Short breaks
Short breaks give parents of disabled children a break from caring. At the same time, disabled children and young people get a chance to try new and fun experiences and to be more independent.
There are many different types of short breaks services. For example, holiday playschemes, Saturday clubs, overnight respite, befriending, family activities, and more. Short breaks can take place in the community, in the home of an approved carer, or in the child's home. Families can choose to receive direct payments instead of a short breaks service.
NEWS UPDATE (14th June 2012): Sheffield City Council have just confirmed that they are running the short breaks grants scheme again this year. Families with disabled children aged 0-19 who live in Sheffield can apply for a one-off payment of up to £400 per family. The money can be used flexibly, e.g. to pay for family holidays, for a carer to support your child, or for your child to attend a holiday/Saturday playscheme. For more information and to download an application form, please click here.
Consultations
- Consultation on short breaks provision in Sheffield (April 2011)
- Focus Group on SNIPS (coming soon)
Useful Links and Documents
- SIGN fact sheet on short breaks
- Challenging a refusal to carry out a social worker assessment (published by Every Disabled Child Matters)
- Sheffield City Council's Short Breaks Statement
Councils must publish a short breaks statement that tells families which sort of breaks are available, how they can be accessed and what the eligibility criteria are. Follow the link to download either the full statement or a summary version - both written with the help of our members!
This map shows all clubs and playcare services in Sheffield that are currently working with SNIPS support to include children and young people with additional needs. Please note that "ASC" stands for "After-school club". Clubs designated as "Range of abilities: Mixed" cater for disabled and non-disabled children, whilst "Range of abilities: Disability specific" means that these clubs can only be accessed by disabled children.