Short Breaks

The short breaks (100 hours) is changing

It will now be called Early Help Short Break Grant which will reflect the way the short breaks will now support with new referrals.

Any child who is referred into short breaks will be assessed on their individual need and any decisions will be made on an annual basis. Referrals will need to be made each year.

Referrals will be open twice a year and decisions made within those timescales.

Any financial decisions will be down to an individual need and City of York Council will look at supporting with a proportion of the overall costs. This will be paid as a one-off payment. We'll be asking what activity you're requesting support with and how much this is likely to cost. We'll then look to discuss what proportion of this will be awarded a grant. We will no longer be supporting with monthly payments for activities.

Once the budget for the year has been spent then any further requests for a short break grant will have to be made when the next round of referrals open.

If you currently have made a referral into the short breaks, then this unfortunately will not be processed. A new referral will need to be submitted once the referrals are open.

To make a referral, come back to this page in April and October. At these 2 points during the year, the referral form will be open.

Short Breaks for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), come in many different forms:

they can provide opportunities for disabled children to enjoy themselves and fulfil their potential through safe experiences with or without their parent carers
they give parent carers a break from caring, enabling them to have time to undertake whatever they would like to do, such as leisure activities, day-to-day tasks, spending time with other family members, education or training opportunities
they enhance the ability of parent carers to care more effectively

Short Breaks can last anything from a couple of hours to an evening, overnight or weekend according to assessed need and can be offered during daytimes, evenings, weekends and school holidays. Short Breaks can take place within or outside the home, in the community or in a residential setting.

All Short Breaks take place outside of the school day. This means that activities could happen in the evening, at a weekend or during school holidays.

Many Short Breaks take place outside of the family home; for example, in local leisure centres or community spaces. However, some Short Breaks may be within the family home with specialist support, such as personal assistant, depending on the need of the child or young person and their family.

Short Breaks can also include overnight stays, depending on the need of the child or young person, their family and the type of activity. This may be at the home of an approved Short Breaks Foster Carer or a Specialist Residential Home. These short breaks require a single assessment made through MASH.

Short Breaks in York are available to children and young people who:

have a special educational need or disability
are aged 0 to 18 years old
ordinarily reside in York

Transport to a Short Break

Parents are responsible for transporting their children to Short Breaks. Families who receive mobility allowance through Disability Living Allowance can use this to support their child’s transport needs. However, where transport issues would be a significant barrier to accessing a Short Break, these will be assessed and decided as part of the eligibility criteria.

Apply for transport to a Short Break online.

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Apply for an Early Help Short Break

Applications for Early Help Short Breaks.

Apply for a Short Break

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Get in touch

You can get in touch by:

Email: [email protected]

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Short Breaks

Transport to a Short Break

Apply for an Early Help Short Break

Get in touch

Financial support