Children and young people are eligible for short breaks when they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term effect on their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.

Foe example, this may include :

• children or young people with a physical or learning disability
• children or young people with a hearing or visual impairment
• children or young people with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome and
• children or young people who may have challenging behaviour as a result of their learning disability
• children or young people who have complex needs and who may have palliative, life limiting or a life-threatening condition

Short Breaks, together with other support packages, are tailored to meet the identified need of the child, and their family, through the provision of appropriate support at the right time. Not all children and families will need the same level of support or Short Breaks; some will need more than others because of the nature of their child’s disability and the impact this has on them. Some families may need more support because of their individual family circumstances. This is why there is a need to ensure services provide the right level of support with Short Breaks at the right time through the completion of a Single Assessment of need. A Single Assessment of needs for a child or young person with SEND is usally carried out by a Children with Disability (CWD) Team Social Worker.