Short breaks for children and young adults with disabilities
What are Short Breaks?
Short Breaks form part of a range of services provided by the Children and Young People with Disabilities (CYAD) Service. The team work with children up to 25 years old.
Short Breaks are:
- an opportunity for children or young people to take part in fun and exciting activities
- a break for parents and carers from care giving
- activities that can take place within or away from your home, after school, at the weekend, during school holidays or overnight.
Regular Short Breaks can contribute to building resilience in families.
Who can access short breaks?
There are two different ways to access short breaks.
1. Core Offer Short Breaks
Core Offer Short Breaks are available for children and young people who:
- are under 18 years old
- have a disability
- receive Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payments at a medium or high rate
2. Children with a CYAD Assessment of Need and agreed Care Plan
If a child meets the CYAD criteria, a full assessment of their and your needs will be carried out.
To arrange an assessment, see Children and Young Adults Disability Service.
How to apply for a short break
To apply for a short break:
- If you do not already receive a service from Harrow's CYADS, call the MASH team on 020 8901 2690
- If you are already known to Harrow's CYADS, you can Apply for a Social Work Assessment or Review
What activities are available?
Core Offer activities
If you are eligible for the Core Offer, you will get a Direct Payment (Annual Budget) for you to purchase short breaks from a wide range of providers. You can choose activities inside and outside the London Borough of Harrow.
Parents and carers have used their annual budgets to purchase activities such as:
- horse riding
- swimming lessons
- yoga
- martial arts
If you cannot manage a direct payment, the CYAD team can arrange activities such as school holiday playschemes or outreach services provided by organisations on the Short Breaks Framework.
CYAD Assessment of Need and Agreed Care Plan activities
If Short Breaks are recommended as a result of the assessment, the activities will be constructed to achieve agreed outcomes.
The activities can be delivered by either:
- a Direct Payment to you to use to pay for activities with a wide range of providers within and outside the Borough, or
- the CYAD team can arrange for your child to access activities delivered by the providers on the Short Breaks Framework.
Further reading:
How the Core Offer is applied in Harrow