Your short breaks feedback
Thank you to everyone that has shared their views on short breaks, including targeted short breaks (Break Time) and specialist short breaks (community, homecare, Break Time Plus and overnight care).
Purpose and method
The surveys are for children and young people who access targeted or specialist short breaks, and their parent carers.
We designed the surveys to help us understand what works well and identify areas that need improvement.
The surveys were opened in November 2023 and will remain open. Families are invited to provide feedback via the surveys at any time and may complete the form more than once if they wish.
Survey responses during 2023
Parents and carers (47 responses)
We asked: Was the service suitable for your child - were their needs met and did they enjoy the activities?
You said:
Yes, but this isn’t available in all weeks of school holidays and is costly.
My son really enjoys Kidz club. His needs are fully met and the staff are really friendly. My son loves attending each week and comes out of club smiling and telling me what he’s done.
Child enjoyed all activities but staff were unable to assist with changing wet clothing after a water activity and staff seemed stressed with my daughters level of need.
Yes. Provided weekend activities and care in the holidays whilst I was at work.
mostly suitable, however when behaviour became challenging, I don't think they managed it safely. He enjoys the activities and loves the staff.
My son thoroughly enjoys going to PIP. The activities are well planned and age appropriate.
Yes, she loves going and gets to see the friends she has made it’s a fabulous facility the organisers are amazing
Yes, the service has worked out really well and we are looking forward to another year of fun. My child loves going to PIP, he gets a lot out of it and is always happier for having been. He is non verbal so singing all the way home tells me that he enjoys it.
My child finds it difficult leaving the house and socializing with groups. He also has sleep disturbances so most activities are not suitable due to timings
My child could not attend any break time activities because there was no suitable provision that could meet need
Yes, although my child was in meltdown nearly everytime I dropped her off they always made sure she was taken care of. Activities she seems to enjoy once settled
We asked: Is there anything that could be improved?
You said:
More availability, more providers, less cost.
Could have staff that can assist with personal care.
Yes - more than 78 hours! This doesn’t equate to many sessions when parents work!
Range of groups for older children (15-18yrs)
The only thing I would improve is that a young adult session be put in place for when my son transitions to adult care, he will really miss going and no doubt so will his friends and he won't really understand why.
My teen wants to do things that are of interest to him, otherwise there is no engagement. He wants to be around similar able peers and would not feel comfortable around children with more severe learning and physical disabilities. For autistic teens who are bright, intelligent and have severe anxiety recovering burnout there is a huge gap for help and support to them and the families involved in their care
There needs to be a change in what activities are offered so that they are more inclusive and suitable for all disabled children. The activities currently on offer are very restricted and limited.
Lancashire have to increase inclusivity and broaden the activities so that they are accessible to older teenagers and PDA
Find providers who can intake from the term before they start primary school. Find more providers to allow for more spaces. Have a centralised booking system for all providers. Find other providers locally who already accept SEN children and help them be apart of break time.
We asked: How has your child attending a Break Time or short break activity helped you?
You said:
It helps to have my son in an activity when he isn’t in school in order to keep on top of home life and have a break from managing him at home.
It gives us a rest and so we can do activities with the younger children and to do some shopping.
Giving me rest from caring responsibilities and I can go shopping or see my friends.
Allowed my child to attend a group activity, without me having to attend - 15 year olds shouldn’t have to take their mum with them to activities.
Providing care when working and providing extra activities at the weekend to socialise with peers.
The small respite I get from my son attending break Time breaks is invaluable.
It has helped me immensely as my son has separation anxiety and PIP has given him the confidence he needed to take that step.
It did help with my mental health loads. I met parents in a similar situation as me and while she was attending we was able to go for coffee which was nice. Unfortunately can't do this now as she has no hours left.
Our son cannot access any other types of club so this is so important for him to have a group to go to with his peers. For us as parents we do not have any family who can provide childcare so is a needed break for us.
We asked: Has it helped any other family members?
You said:
It helps his sibling that D isn’t always at home so he can have a break too. This is only accessed in school holidays though and isn’t a break from the usual. He would usually be in school on these days.
Yes - allowed us to spend time together as a couple.
It allows us to have time with his neurotypical brother doing things we can’t otherwise do. Simple things like all have tea together (my son with the disability needs help and support at meal times so it’s easier to eat separately) or watching a movie.
Yes, it gives his siblings time to be at home without him, they get the full attention.
