What a short break is
A short break is when a child or young person who is disabled spends supported time apart from their main carer.
Short breaks help parents and carers to continue to provide the care their child needs.
Short break activities take place outside of school hours during:
- daytime
- evenings
- weekends
- school holidays
Short breaks can last from a few hours to full days and even overnight.
Short breaks can include:
- group activities
- holiday play schemes
- one to one support
Short breaks give the young person the opportunity to:
- enjoy themselves
- become more independent
- form friendships
- take part in activities
Their family benefits from a break from the demands of caring for their child. This means carers can relax, spend time with each other and/or their other children.
Who can use short breaks
Short breaks for everyone
Lots of children can have short breaks without any assessment by going to activities and groups that are open to everyone.
Many organisations welcome children and young people with a range of abilities, these include local activity groups and holiday clubs. You can speak with activity and group organisers about reasonable adjustments that will help your child enjoy the break.
Supported short breaks
Supported short breaks are for children and young people who are disabled and who need additional support to enjoy these breaks. A child is disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities.
Supported short breaks include groups and activities where there is extra support or special facilities for children and young people who are disabled. You do not need to have an assessment to use supported short breaks. You must meet the short break provider's criteria for the activities as they are based on the level of support your child needs.
We, as Dorset Council, help to pay for some activities to make sure that supported short breaks are available for children who need them. This means that the cost to join these activities is usually only:
- £5 to £15 per child for a half day activity
- £15 to £30 per child for a full day activity
Specialist short breaks
Specialist short breaks are for children and young people who are disabled and have had an assessment that identifies that they need them. An assessment helps professionals to understand what works well for a child and their family, as well as where extra support would be helpful.
A family worker or social worker from the Birth to Settled Adulthood (B2SA) team will do the assessment.
Specialist short breaks include short break opportunities with high levels of support for complex needs. These might be arranged by the B2SA team, or families can make their own arrangements with funding from a Direct Payment.
- individual support – during the day or overnight
- activities with specialist support
- overnight stays – these could be with a family link carer or in a residential home