Commissioned Short Breaks
Tameside has a range of innovative short breaks which are commissioned for children with more complex needs.
Short breaks are provided to give:
- Children and young people enjoyable experiences away from their primary carers, thereby contributing to their personal and social development and reducing social isolation
- Parents, carers and families receive a necessary and valuable break from their caring responsibilities and to enable them to maintain and improve the quality of care they provide.
These are available to children who meet the criteria for Children with Disabilities Team (CWD), the current criteria for Children with Disabilities Team (CWD) is Profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and severe learning, this criteria can be found following the link.
Services are accessed through a social care / early help assessment and children will also have an education, health and care plan (EHCP). These services are for children and families where there is a high level of need and complexity and who require specialist provision to enable them to access short breaks and other services.
Services Currently Available
Targeted Outreach Support
Targeted outreach is one of the options in place to offer direct support in the community with one to one, or two to one staff support for our children and young people who need the most help and care. Young people are collected and dropped off from home and support is primarily delivered within Active Tameside settings. Sessions are two hours each. There is also a club on Saturday mornings, this is also available as part of the commissioned offer for respite for these children
Complex Needs Holiday Clubs
Holiday clubs operating for 12 weeks a year for children who are wheel chair users and have additional learning difficulties and personal care needs, who would not be able to access other holiday clubs. The small group is focused around sensory activities in the community and in Active Tameside settings.
Holiday Stay and Play for Younger Children
The stay and play sessions are for children from 3-5 years of age and have either been diagnosed with a neuro-diverse condition or have an emerging neurodiversity. The sessions are for two hours one day a week of each school holiday. This offers respite to parents, as well as supported access to other children. The session is delivered in Active Tameside centres.
Holiday Clubs for children with SEND
Holiday clubs for children with SEND. Children all have severe learning difficulties as well as other additional needs such as ASD and ADHD. Most children will need personal care support and often attend special schools. These clubs are delivered around the Tameside borough mainly in Active Tameside centres, however some of clubs to be delivered in special schools.
Parents can fund placements for their own children and can contact Active Tameside directly to enrol their child onto the holiday club sessions. However if their child needs 1:1 support or 2:1 support then the parent may be redirected to ISCAN for an assessment of their needs, this will ensure that the young person is allocated into the correct peer group.
