What do we mean by short breaks? Allowing disabled children and young people to have enjoyable experiences away from home Parents and families having a break from caring responsibilities

Who are the breaks for? 2 Key Target Groups Group A – Children and Young People with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (Who have severe learning disabilities or behaviour which is challenging) OR those children and young people whose behaviour is associated with other impairments such as severe learning disabilities.

Group B – Children and Young People with complex health needs including those with disability and life limiting conditions, and /or those who require palliative care and /or those with associated impairments such as cognitive or sensory impairments and/or have moving /handling needs and/or require special equipment/adaptations.

Numbers In Lincolnshire these key groups equate to approximately 1800 children. A further 2700 have an additional need The grant is targeted towards the most complex – known as the A and B groups.

Potential Activities identified by disabled children and young people in Lincolnshire: Dance Drama – to include singing Swimming – separate supported swim sessions Sport – all sorts Bowling Horse riding

Why specialist activities? Children and young people sometimes feel safer and get more confidence from taking part in activities alongside peer groups with similar needs We have inconsistent provision and in some areas none (i.e. swimming for specialist groups). Parents happy to pay but feel there is a lack of provision to choose from at present.

Support needs – the costs of providing clubs for children and young people with complex needs is generally more than for children without those needs because of the staffing ratios concerned. Costs therefore become prohibitive for parents and for providers to arrange – lack of demand.

So Lincolnshire County Council would like to: Provide more activities by using the Short breaks grant. We would like there to be the opportunity for one of each of the activities in every Local Children’s Partnership area. 7 districts…

Points to consider: Think age and stage – some children have severe developmental delay but some like own age groups. We would like activities to be affordable and suggest a universal rate is applied. Activities planned for weekends and after 6.00 in the evening are better due to travel that many of the children are involved in during the day to school.

The L.A can provide: Pump prime funding using short breaks grant in order to mask staff costs for example to facilitate affordability. Training for staff by specialist nurse or occupational therapist Equipment costs using capital grant min. £2000

...continued Assistance with venue finding Publicity through Positive About You – C4YP directory and the Family Service directory Funding is available until 31 st March 2011

Next steps.. We would like completed copies of: LCC risk assessment Service Proposal (which asks for projected costs, service to be delivered, service delivery area and also target customers The forms downloadable from tid=2522&docid= tid=2522&docid=82553 Deadline for completion –15 th January 2010

Send completed applications to: Leigh Ingham, Commissioning and Development Officer Lincolnshire County Council, Room 114, County Hall, Newland, Lincoln, LN1 1YL Deadline for completion –15 th January 2010

Over to you… Use this time to ask questions/raise any points about assistance we could provide.