Issue - meetings

Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to provide a range of Short Breaks services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). These services offer opportunities for children and young people to participate in enjoyable activities, build independence, and develop social connections, while providing parents, carers, and siblings with valuable respite from caring responsibilities. Short Breaks can include daytime, evening, weekend, holiday, and overnight provision, ranging from universal community services to specialist support for more complex needs.

Effective Short Breaks provision is an important part of the wider SEND support offer. It helps strengthen family resilience, prevents the escalation of needs, and contributes to better outcomes for children, young people, and their families.

During the recent OFSTED Inspections, it was acknowledged by inspectors that short breaks are a valued and important source of support for children with disabilities and their families, helping to meet needs and prevent escalation. However, they concluded that there was a need for a greater variety of current short breaks provision offer, including overnight provision, and a better sufficiency to meet growing demand and increasingly complex levels of need. As a result, Ofsted identified in their reports that the expansion of short breaks capacity and improving the accessibility and usability of the offer for families should be key priorities for improvement across BCP.

Current strengths within the Short Breaks offer include the Positive Activities Programme and commissioned provision for some complex and overnight needs. However, there is a need to expand capacity, increase the range of services available, and improve families’ awareness of available support. Planned improvements include increasing opportunities for community participation, reviewing resources, enhancing accessibility through a user-friendly SEND Local Offer, and developing a single point of entry via the Front Door to ensure evidence-based responses to identified needs.

Future developments will explore expanding commissioned services, introducing a Gateway Card, and increasing access to Direct Payments supported by practical brokerage, payroll, recruitment, and employment assistance. A key principle of this work will be co-production, ensuring that children, young people, families, and wider stakeholders are actively involved in shaping the design and delivery of services. This approach aligns with national SEND reforms by strengthening local support, promoting early intervention, and using data and evidence to inform decision-making.