Short breaks for disabled children

Leicestershire’s Local Offer brings together information and services across education, health, social care and independent and voluntary services that are available for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disability (SEND) and their families aged 0-25 years. 

The Local Offer includes inclusive and specialist services that are available to children and young people, with many able to meet a wide range of needs.  You may wish to consider these before going through an assessment for a Short Break.

Further information about the range of community activities available in Leicestershire can be found in our Information and Support Directory and on our Local Offer activities and clubs.

Activity Inclusion Funding removes the barriers to children and young people taking part in an activity of their choice in their local community, where it otherwise wouldn’t be possible for them to attend. It can provide up to 12 sessions of one to one support to allow for a settling in period whilst the activity provider gets to know the support needs of the child or young person or pay for staff training or specialist equipment.

For a parent/carer, this would mean that you will pay for the cost of an activity and the funding will pay for the cost of the additional support to enable your child to attend the activity.

An Activity Direct Payment is a continuation of the Activity Inclusion Fund. After a review, if it is felt that longer term support is required for the child to continue at their chosen activity, a continuation of the direct payment can be made.

To enable access to a self-assessed direct payment, the following criteria must be met:

• is living in the county of Leicestershire
• has a disability
• is aged 5 to 15 and is in receipt of high-rate care for Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• is aged 16 or 17 and is in receipt of high-rate care for Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• has an Education, Health and Care Plan or has been sent a letter that they will be receiving an EHCP
• Attends an Enhanced Resource Base, Specialist placement, is accessing an EOTAS package or one is being arranged or the panel that decides SEN placements has agreed that specialist is appropriate – whether the child or young person is still awaiting a placement or the parent/carer has opted for their parental preference.

The criteria set out above provide a streamlined route into the self-assessment direct payment scheme. Children and young people who do not meet these criteria may still be entitled to support through the Short Breaks Graduated Offer following consideration of their individual needs and circumstances. Parents and carers may request an assessment where they believe additional support is required.

Direct payments can be used flexibly to provide community activities to meet the needs of your child, for example, playschemes, holiday clubs, youth clubs, faith groups, sports, dance and drama classes, etc. These may be mainstream or specialist. 

The offer is a year-round package of support split as follows based on age:

• 5 to 12 year olds will have a year round package of 103 hours, equivalent to £1,604.74
• 13 to 17 year olds will have a year round package of 181 hours, equivalent payment to £2,819.98

Where a parent, carer or professional believes that a child's needs cannot be met through the Local Offer or the self-assessment short break arrangements, a request can be made for a Children and Families assessment. Assessments will consider the child's individual needs, outcomes, family circumstances and available support networks in determining the most appropriate level of support.

For each type of direct payment that is awarded, this is not to be used to provide childcare whilst you are at work.

Worker-assessed Direct Payment card

The offer is outlined under the self-assessment direct payment process but will have been worker-assessed.

Worker-assessed Direct Payment

This will enable you to employ a Personal Assistant who is a trusted adult, who can provide support to access a particular activity or support your child to pursue a particular interest or hobby to promote independence skills.  You will be response for recruiting and carrying out the necessary checks before employing the Personal Assistant.

The offer will reflect the self-assessment offer of 103 hours for children aged 5 to 12 and 181 hours for young people aged 13 to 17 and can be used flexibly throughout the year.

Commissioned service

A service arranged through Leicestershire County Council.  This may include weekend, after school or school holiday activity sessions, providing a range of activities such as arts and crafts, dance, outdoor experiences, music, sports, etc.

The package of support will reflect the self-assessment offer of 103 hours for children aged 5 to 12 and 181 hours for young people aged 13 to 17 and can be used flexibly throughout the year.

Please request a list of the current approved providers from your assessment worker during the assessment process.

Worker-led assessments will consider the holistic needs of the child or young person and family circumstances through a conversation, identifying the most appropriate package as part of the Short Break Graduated Offer.

This provides help within the home for families requiring additional support with morning and evening routine and personal care.

Due to their SEND needs, your child or young person requires ongoing support with personal care and hygiene tasks that would typically be expected for a child or young person of their age. Difficulties with washing, bathing, dressing, toileting and other aspects of self-care impact their ability to maintain appropriate personal hygiene independently.

Without support, there is a risk to your child or young person’s physical health, emotional wellbeing and social inclusion. Support is required to ensure personal hygiene needs are met.

As a teenager, maintaining dignity, privacy and respect is essential. Personal care support should be delivered sensitively and in an age-appropriate manner that promotes choice, independence and the development of life skills wherever possible. If your young person requires consistent support, prompting, supervision and/or direct assistance beyond that expected for a child/young person of the same age to complete personal care routines, domiciliary care provision is necessary to meet hygiene and health needs and to support their ongoing development towards greater independence.

Overnight respite can only be assessed by a social worker, and it may be provided by either foster carers in their own home, a carer attending the family home due to a child’s high-level complex needs or the offer of an overnight stay at the Leicestershire County Council provision of Elmslie House.

The level and type of overnight short break provision will be determined following assessment and will be based upon the child’s assessed needs, family circumstances, identified outcomes and the availability of suitable provision. If approved, Elmslie House will receive your child’s details to consider availability and how well their needs match the skills and training of staff.

Elmslie House provides residential overnight and day short breaks for children and young people up to the age of 18, of any gender or sexual orientation, with learning disabilities, autism, global developmental delay, other associated conditions, and related behaviours.

We also support children and young people with a range of clinical health needs and physical disabilities, provided our environment and staff expertise are suitable.

If a Children and Young People’s Continuing Care assessment, carried out by health, has taken place and an award has been given, this information will be required to establish the most appropriate package from the Short Break Graduated Offer and/or domiciliary care.