access short breaks for children and young people with Special Education Needs and Disabilities

What is a short break?Short breaks provide children and young people with SEND a positive opportunity to:• relax and have fun with

their friends• develop new skills• prepare for adulthood• spend time away from

their parents and carers.

Short breaks also give families an opportunity to:• have a break from their

caring responsibilities• spend time with other

family members• rest and recuperate.

Surrey County Council has a duty and is committed to:• Ensuring that the needs of all carers are considered.• Providing a range of breaks, as appropriate, during

the day, night, at weekends and during school holidays.• Providing a short breaks services statement

detailing the range of available breaks and any eligibility criteria attached to them.

Surrey County Council has short break arrangements in place which have been made in partnership with families, partners and providers. What type of short breaks

are available?Surrey County Council funds a range of short breaks all which aim to improve outcomes for children and families. Most of the services fall into the following categories:Play and leisure: activity based after school, holiday and Saturday clubs. Off-site activities and outings are sometimes part of the offer.Residential: short stays (overnight or day) in a residential setting.

Personal support: providing support to children in their own homes or supporting access to community activities typically on a one to one basis.Family based: short break foster carers that look after children and young people in the carer’s home (day and overnight).Innovation grants: small local services offering a range of activities, some of which are based in schools.

How can I book a short break?Most of the short break services can be accessed by contacting each organisation directly. The majority of these organisations have their own websites where information on booking can be found.

The Short Breaks Directory contains details of all the relevant organisations, along with their website and contact details. Visit: surreycc.gov.uk/shortbreaks

Will I be charged for short breaks?Some activities and service are free and others charge a fee. Providers are committed to keeping the parental contribution to a minimum and may be able to offer further discounts for families on low income or in receipt of benefits.

Families eligible for direct payments may use them to pay for short break services. The allocation of direct payments requires a social care assessment of need undertaken by the social work team.

Will transport be provided?Parents and carers are expected to transport their children to short break activities unless agreed as part of a child’s care plan.

Some of the providers may provide transport as part of the activity. Specific details will be available from the individual providers.

Surrey Children’s Disability Register:Registration on the Surrey Children’s Disability register is voluntary and is not required in order to receive services. However we encourage parents to register their child as it provides useful information to help us plan service for the future.By registering you will be on a short breaks mailing list which is used to inform, update and to seek your views and feedback.

You will also receive a copy of the Surrey Short Breaks termly newsletter.To register please contact:Phone: 0208 541 8792Email: SCDR@surreycc.gov.ukAlternatively you can download the registration form from the Surrey County Council website by searching “Children’s disability register”.

Family Voice SurreyFamily Voice Surrey is an independent parent carer led forum for parents and carers of children with Special Educational Needs and/or a Disability (SEND). If you would like to influence and contribute to the development of short breaks and other services for children with SEND in Surrey you can find

Family Voice on Facebook or contact them directly on 01372 705708, via email at contact@familyvoicesurrey.org or online at familyvoicesurrey.org

How can I find out more about short breaks?To download a directory of short breaks in Surrey visit: surreycc.gov.uk/shortbreaks

The Surrey Short Breaks facebook page is regularly updated with news, events and information: facebook.com/surreyshortbreaks

Contact the Short Breaks Team directly: Website: surreycc.gov.uk/shortbreaks Phone: 01372 832896 Email: shortbreaks@surreycc.gov.ukContact the Local Offer Team directly: Website: www.surreylocaloffer.org.uk Phone: 0300 200 1004 Email: localoffer@surreycc.gov.uk

Other useful contactsFamily Information Service Website: surreycc.gov.uk/FISPhone: 0300 200 1004Email: surrey.fis@surreycc.gov.ukSurrey SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SSIASS) Website: sendadvicesurrey.org.uk Phone: 01737 737300 Email: ssiass@surreycc.gov.uk

Comments, compliments and complaints:Your feedback about short breaks is very important to us. We want to know how well the services are supporting your children and you as a family. We welcome all feedback as it helps us to continually develop and improve the short breaks offer.Look out for the annual survey which we encourage you to complete as it helps us demonstrate the difference that the services are making to your family.

There are number of ways to tell us what you think about the services: • Families Feedback

families.feedback@ surreycc.gcsx.gov.uk

• Contact Surrey Short Breaks team

• By completing the Short Breaks annual survey

If you would like this information in large print, Braille, on tape or in another language please contact us on:Tel: 0300 200 1005 (+18001 for Text Relay) SMS: 07860 053465Email: contact.centre@surreycc.gov.uk

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This leaflet was created in partnership with Surrey County Council, SEND SURREY, NHS and Family Voice Surrey.