How Short Breaks can be used

Overview

It might be agreed in a child's Short Breaks plan that families can have one or more of the following:

• Commissioned services. These are specialist services from approved providers that we can arrange for you.
• Personal assistant (PA). This is a person employed by you to support your child in the community or in the family home. Our Direct Payment Support Service (DPSS) will support you to employ them.
• Pre-paid debit card. You can use this to pay for activities and/or items that we agree in your child's plan. This includes:
  •  Activities, family activity tickets, annual passes and physical activity subscriptions
  •  Toys and equipment including sports equipment and some technological equipment
  •  UK-based holidays and overnight stays 

For further information about activities and items visit the pre-paid debit card page.

What Short Breaks can be used for will differ for each child. This is because each child's needs are individual. Activities and items must support your child's individual needs and outcomes. An outcome is the positive impact on your child.

Please note, the Short Breaks team is an early help and prevention team. We offer Short Breaks to children and young people with lower level needs. Only a child's Children with Disabilities (CWD) social worker can assess the need for specialist Short Breaks. This includes residential respite. 

What Short Breaks funding cannot be used for

Short Breaks funding is not to pay for health or educational services.

You cannot use Short Breaks funding to pay for:

• Food
• Drinks
• Transport and travel cards
• Petrol
• Car parking
• Clothes
• Gift vouchers or gift cards

Not sure if Short Breaks funding can be used for something?

Contact the Short Breaks team to check in advance if you are uncertain.

Unspent funding

You do not have to use all the Short Breaks funding in your pre-paid debit card account. It will not affect the service that you may be offered the following year.

Any unspent funding left in your account when your child's Short Breaks plan ends will be reclaimed. You cannot roll any funding over into the next year's plan, or book activities or holidays outside of the plan's dates.