Short breaks

Short breaks give children and young people with SEND a chance to enjoy new activities, have fun and make new friends. They also give parents and carers a break from their caring responsibilities.

A short break can take place after school, at the weekend, during school holidays or overnight. A short break can also be an activity for a few hours e.g. at a leisure centre. Some short break activities are free to use whilst others charge. A reduced cost may be available for families on low incomes.

All children and young people with SEND should be able to access short break activities and opportunities which are happening in their local area.

The type of short break you may receive will depend on the needs of your child. There are three types of short breaks:

Universal short break

Universal Short Break activities take place in a range of venues including family well-being centres, leisure centres, youth centres, parks, playgrounds, and community centres. Universal short breaks activities include inclusive opportunities such as scouts, cadets etc. Universal Short Breaks are sometimes called mainstream services. 

Brent’s Yellow Card and B Active card, available to young people on the Disability Register, offer discounts on activities including those at Brent leisure centres.

Not all Universal Short Breaks will be suitable for everyone. It is advisable to contact the provider to discuss your child / children’s needs and what they can offer.

Wherever possible universal short break opportunities should be used first. These services must follow the Equalities Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments and not to treat a disabled person unfairly.

Targeted short breaks

Targeted Short Breaks activities also take place in a range of venues, including leisure centres. Targeted short breaks are for specific groups of children and young people e.g. dedicated swimming sessions for autistic children; a residential for young people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or targeted youth activities for children and young people with SEND.

Specialist short breaks

Specialist Short Breaks are for families with children whose needs are considered to be more complex and are provided subject to an eligibility criteria. The 0 to 25 Disabled Children and Young Peoples’ Service will carry out an assessment of your child / children’s needs to decide what level of support they and the rest of the family might need. A Resource Allocation Tool is also used to support the assessment and to ensure the right level of support is offered to families. Brent’s Short Breaks Decision Making Panel will:

• initially only allocate one night per month for all new referrals, except when there are exceptional circumstances e.g. to prevent family breakdown
• review new overnight short breaks packages after three months, then six monthly thereafter
• review existing placements every six months depending on the current situation and in line with the Child in Need (CiN) or Short Break Plan

If children / young people do not attend their overnight short break (without notification) more than twice, they will be referred to panel for further discussion.

Specialist short breaks include:

• an overnight stay at the Ade Adepitan Centre
• at the weekend and in school holidays with DARE
• summer holiday opportunity for young people of 18 and above at Brent Play
• direct payments to pay for a Personal Assistant or care at home agency to:
  • provide care and support
  • pay for an activity

Parents / carers can also request an assessment of their child / children’s needs by contacting Brent Family Front Door on 020 8937 4300 or emailing family.frontdoor@brent.gov.uk

What is not a short break?

• Childcare (Regular and ongoing)
• Holidays (in and out of the UK)
• Support for siblings
• Emotional support
• Extra tuition
• Support for parental ill health
• Driving lessons
• Cleaning Services

Short breaks are an integral part of the wider support that we offer to children and young people with SEND. We want to provide services that are safe, interesting and rewarding and which enable them to participate fully in family and community life.

To support the process of accessing provision locally, we will:

• provide guidance for the Voluntary Sector to support them in accessing grant funding to deliver high quality short breaks for children and young people with SEND (both universal and targeted)
• deliver a full training programme for short break providers to ensure they are sufficiently trained to support all children and young people, irrespective of any SEND they might have
• work with providers to develop their youth services offer
• check and monitor the quality across short break providers
• ensure the Local Offer is updated regularly.

If you have any questions, queries or comments regarding our short break services and development for the future then please email localoffer@brent.gov.uk