Short Breaks Services in Cheshire East

Short breaks can last from just a few hours to a few days - from daytime and evening activities to weekend and overnight or maybe longer. They provide disabled children and young people with:

• positive and safe things to do and places to go
• the opportunity to spend time with friends, to develop personally and socially, and reduce isolation
• the chance to undertake new activities and have new experiences

They can take place in a community setting, the child's own home, the home of an approved carer or in another setting. They also provide parents and families with a necessary and valuable break from caring responsibilities.

Level of need provision

Provision in Cheshire East fits into three key levels of need:

Universal needs

Universal short break services are available to all children. They promote the inclusion of disabled children and young people in activities with their peers, for example: youth clubs, activity groups and leisure centres.

For up to date information on these activities in Cheshire East visit the Family Information Service.

Targeted needs

Some children and young people with disabilities will require a specific disability group or activity. We have nine commissioned short break providers who run groups and activities funded by the local authority:

• Cheshire Buddies
• Cheshire Warrington Carers Trust
• Disability Activities (Everybody Health and Leisure)
• Disability Holiday Activities (Everybody Health and Leisure)
• Disability Positive
• Friends For Leisure
• Rebound Therapy
• Ruby's Fund
• Space 4 Autism

Each service may operate their own eligibility criteria and in order to understand what support is required, may undertake their own assessment.

Complex/specialist needs

These services are for children with more complex or critical needs. Needs will usually be assessed by the Family Help service or children's social care working closely with the family and other agencies. Further information is outlined on the support for disabled children page.

Short breaks statement

Cheshire East Council has published its Short Breaks Statement 2022 - 2025 (PDF, 561KB), which outlines the short breaks services available to families with disabled children and young people. The statement explains the type of services available, how these have been designed to meet the needs of families and how they will continue to be developed in response to feedback from parents and carers, children and young people.

We will regularly consult with disabled children, young people and their families on the short break services provided in Cheshire East.