Document Author / Jo Lillywhite, Short Break Services Development Manager and Sonia Johnson , Head of Service, Childrens Specialist Support, Bracknell Forest Council (BFC)
Document owner / Sonia Johnson, Head of Service, Specialist Support
Review date / This document is to be reviewed a minimum of every 3 years; no later than September 2019. Incremental reviews may take place as required.
Accessibility / This document can be made available in hard and electronic formats.
No copies in other languages are currently available but can be obtained upon request.
Destruction date / Details of destruction dates
How this document was created / Version 1 / Author
Version 2 / Parent Carer Forum, Parents via email* & CSCMT
Version 3 / DMT / Executive Briefing
Version 4 / Public document or Pre-print Design Circulation
Circulation restrictions / No exceptions
Version / Detail of change / Name & Date
1 (draft) / Document created / Jo Lillywhite
June 2016
*The Parent Carer Forum was asked to provide feedback on the statement and the draft document was sent to over 700 parent/ carers via the Short Break Services database for their comments.
Accessibility
This document can be made available in large print, Braille, audio or in electronic format.
Copies in alternative languages may also be obtained.
Please contact:
Policy and Commissioning Officer
Children’s Social care
Bracknell Forest Borough Council
Time Square
Market Street
Bracknell
Berkshire RG12 1JD
Email:
Telephone: 01344 352020
Fax: 01344 351521
Minicom: 01344 352045
Table of Contents
1 Introduction & Background 2
1.1 What is a short break? 2
1.2 What is a short break service statement? 3
1.3 Who is a short break for? 3
1.4 Benefits of short breaks 3
2 Short Break Services 4
2.1 Who is this for? (eligibility criteria) 4
2.2 Range of short breaks 4
2.3 Support for mainstream activity providers 7
3 Sufficiency of short breaks 7
3.1 Types of services which must be provided 7
3.2 How sufficiency is monitored and developed 8
4 Services to Meet the Needs of Carers 8
4.1 Parent Groups & Training 8
4.2 Information, Advice and Support Service for special educational needs and disability (SEND) - formerly Parent Partnership 9
4.3 Children’s Community Nursing Team 9
5 Other useful information and frequently asked questions 9
5.1 For children under five years old 9
5.2 Childcare 9
5.3 Transition (moving from Children’s to Adult Services) 9
5.4 Frequently asked questions 10
6 Summary 11
7 Contact Us 11
8 Appendix 1 – Short Break Service Termly Update 12
25
1 Introduction & Background
This document is compiled and made public to inform readers about the short break services for children and young people with disabilities and their families living within Bracknell Forest.
The ‘Short Break Services Statement’ is an important aid to transparency and fairness in the allocation of short breaks. Through the statement families should know what breaks are available and what criteria needs to be met to access them.
The law around short breaks is mostly represented by The Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulation of 2011 and partly by the Children and Families Act 2014 and the Children Act 1989.
This legislation places a statutory duty, on all local authorities, to have a provision of a range of short breaks for children and young people with disabilities and their families.
The regulations also place a duty on the local authority to produce and regularly update, in consultation with carers, this document - a “short breaks services statement” setting out details of:
· The range of services provided in their area
· Any criteria by which eligibility for those services will be assessed
· The range of services designed to meet the needs of carers in their area.
This document sits alongside information contained within Bracknell Forest Council’s (BFC) web site and Local Offer. From September 2014 local authorities are required to publish information online about services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 0-25. This is the SEN Local Offer. See www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/shortbreaks and https://bracknellforest.fsd.org.uk/kb5/bracknell/directory/localoffer.page?familychannel=6 .
This statement replaces the previous statement written in 2011 and reflects the changes following the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) reforms, which came into effect in September 2014, as well as availability of short breaks and current practice.
The statement covers the whole range of short breaks, from daytime activities like holiday and Saturday clubs to more specialist support accessed via social work teams, including overnight short breaks, personal budgets and direct payments. The statement is intended to support children and young people with disabilities and their families to find out what is available to them in Bracknell and the surrounding area and how these services or activities might be accessed.
This document was produced in consultation with the Parent Carer Forum members who were asked to provide feedback on the statement and the draft document has also been sent to over 700 parent/ carers via the Short Break Services database for their comments. Suggestions have been incorporated into this document and subsequent feedback will be considered during reviews, which will take place at least every 3 years.
1.1 What is a short break?
Short breaks form part of a range of services, which support children with disabilities and their families and are provided to give:
1. children and young people with a disability enjoyable experiences away from their primary carers, thereby providing opportunities for personal and social development and inclusion, reducing social isolation.
2. parents, carers and families a necessary and valuable break from caring responsibilities.
Short breaks take place at a variety of times, daytime, evenings, over night and weekend activities. They can take place in provider settings, the child’s own home, the home of an approved carer, a residential or community setting; they can last just a few hours to a few days, and occasionally longer, depending on the type of provision and the needs of the child and their families.
Short breaks support and promote positive outcomes for children and young people with disabilities.
1.2 What is a short break service statement?
This statement is a guide to the services offered by Bracknell Forest Council and details what short breaks are available to support families and how to find suitable services or support.
Every local authority has to provide a statement and listen and respond to parent and carer
views.
1.3 Who is a short break for?
The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 defines disability as ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities’.
Short breaks are only intended for children and young people who have an impairment. There are other activities and support available locally for all children from Children’s Services and other organisations for children and young people with additional needs resulting from abuse or trauma for example, but who do not have a ‘disability’.
