Short Breaks give disabled children and young people the opportunity for an enjoyable experience with or without their primary carers. Short Breaks also allow parents and families a break from their caring responsibilities. They give parents a chance to unwind, rest or spend time with the rest of the family.
There are three tiers of the Short Break Offer in Bradford which are:
Universal Short Breaks are everyday community services that can be used by everyone without an assessment.
For example:
after school activities
childminders
leisure centres
special interest clubs
youth clubs
uniformed organisations e.g. Scouts, Girl Guiding
Targeted Short Breaks (Tier 2)
Targeted Short Breaks are specific Short Breaks for disabled children and young people who cannot access universal services without additional support. These may be provided in daytime, evenings, weekends and school holidays, or in the form of a Direct Payment.
In Bradford there are two teams that deliver Targeted Short Breaks:
The Short Break assessment team work directly with school settings to identify CYP and families
Eligibility criteria
Where an assessment is required, a link worker will be provided to do this. This assessment will focus on social needs only and the additional support that children, young people, carers and families may require. To access this Targeted Short Break service, a family must not be receiving any other Short Breaks services.
Specialist Short Breaks (Tiers 3 & 4)
Specialist Short Breaks are designed for the small group of children, young people and their families/carers who need Short Breaks with extra, specialist care. Specialist Short Breaks are designed to enable children with complex needs to enjoy fun activities in a safe environment and/or give families a break from caring. The child/young person will most likely attend a specialist school and require specialist support to access Short Breaks. They will most likely have an Education, Health and Care Plan. The child or the young person may be known to the Children’s Complex Health and Disability Team (0-14yrs) or the Preparation for Adulthood Team (Transitions) (14-25yrs).
Eligibility criteria
Access to Specialist Shorts Breaks is based on a child and family assessment which is prepared by a social worker. The assessment will consider:
the developmental needs of the child
the capacities of parents or caregivers to respond appropriately to those needs
the impact of wider family and environmental factors on parenting capacity and children.
This assessment of need will inform planning and action to secure the best outcomes for the child. This may include referral to access Short Breaks through the use of personalised budgets.
The Bradford SEND Local Offer is a free and impartial service provided by Bradford Council. The information contained within the website is available for the purposes of identifying services and provision that are available to children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This information does not represent a recommendation or an endorsement of a Service or Provider and neither does the Bradford Council or its partners make any representations or warranties as to the accuracy of the information.
Anyone seeking to use or access a service or provision is responsible for undertaking their own checks to determine the suitability and fitness for purpose of that service and provision. Some providers will be registered and inspected by external agencies, such as Ofsted or the Care Quality Commission. Anyone working with children and young people will be required to have appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service Check (the replacement for the Criminal Record Check), safeguarding policies and insurance in place, which they should make available to you on request.
