Short Breaks Services for children with disabilities

The Centre Based Short Breaks Activity Group provides structured, inclusive and stimulating sessions for children and young people with disabilities in a safe, accessible community setting. The service offers planned weekend term time sessions and extended school holiday sessions, delivering a mix of play, creative, sensory and social development activities tailored to individual needs. Provision is delivered by trained staff working to a 4:1 ratio, ensuring high quality support, personal care where required, and positive engagement. Activities are designed to promote independence, confidence, peer relationships and physical wellbeing, while offering families essential respite. Each session includes a combination of free play, group activities, communication focused interaction and calm/sensory time, adapted for both age groups (5-10 and 11-15). Activities will be planned and developed based on young people feedback and may include: • arts and crafts, • music, • animal care, • cooking, • sensory groups Staff will ensure a nurturing, child centred environment that supports emotional regulation, safety, and meaningful participation. The service aims to enhance outcomes for children and young people while providing families with reliable, high quality short break support.

The Physical Development Short Breaks Activity Group provides structured, inclusive and engaging physical activity sessions for children and young people with disabilities, delivered within safe community settings. The service offers a combination of land based sports, movement activities and supervised swimming, tailored to individual needs, abilities and confidence levels. Sessions promote physical health, coordination, water safety skills, social interaction and emotional wellbeing, while delivering meaningful and enjoyable short breaks. Activities will be planned and developed based on young people feedback, but must include swimming sessions, and may also include non-traditional activities, for example: • drama, • dance, • yoga/pilates • gymnastics Each group operates with a 4:1 staffing ratio and supports up to 12 children, ensuring appropriate supervision, personalised encouragement and safe participation, including for those requiring additional reassurance in and around water. Qualified staff and swim competent workers lead activities, adapting them for both age groups (5-10 and 11-15) to support skill development, confidence building and positive peer experiences. The service aims to provide children and young people with enriching, active short breaks and to offer families reliable respite through consistent, high quality, physical development focused provision.

The Community Based Short Breaks Activity Group provides inclusive, stimulating and locally accessible sessions for children and young people with disabilities within a variety of community venues such as libraries, youth centres, parks and cultural spaces. The service offers planned weekly weekday sessions, delivering a mix of creative, social, recreational and life skills focused activities tailored to individual needs and interests. A core principle of the provision is to enable children and young people with disabilities to enjoy the same kinds of activities and experiences as their non-disabled peers, supporting equality of opportunity, social inclusion and a sense of belonging within their communities. This includes participation in activities such as trips to local parks, cinemas and community events, as well as opportunities to socialise with peers in informal, youth-led settings. Provision is delivered by trained staff working to a 3:1 ratio, ensuring safety, personalised support and meaningful engagement for up to 6 children per group, aged 15-19. Activities promote independence, communication, confidence, social interaction and community inclusion, enabling children and young people to access enjoyable experiences outside the home while offering families high quality, reliable respite.