1.4 Benefits of short breaks
For a child or young person to:
§ take part in exciting activities that interest them
§ develop independence and increase confidence
§ spend time with friends and develop new friendship circles
§ achieve personal goals, learn new skills and reach potential
§ reduce isolation.
Short breaks have a direct positive impact on the lives of disabled children and young people who use them, making them more confident and independent (EDCM, 2015).
For parent/ carers[1]:
§ provide a break from caring
§ reduce feelings of stress, increasing resilience
§ spend time with siblings or together as a family/ couple
§ feel confident your child is having fun in safe and secure environments
§ have an opportunity to meet other parents/ families.
2 Short Break Services
Bracknell Forest Council remains committed to providing a range of good quality short breaks for children and families with disabilities. Recognising these are a positive opportunity for parents to take a break from their caring duties, but also that they help children with disabilities to become more independent and be involved and included in their local community.
Short breaks support Bracknell Forest Council’s vision that children and young people with disabilities have the best start in life and the ongoing support that they and their families need to fulfil their potential; whilst also being in line with the strategic themes of:
· ensuring value for money
· strong, safe, supportive and self resilient communities
· developing life skills and education opportunities
· living active and healthy lifestyles.
The services provided have been instrumental in raising the participation of children and young people with disabilities and supports inclusion in the local community.
2.1 Who is this for? (eligibility criteria)
Children and young people with disabilities up to the age of 18 years old and living in Bracknell Forest.
The eligibility for services and short breaks is based on the following principles:
· Promoting the health, safety and well being of children and young people with disabilities, ensuring they can fully participate in family and community life, enjoying themselves with friends and making decisions about their lives
· Preventing family crisis through the provision of the right level of support at the right time
· The need to be fair, clear and equitable.
Not all children and families will need the same level of support and short breaks; some will need more than others because of the nature and severity of their child’s disability. Some families may need more support because of their individual family circumstances. For children with complex needs the assessment process ensures the right amount of support and short breaks are provided at the right time in a fair and equitable way to those families in need.
2.2 Range of short breaks
Activities and support available are divided into three main areas to help parents make decisions about the type of short break suitable:
1. Universal
2. Targeted
3. Specialist & crisis intervention
Most children and young people with disabilities will have their needs met by universal and targeted services/ activities.
2.2.1 Universal settings
Require no formal assessment process or eligibility criteria e.g. mainstream after school and holiday clubs, childminders, sports clubs, brownies, scouts.
Fees are charged by the provider and extra support to meet individual need can be made available via the Short Break Service (Inclusion Fund), https://bracknellforest.fsd.org.uk/kb5/bracknell/directory/service.page?id=8bYtJWwZFvo&familychannel=6.
2.2.2 Targeted settings
These settings are primarily for children whose needs are more complex and are therefore unable to access universal settings with or without additional support e.g. holiday schemes or Saturday clubs specifically for children with disabilities. Suitability for these activities is assessed following a home visit by the provider. There is no formal local authority assessment process to determine need.
These schemes are commissioned by the local authority for children and young people who are unable to access mainstream or universal settings due to their high level of need and support required.
The criteria for accessing these activities are usually determined by the provider in line with the local authority’s commissioned contract, and are based on factors such as age, type of disability, peer group and potential risks.
Bracknell Forest Council subsidise these services/ activities but an additional fee is also payable by parent/carers as charged by the provider.
Activities and opportunities within universal and targeted settings are advertised with information being sent to all parents registered with the Short Break Service on a termly basis via email. Ad hoc activities and changes to provision are sent in the same way and local schools have access to this information for newsletters. Opportunities outside Bracknell are also advertised to parents so families can make the most of what is available locally. The same information is also available via the Local Offer.
2.2.3 Specialist settings and crisis intervention
A child with complex disability needs may need specialist services from Children’s Services, including: social work support; overnight short breaks; short break fostering and or support within and outside the home.
These services are provided by the local authority and require assessment by Children’s Social Care. They may include Larchwood short break unit (overnight, day and after school care), short break foster carers, personal budgets (via direct payments), home care and agency support, or community childminders. We are committed to promote personalisation to provide choice and flexibility.
A social worker will make an assessment to decide if a child is eligible for specialist services. Support from Children’s Social Care can be provided where a child’s disability is ‘substantial’ and ‘permanent’ and their needs, which arise from their disability, require more support than is available through the capacity of their parents/carers, family or local services. The team would work with children and young people who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and who have:
· Severe or profound Learning Difficulty or Disability
· Moderate learning difficulty with a Physical Disability
· Permanent and Significant Physical Disability
Substantial is defined as considerable or significant factors which are life changing or limiting, and might include issues to do with risk and dependency.
Permanent is defined as existing indefinitely and not expected to improve.
A personalised service and support package, including short breaks may be offered. If a specialist support package is agreed then the social worker will also talk to the family about a Personal Budget and provide guidance on direct payments as appropriate which can include support with recruitment, reference requests and payments.
Children’s Social Care will operate a Resource Allocation System and Panel to ensure fair access.
A Resource Allocation System, often referred to as a ‘RAS’, is a points based system, based on individual needs, and is a way of making fair and equitable allocations of funding to the whole population of children and young people eligible for support from a funding source.
The RAS will initially give an Indicative Allocation, the Personal Budget amount is then set and agreed following approval of the Support Plan. The final amount of the Personal Budget could be more or less than the Indicative Allocation.