Short Breaks provide children and young people with disabilities with an opportunity to spend time away from their parents or primary carers, relaxing and having fun with their friends. They provide families with a ‘break’ from their caring responsibilities; they give parents a chance to unwind rest or spend time with other children.

• Short Breaks promote the health, safety and wellbeing of children and young people with
  disabilities, ensuring they can fully participate in family and community life, enjoy themselves with
  friends and make decisions about their lives.
• Short Breaks reduce stress within the family system through the provision of the right level of
  support, at the right time.
• Short Breaks need to be fair and equitable.

Short Breaks can include any activity for a disabled child or young person from up to an hour in a universally available inclusive club or activity to attending a specialised setting for a few sessions or days as determined necessary by a specialist assessment carried out by the Children with Disability (CWD) Team (e.g. holiday play schemes and short breaks with family to family carers).

The Local Authority are required to publish a Short Breaks Statement so that children and young people together with their parents/carers and families can find out about their eligibility for an assessment to use short break opportunities available in Torbay that are funded through the Children with Disability Team.

Short Breaks form part of provision for children in need and their families; any decision for Short Breaks to be included within a plan for a child will be subject to robust assessment, which identifies that Short Breaks are a proportionate way of promoting the needs of the child and safeguarding their welfare.

Short Breaks provide children and young people with disabilities with an opportunity to engage in positive activities, potentially away from their home. Short Breaks provide families with a ’pause’ from their caring responsibilities; they give parents a chance to unwind rest or spend time with other children, in recognition of the significant of their caring role for a child with disabilities. Examples of short breaks include holiday play schemes and short breaks with high dependency carers.

It is important to note that whilst it is known that both local and national research demonstrates that short breaks are a priority for families with children with disabilities, they should be delivered as part of a much broader package of family support services in line with the SEND Reforms. This means that any staff who work with families will offer advice, guidance and information on other issues that are important to them.