It’s provided more free time for his grandparents who often look after him at that time.
We asked: What difference does having a short break make to your family?
You said:
It means the world to us. His behaviour at home and school has improved since attending club
Means we can work and have time with our other son on the Saturday!
Enables us to have some uninterrupted time with our other child. Enables a few hours of work.
It gives us a break and allows me to spend some quality time with my daughter who often misses out due to my sons needs.
The support is very important and it’s eases our family pressure in the holidays
it means I can actually have some quality time with my husband as we never do anything without the children
Its built in a little piece of independence, for him to have that time with friends.
If a suitable break time was available it would help everyone in the family, however as there are no activities suitable for an older teenager who does not enjoy outdoor activities and requires something more inclusive then it might be different
Helps him feel grown up and independent, happy child
It makes my son a lot more confident, active and happy and that benefits the whole family.
We asked: Do you have any other comments regarding Short Breaks?
You said:
Please increase the hours, 78 throughout a year is just not enough 💔
It was obviously unsuitable for my daughter but parents are made to try this first before being assessed for anything else. Parents of children with additional needs don’t need the added stress of having to ‘try’ something when we know it’s not suitable for our children.
Yes. Hours aren't enough to contemplate weekend or after school groups. Have to retain till Sumner holidays. Friendships get lost. No routine for them. Also costing for in-house or cheap/free outdoor activities are ridiculously high.
Before my son started PIP as parents we had no time together as a couple. PIP has given us our relationship back. My son thoroughly enjoys going to club and has huge trust in the team. It has given him a new lease on life and his confidence has bloomed.
The principle and idea is great but it is not inclusive and is not accessible for all.
There needs to be a change on what is offered. Activities are not aimed at older teenagers who require more support.
There is nothing my child can access. He is autistic PDA and needs 1-1 with a trusted adult.
More providers to allow for a larger age range and more hours.
The team at Stars Camp are absolutely brilliant, really helpful and careful and my son loves going there.
Children and young people (3 responses)
We asked: How did you feel before you took part in a Break Time activity?
You said:
Good (33%); don't know (67%)
We asked: Did you make new friends?
You said:
Yes (100%)
We asked: Were the adults who looked after you nice?
You said:
Yes (100%)
We asked: How did you feel after you came to the Break Time activity?
You said:
Good (67%); don't know (33%)
We asked: Tell us about an activity that you enjoyed.
You said:
Painting cutting and sticking
I like using rainbow colours to colour pictures. And I like making jewelry for me to take home and sometime they let me make someone else something too.
We asked: Are there other games or fun things you’d like to try?
You said:
I would like to try to do thinking strategies
Yes more sports activities
Areas to celebrate and highlight
Overall, the short breaks have positively impacted on family relationships and boosted children's confidence and emotional well-being.
The engaging and diverse range of activities provided enriching experiences.
The short break allowed a family to spend quality time with their other children, providing them with undivided attention.
Despite the positive outcomes, there are ongoing challenges in finding suitable and consistently high-quality short break activities that meet a child's specific needs.
Feedback told us that the current hours of the program are insufficient for some, which sometimes adds to parental stress and that extending the duration and frequency of these breaks would be immensely helpful.
Feedback strongly advocates for changes that improve the accessibility and inclusivity of our programs to ensure that all families can benefit from such services.
Conclusion: areas for development
The survey highlighted these main themes for development:
- The offer of 78 hours is not enough for some families
- Support for specific needs such as personal care
- A wider range of activity choices
- Group activities for older children/teenagers
- Activities for neurodiverse young people
- Childcare for working parents of children with SEND
We'll continue to review the findings of this survey to help us consider the changes we need to make.
Next steps
We're planning to deliver more targeted activities for teenagers, neurodiverse children and those who need support with their mental health.
We'll explore with providers, ways to support children that have additional medical, personal care or other needs.
We continue to actively look for new providers. We'll work with our schools, external organisations, the voluntary sector and district councils.
We'll look at the wider offer of leisure activities and other opportunities available for children and young people with SEND in Lancashire.
We'll work with the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Team and Childcare Team to look at ways we can support parents with childcare.
Get involved
We want to make sure that Short Breaks really work well for children, young people and their families in Lancashire.
We'd like to hear from even more of you and encourage you to leave your Short Breaks feedback. Your views, comments and thoughts are important to us so we can make sure we get this right.