Bradford district’s Short Breaks Statement 2025
Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)
Contents
- What is the Short Breaks Statement?
- What is a Short Break?
- Types of Short Breaks
- Universal Short Break services and Early Help
- Targeted Short Breaks and the Short Breaks assessment team
- Specialist Short Breaks services and social care
- What is a Personal Budget/ Direct Payment?
- Reviewing this document
Our vision and aspirations for children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) in Bradford is the same as for all children and young people, for them to achieve well in their education, to be cared for in safe and supportive families, participate and be involved in their communities and lead happy, safe, and fulfilled lives.
The SEND Short Breaks Statement highlights how in the Bradford district we offer opportunities and support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) to access fulfilling, fun and interesting experiences, giving them opportunities to develop lasting friendships and life skills that will support them throughout their adult lives.
What is the Short Breaks Statement?
Since 1 April 2011, there's been a duty on local authorities to provide breaks from caring for families of children with disabilities.
The Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children regulation requires Bradford Council to publish a Short Breaks Statement for carers in the area so that families know:
- The range of Short Breaks available.
- How these services can be accessed.
- How the services will meet the needs of families with children with disabilities.
- The criteria for eligibility.
What is a Short Break?
Short Breaks offer opportunities for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) to access fun breaks and enjoy positive experiences whilst taking part in activities of interest to them. There are different types of Short Breaks available depending on a child or young person’s needs:
- Universal (open to all)
- Targeted (open to those whose needs can't be met via Universal Short Breaks)
- Specialist (open to those whose needs can't be met via Targeted Short Breaks)
this is further explained in the section 'Types of Short Breaks' below.
Short Breaks are varied and are led by the needs of the child or young person. These activities can:
- take place outside of school hours during evenings, weekends, and school holidays, or overnight.
- be in a parent or carers home, the home of an approved carer, a residential or community setting.
- be delivered through a Personal Budget/Direct Payment.
Some examples can include:
- Play schemes and youth clubs
- Sports clubs
- Day trips
- Befriending schemes.
Who can access Universal Short Breaks?
Anyone can access Universal Short Break services, because this means any type of Short Break activity for children with or without Special Educational Needs or disabilities. To access a more thorough assessment for a targeted or specialist break the child/young person must meet eligibility criteria of the service and live in the Bradford district. This is explained in more detail in the next sections.
Short Breaks developments
In Bradford district Short Breaks are moving towards a more person-friendly and easily accessible method of providing a Short Breaks service for children, young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their families.
This new approach, which is being created in partnership with parents and carers, children and young people and partner agencies, is designed to support children and young people in Bradford district who have different levels of need.
Throughout the coming months the service plan is to shape and deliver a new look Short Breaks service with care and consideration to ensure everyone continues to understand and support the needs of children and young people with SEND and their families.
Short Breaks can:
- help children and young people access new activities.
- help children and young people to develop independence, spend time with their friends and make new friends.
- help families to spend time together or for parent carers to have a break from the caring role.
- help parents and carers meet and get to know each other, offer peer support and share their experiences.
Types of Short Breaks
Children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) can access a Short Breaks provision. What provision a child or young person can access depends on individual needs.
This summary table will help explain the different types of Short Breaks.
| Short Break Type | Available for | Types of provision | How to access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universal Services and Early Help Activities and fun things to do for everyone |
Universal services are the services available to all families including children and young people who have a mild to moderate disability. | After school clubs, voluntary sector organisations for example sports clubs, youth clubs. | Most families contact the activity directly. If you need help finding activities to meet a child’s needs, contact Early Help. |
| Targeted SEND Short Breaks Activities and services designed specifically to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. |
Short Breaks for children with higher needs. To access these services children and young people should have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) already in place. | Activity cards (funding via a debit card for parent/carer to purchase specialist clubs) or using Direct Payments to fund extra support for child or young person. | Self-referral to SEND Short Breaks team or referral by a professional working with your family. |
| Specialist Short Breaks Activities and services for children and young people with SEND who need extra help as they may have very complex needs that cannot be met by any of the services above. |
Short Breaks for children with exceptional needs who need a fuller assessment and more specialist support. | Enhanced Direct Payment package, support from specialist provider. | This support can be accessed by the children’s Social Care team. Integrated Front Door – Children’s Social Care contact point, 0800 953 0966 |
Universal Short Break services and Early Help
Universal Short Break services are available to all children and young people. Many services promote the inclusion of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) enabling them to participate in activities with others with and without SEND.
If families feel they need support in accessing Universal Short Break services, they should talk to their nursery or school setting about support.
Support is also available from the Early Help team who can help signpost families to appropriate activities and support. Early Help is the support provided for children, young people and their families when difficulties emerge, to provide support and bring together a partnership approach.
How can I find further information?
- details of universal activities/groups can be found on Bradford Local Offer website and Bradford Family and Young Person’s Information website.
- There is also the opportunity to sign up to receive a free SEND partnership e-newsletter and link in with Bradford district Local Offer Facebook page.
