Short breaks

Children and young people may be eligible for short breaks if they fulfil all of the criteria below:

• Have a physical or mental impairment
• The impairment must have adverse effects which are substantial for example, more than minor or trivial
• The substantial adverse effects must be long-term for example, two months or more
• The long-term substantial adverse effects must be effects on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities
• Are living in Swindon
• Are under 18 years of age and in the age-range of the short break provision on offer

We offer a range of short break services, expressed as three levels: community, inclusion and specialist.

Children and young people with disabilities are encouraged and supported to use community and inclusion services, where possible, before accessing any specialist services.

Children and young people with disabilities should be able to access social and leisure activities that are available in the community for all children and young people.

Examples of these activities are:

• leisure and sports services 
• after-school and holiday clubs
• youth services 
• public spaces like parks

These facilities and services have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that children and young people with disabilities receive the same services, as far as this is possible, as those without disabilities.

Inclusion enables disabled children and young people, aged 5 to 18 years, to access social and leisure activities in the community alongside non-disabled peers.  

These packages are only for children and young people aged 5 to 18 years old because younger children usually need help from parents or carers to join in activities, regardless of their level of need.

Inclusion short breaks are available for children and young people who require:

• direct support to attend social activities
• guidance and prompting to tend to their personal care needs
• support to communicate their needs and wishes
• supervision to prevent harm to themselves or others during activities

Specialist short breaks are only available to children and young people, aged 0 to 18 years, with severe and complex disabilities who require: 

• significant levels of direct support to attend social activities
• practical help to tend to their personal care needs
• specialist interventions to maintain their physical health
• have dependence on a carer to interpret their needs and wishes
• require high levels of supervision to prevent harm to themselves or others

Inclusion and specialist short break packages are offered as a personal budget of which there are two types:

• Activities Budget: An Activities Budget is a nominal budget, which means that no money changes hands. It is effectively an allocation of short break hours. 
• Individual Support Budget: An Individual Support Budget is provided to parents or a young person (aged 16+) as a direct payment into their bank account. Parents or the young person are responsible for spending the money in line with an agreed plan to deliver agreed outcomes.  An Individual Support Budget may not be an option for every parent or young person.

You can access social and leisure activities in the community without an assessment. Early Help Conversations or statutory social care assessments are used to determine whether inclusion or specialist short breaks are required.  

Parents or carers of a disabled child can request an assessment from a professional that knows them well.  For example, a SENCO or Family Worker in school. Parents or carers of a disabled child can also request an assessment directly from Children’s Services by calling Contact Swindon on 01793 464 646 or emailing contactchildrenandfamilies@swindon.gov.uk.

Please see Swindon’s Short Breaks Statement for full details on Swindon’s short breaks offer and more information on how decisions are made regarding short breaks.