Short breaks for disabled children

Available to all children and young people, regardless of whether they have a disability or not.

The Local Offer Facebook page provides a range of activities that are on offer and pop-up events for children and young people with SEND, particularly during the holiday periods. There are also links to useful organisations that support the SEND age range (birth to 25).

Families can access these services directly and find more information on the Local Offer directory and on the Activities and clubs for SEND page.

There are some targeted services that are available to families and children with disabilities, SEND, and/or low to moderate support needs that don't meet the threshold for statutory social care intervention.

Families can access many of these services directly and find more information about them on the Local Offer directory and the Local Offer Facebook page

Designed for children and young people with the most complex and specialist needs, where they attend specialist groups, clubs, and activities which are enjoyable, allowing parents/carers to 'take a break' from their caring responsibilities.

An amount of money available on a card over the summer period to spend on activities and/or resources for the child or young person to access.

Case studies

Mo is 9 years old and has autism, ADHD and developmental delay, and is in a special school. He lives with mum, dad, nana, and a 14 year old brother. Mo used to have a commissioned play scheme for summer holidays, but during Covid the family elected to use the Summer Direct Payment card. The family use the card to buy membership at a local attraction and so are able to benefit from days out together through the holiday which they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. They’ve decided to have the card again this year and so completed the self-assessment and were happy with a level 1 assessment.

Direct payments can be used flexibly to meet the needs of your child through community activities, for example play schemes, holiday clubs, youth clubs, faith groups, sports, dance and drama classes, etc. These may be mainstream or specialist.

Case studies

Taylor is 13 years old and lives with their mum, along with two cousins who are both under the age of 5. Taylor has ADHD and developmental delay, and is being assessed for ASD. Taylor sometimes finds it difficult to manage their emotions and this often results in a meltdown. Taylor will often bang their head and scratch themselves when they can’t cope. Taylor is at a specialist school and says has friends, however, there is no special person that Taylor meets outside of school and has become more isolated and reliant on mum. Taylor is wanting to become more independent like they see on social media, but needs support as they would be a risk by themselves in the community.

The self-assessment was completed, meeting the criteria for level 1 and then also met the criteria for level 2. They will be receiving 181 hours direct payment, so they can access a SEND gaming club.

This will enable you to employ a Personal Assistant who can provide the support to access a particular activity or support the child to pursue a particular interest or hobby.

Case studies

Melody is 12 years old and is at a mainstream school with a diagnosis of autism. Melody receives high-rate care and low-rate mobility. Melody didn't quite meet the eligibility criteria and so her dad requested an assessment of need. A Family Support Worker from Family Help visited the family to find out more about their circumstances. Melody experiences school anxiety and hasn't been attending school for the last year. Melody receives home tutoring, but her parents are finding it difficult to motivate her to leave the house. A specialist placement has been agreed by the SEN Panel, and the SENA service are in the process of consulting with special schools.

The Short Break Panel agreed that a short break would be beneficial to the family in this interim period and agreed direct payments for Melody for the next 6 months until hopefully she is settled in school. Any continuing need for the short break will be reviewed then. Her parents have purchased an annual subscription to Twin Lakes and will take Melody and her sibling to enjoy time together as a family and encourage Melody to regain her confidence away from the home and increase social interactions.

A service arranged through Leicestershire County Council. This may include weekend, after school, or school holiday activity sessions, providing a range of activities such as arts and crafts, dance, outdoor experiences, music, sports, etc.

Approved Leicestershire County Council Short Break Specialist Providers:

• FTM Dance
• Glebe House
• Goldhill
• SENSE
• Melton Mencap
• New Leaf Triangle
• Flourish with Phoenix
• Sportworks Ltd
• Woodleigh Health
• Purple Heart

We do at times work with other agencies.

Case studies

Jack is 8 years old and is diagnosed with autism and developmental delay. He finds transitions difficult, for example when going into school, as well as moving between different activities. These often result in meltdowns that can last a period of time and means that his parents are unable to take him out along with his siblings.

Jack now attends a special school, which took some time to settle into.

Jack lives with his mum and dad, who both work full-time, along with 2 siblings that are under the age of 5. His mum has particularly found it difficult to manage, due to her own mental health needs.

When his mum completed the self-assessment, Jack was eligible for level 1 and level 2, however his mum felt that what Jack needed was more opportunities to spend time with peers, so requested an assessment. The Short Break Panel agreed to 6 hours per week for a commissioned service.

This provides help within the home for families requiring additional support with morning and evening routine and personal care.

Care agencies that have been through a quality assurance process with the council:

• Woodleigh Health
• Diversity
• Prestige Care
• Purple Care
• Anstey Healthcare
• Daystar
• Alliance SC
• Caremark
• Interpid Care & Support
• MK Executive Care
• Raageh Care
• Seven Care Services

We do at times work with other care agencies.

Case studies

Mia is 16 years old and lives with her mum and older sister. She has cerebral palsy and mild learning difficulty, and is a full-time wheelchair user. Mia is unable to undertake self-care tasks without a lot of support, for example she needs help to wash and dress and is unable to wash her own hair. Mia has a significant difficulty with speech, but is highly effective at using assistive technology to get her voice heard. Mia’s family have previously had support to adapt the family home to Mia’s needs, however in recent months she is expressing to her family that she is embarrassed that they must bathe her and dress her. In addition, Mia is frustrated that she doesn't get any opportunity, other than at school, to spend time away from her family. She really wants to be able to spend time at the weekend with her friends outside of the family home.

Self-assessment wouldn't have been appropriate as the payment wouldn't have been appropriate to cover domiciliary care. The assessment went to Panel who agreed to support Mia with 4 hours of domiciliary care during the week – this will enable her to have independent support to complete personal care tasks. In addition, the Panel agreed to 181 hours of support. This will enable the family to employ a Personal Assistant who can take Mia out on a Saturday to meet her friends, and work with Mia on developing independence skills, such as going into shops and cafes using her communication device to interact with others.

Overnight short breaks can only be assessed by a social worker in the Children’s Disability Service, and it may be provided by either foster carers in their own home or a carer attending the family home due to a child’s high-level complex needs.

Legislation sets the amount of hours that a child or young person can access before being classed as a looked after child.

Overnight breaks are generally only agreed for children with more complex needs and circumstances in line with our thresholds.