- parent/ carers can contact the providers direct in their local area or professionals working with families can support with parent /carer consent.
- groups and activities are advertised locally on noticeboards in libraries, health centres, schools and community centres and some local Facebook groups.
- many of the Bradford district SEND parent/carer groups also offer inclusive sessions for parent/carers to take their children, young people and siblings too.
Family Hubs and Start for Life services
The services offered by Family Hubs in Bradford district are open to all families with children. Family Hubs support young people up to the age of 19, or up to 25 with Special Educational Needs or a Disability.
Each Family Hub offers a monthly timetable of activities for families to access and most family hubs also have a sensory room.
Family hubs can also help families who may need support accessing services, either support to access the internet and find activities for their children and young people or other more specialist support.
There are Family Hubs across Bradford district offering SEND activities for children and young people with disabilities. In Bradford East, West South and Shipley and Keighley.
How can I find further information/support?
- Find out what’s on at local Family Hubs by finding your local Family Hub’s monthly timetable of activities and access further information and family support on the Bradford Families and Young Person’s Information website.
- MAX cards provide discounted days out families. Some of our parent/carer groups help support families to access Max cards for more information please contact the Parents’ Forum for Bradford and Airedale (PFBA).
- If you think you and your family might need extra support involving more professionals you can speak to a teacher, GP, health visitor, nursery practitioner, or any other practitioner about Early Help. You can also make a direct referral by contacting the Integrated Front Door – Children’s Social Care contact point, on 0800 953 0966
Targeted Short Breaks and the Short Breaks assessment team
For children and young people who need more support the SEND Short Breaks team specialise in providing, researching, identifying, running and monitoring Short Break services for young people with disabilities from birth to 18 years of age throughout the Bradford district.
SEND Short Breaks can be after school, evenings, weekends and/or during school holidays, or based on an assessed need by the team, there might be funding for 1:1 support in the community or activities a young person wants to choose.
The SEND Short Breaks team work closely with a wide selection of Short Breaks providers in Bradford and districts to identify a variety of activities that may be suitable for each child or young person. The team also monitor each provision to ensure a high level of service working closely with providers to develop new and existing links to activities in the community.
Young people are regularly consulted with, to ensure their wants and wishes regarding what they feel is an activity they would like to do is heard and considered. This also includes young people’s comments on how the service is doing and offers insight on how and where to develop and grow a service provision that will meet need.
Targeted Short Breaks - types of support:
| Service | Service provided | Assessment Tools | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Payments - Personal Assistant | Set hourly rate to parent carer to employ a Personal Assistant | SEND Short Breaks assessment | Referral to the SEND Short Breaks team or phone: 01274 435750 |
| Direct Payments – Personal Budget | Set hourly rate to parent carer to purchase agency / group support | SEND Short Breaks assessment | Referral to the SEND Short Breaks team or phone: 01274 435750 |
| Direct Payments – Activity payment card | Set amount of funding per week offered via a debit card to parent/carer to purchase activities for their child/young person e.g. swimming, trampolining, theatre, group-based clubs | SEND Short Breaks assessment | Referral to the SEND Short Breaks team or phone: 01274 435750 |
| Enrichment Programmes – before or after-school clubs | Before or after-school club based at school to support group interaction through activities of interest (not a curriculum-based activity). | SEND Short Breaks assessment. | Dependent on school provision – consult with school then SEND Short Breaks team or phone: 01274 435750 and they will assess if school have the provision in place to access. |
| Specialist Inclusion – activities in community settings | Group based settings for example SNOOP, Light of the World, Youth Clubs, BIDS, etc. (some activities are age related) |
SEND Short Breaks assessment. | Referral to the SEND Short Breaks team or phone: 01274 435750 (can also support to signpost to other community settings) |
| Specialist Inclusion – fun days (activity centres such as Nell Bank / Buckden House) | Fun days set throughout the year to offer fun outdoor (weather permitting) or indoor activities. (Some supervised by parent carer others are independent activities supported by SEND Short Breaks team. | Must meet SEND Short Breaks service criteria. | Contact SEND SEND Short Breaks team or phone: 01274 435750 |
| Specialist Inclusion – weekend Short Breaks (such as Nell Bank / Buckden House) | Set weekend Short Breaks for children and young people and their families/friends – have the whole site for the weekend. | Must meet SEND Short Breaks Service criteria. | Contact SEND Short Breaks team or phone: 01274 435750 |
How can I find further information/support?
- Contact SEND Short Breaks team, phone: 01274 435750 (ask for the SEND Short Breaks duty worker) or email: [email protected] to request a referral or self-assessment form. Parent/carers can self-refer or ask a professional to do this for them.
- MAX cards provide discounted days out families. Some of the Bradford district SEND parent/carer groups can help support families to access Max Cards, including the Parents’ Forum for Bradford and Airedale (PFBA).
