically or printed off.
Finding Short Breaks:
Visit the local Family Services Directory and search for short breaks and search for "short breaks." You can also search via our local offer, which brings together information for children and with special educational needs and disabilities and their families.
