Short breaks

What are short breaks?

Short breaks are play and leisure opportunities which support disabled children to go places, spend time with friends, take part in fun and enjoyable activities, develop their independence and try new things. They could be in the family home, at an activity, in the community or other residential setting. A short break also gives parent carers and families a chance to have time out, and rest from caring responsibilities.

During term time, they are typically not delivered during core school hours. The type, length and duration of a short break will vary depending on the individual needs, following an assessment of the child or young person and their family.

They can last anything from a couple of hours to an evening, overnight, weekend and can be offered during daytimes, evenings, weekends and school holidays.

This provides disabled children and young people with opportunities to take part in unforgettable activities and develop vital skills now and for their future, as they become more independent and form friendships outside of their family.

We have a duty to support short breaks for disabled children aged 17 or younger in Devon.

Different types of short breaks

• Universal services and activities: These are clubs, groups or services that are open to all children and young people, both with and without a disability. They are services that are accessible to anyone at any time.
• Universal+ services: These ‘targeted help’ services are services that, typically, parents and carers can access directly for their child or young person. They will be aimed at supporting children who have a disability or special educational needs.
• Targeted support: These are services that have been assessed by the Council as being needed in order to meet unmet and eligible social care needs. They may be services which are currently not accessible without direct involvement from the Council.
• Specialist services or individual support: These are services that can be accessed via an assessment of your child or young person’s needs, carried out by the Council. These services are for children and young people whose needs cannot be fully met through universal and/or targeted services.

Our vision and commitment

We’re dedicated to ensuring children, young people and their families are at the heart of all we do; in every action we take and every decision we make.

We know that what we do today affects children and young peoples’ tomorrows. We are focused on helping children and young people to be safe, fulfil potential, develop resilience, and enjoy good health and wellbeing throughout their life journey.

Short breaks statement

Our short breaks statement explains the support available to families with disabled children and young people in our local area.

Our full short breaks statement ‘ Understanding short breaks’ is available to download, but we’ve also highlighted the key points here.

What our short break statement covers

Our short breaks statement explains the support available to families with disabled children and young people in our local area.

It meets the requirements set out in the law, and includes information about:

• the different types of short breaks available
• who can use short breaks and how we assess needs
• how short breaks are designed to support families and carers

We developed this statement together with parents, carers, children, and younger people to make sure it reflects what local families need providing the information which is necessary to them to find the right services and support. In addition to the main elements above, we have included information which parent carers frequently ask.

What we aim to offer

We want to make sure:

• there are enough short breaks for all children and young people with disabilities and special educational needs, and their families
• you and your family can access short breaks in your local community where possible
• the types of breaks are varied, so you can choose what works best for your family.