- If you think you and your family might need extra support involving more professionals you can speak to a teacher, GP, Health Visitor, nursery practitioner, or any other practitioner about Early Help. You can also make a direct referral by contacting the Integrated Front Door – Children’s Social Care contact point, on 0800 953 0966
Specialist Short Breaks services and social care
Specialist Short Breaks enable children with complex needs to enjoy fun activities in a safe environment and/or give families a break from caring. This is for children, young people and their families who need Short Breaks with extra, specialist care.
Access to children’s specialist Short Breaks requires an Assessment of Need to be completed by Children’s Social Care services.
A child/young person who needs specialist support is most likely to attend a specialist school and require specialist support to access Short Breaks. They will likely have an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP).
Specialist Short Breaks – Types of support (including Personalised Budgets):
| Service | Service provided | Assessment tools | Age | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Care Specialist Short Break services | Day care home-based support or support by Direct payment. | Social Care practitioner assessment | Birth to 18 years | Via social care team, details below. |
| Social Care Specialist Short Break respite service. | Overnight care in a specialist unit or support by Direct payment. | Social Care practitioner assessment | Birth to 18 years | Via social care team, details below. |
| Social Care family placement services | Overnight care with a foster carer and their family. | Social Care practitioner assessment | Birth to 18 years | Via social care team, details below. |
| Health continuing care services | Overnight and day care services in the family home. | Health practitioner to complete a continuing care assessment. | Birth to 18 years | Via social care team, details below. |
How can I find further information/support?
- For a referral to the children’s social work team, including access to the Children’s Complex Health and Disability Teams (CCHDT) contact the Integrated Front Door – Children’s Social Care contact point on 0800 953 0966
- To contact the Preparation for Adulthood and CTLD Front door Team (16+) made up of social workers, community care officers and occupational therapists contact the duty team on 01274 435400.
- If you think you and your family might need extra support involving more professionals you can speak to a teacher, GP, health visitor, nursery practitioner, or any other practitioner about Early Help. You can also make a direct referral by contacting the Integrated Front Door – Children’s Social Care contact point, on 0800 953 0966
Teams supporting a child or young person to access specialist Short Breaks
Children’s Complex Health and Disability team (birth to 18 years)
The Children’s Complex Health and Disability Teams (CCHDT) work closely with children, young people, and their families. Short Breaks for this group of children and young people are available following a Social Care Assessment of Need which will look at your child’s needs and development, the parent/carer’s needs and the family and environment around the child. Where an Assessment of Need has been completed recommendations will be made about the level and type of service required to meet the child or young person’s needs based on what would most benefit a family.
Preparation for Adulthood team (16 to 25 years)
The Preparation for Adulthood Team support young people who are in transition into adult services. They work with young people from the age of 16 to 25. They can help with finding the right kind of daytime activities, access to education, training, employment and finding a place to live. The team can also arrange support with everyday living skills such as budgeting, cooking, personal care needs, developing relationships and access the local community.
Both the Children’s Complex Health and Disability team, and the Preparation for Adulthood and Neurodiversity team work closely with colleagues and can put families in contact with health professionals to make sure health needs are being met. As well as working with a young person the teams also support carers to make sure they have access to the support they need.
What is a Personal Budget/ Direct Payment?
Direct Payments are offered via a Personal Budget to give a family control and flexibility to choose and pay for the services assessed as being needed for a child or young person.
A family might manage all or part of the budget – this could be either by finding the right activity or provider and paying them directly or employing a Personal Assistant. This can be quite daunting, but Bradford Council has support available.
Transport
Not all families are eligible for additional support with transport to access Short Breaks. Where appropriate and if necessary, transport is considered as part of a fuller assessment of a child and young person’s needs. Families can apply for Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment where appropriate if there are travel and mobility needs.
Short Breaks - Working in Partnership with Schools to Support SEND
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP)
Partnership working with SEND teams and schools across the Bradford district ensures all relevant information is written in a child or young person’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) providing details of any support offered by Children Services or Bradford Children and Families Trust.
For more information about EHCP’s please visit Bradford district’s SEND Local Offer One Minute Guides with information on EHCPs, Annual reviews, how to apply for an ECHP and more.
SENDIASS
Bradford SENDIASS (Barnardo’s) provides Information, Advice and Support around Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Support is provided on a range of topics, including provision in schools, assessment processes, conversion of statements to Education, Health and Care Plans, reviews, transitions, exclusions, transport, specialist provision/support services, appeals, local policies, Special Educational Needs code of practice. Phone: 01274 513300 or email: [email protected].
Reviewing this document
This Short Breaks Statement 2025 will be reviewed and updated annually
If you have any complaints or questions about the information contained in this statement, contact Bradford’s Local Offer, visit the Local Offer website or email [email protected].
To get involved in working in partnership with Bradford district’s SEND services, read more about becoming a SEND parent/carer Ambassador.
This statement will be reviewed in June 2026. For any queries about the statement please contact SENDT&[email protected].