All about short breaks

A Short Break gives children and young people, who live in Bolton, are aged 0-25 and who have a special educational need or a disability, the opportunity to do activities with their family, or on their own. There are different types of short break.

WHY HAVE A SHORT BREAK? 

They give children and young people the opportunity to visit places and do activities both indoors and outdoors, have FUN, develop confidence and help build their independence. They also provide parents and carers with some time where they don't need to think about their care responsibilities, and can focus time with siblings, do chores, or just rest and recharge.

WHAT HAPPENS ON A SHORT BREAK?
Short breaks can be taken with or without the family. They can last a few hours, be overnight, in or outside of the home and can be in the evening, at the weekend or during the school holidays. 

WHO WILL CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE BE WITH? 

It depends on the type of short break. If children are not with a family member, they will be with an approved carer, or someone who is trained and skilled to look after them. The short break might be in your own home, an activity centre, a community voluntary setting, or the home of an approved carer, or a residential setting - which is somewhere where children will sleep overnight but they will be well looked after. Being on their own will give everyone the opportunity to have some time spent away from each other. This can have benefits for all of you.

CAN FAMILIES  BE INVOLVED WITH THE SUPPORT THEY ARE GIVEN? 

Of course! No one can make you do something you didn't want to do. Your families views wishes and feelings are what professionals must think about when helping you to  make decisions. 

TYPES OF SHORT BREAK

UNIVERSAL SERVICES

These are services available to all children and young people and cover educational or leisure activities for disabled children and children and young people with identified special educational needs and those who don't have any needs. Anyone can attend these. Different settings have different age groups so you may need to check your child is the right age to attend. 

WHAT ARE THEY LIKE?

They include activities at youth clubs, sports and leisure centres and after school clubs. Universal services will be the first point of contact for many young people and you can find them by searching Bolton councils Local Offer. 

TARGETED SERVICES

These services aim to offer support to encourage children and young people to try new things and offer a short break without the need for a formal assessment. Different settings have different age groups so you may need to check your child is the right age. 

WHAT ARE THEY LIKE 

Examples of targeted services include youth clubs, Saturday clubs and holiday clubs that are run to support the needs of disabled young people. Staff are usually well trained to understand childrens needs so they can help you. Sometimes children will go to these places on their own, other times, parents and carers can stay. Transport isn't usually provided, and sometimes, there may be a small notional fee to attend. They can be found on Bolton Councils Local Offer. 

ASSESSED SHORT BREAK

This type of support is based on a package of support, designed to meet the needs of those children and young people that need more than universal and targeted services. It forms part of a 'plan'. The type of support you are assessed as needing differs dependent on your family needs, but may include things like attending local authority guided sessions and residential, having a personal assistant, visiting a link family etc. To access this, you'll need to have a social worker do an assessment. Your child will need to be under 18. You can contact the children with disabilities social care team for more information on 01204 337108. When young people are over 18, they can still get help from social care if it is needed, but support can look different. Young people and/or parent carers, would need to contact the adult Social care team on 01204 337860 for this type of assessment.