Short breaks

Short breaks

Wiltshire Short Breaks Scheme 2025 – 2026

Wiltshire’s 2025-2026 Short Breaks Scheme is Open for Applications!

Applications for the Scheme must be received by Sunday 9th March 2025. As per last year, applications for the Scheme need to be made via the Wiltshire Council online form: [Application Form]

PLEASE NOTE: You will Need your Reference Number
Wiltshire Council is sending letters to all families know to have eligible children or young people this week. Please don’t apply until you have received your letter, as you will need your reference number for your application.
If you don’t receive a letter and you think your child or young person is eligible, please contact the WPCC as we can check for you.

To be eligible for the scheme, your child or young person must: -

• Be resident in the areas of the county covered by Wiltshire Council (i.e. Swindon is excluded)

• Aged 6 years old (as of 31st August 2025) to 18 years old (as of 31st March 2025). N.B. young people who turn 19 between 1st April and 31st August 2025 are still eligible to apply but will receive a reduced entitlement

• And meet the eligibility criteria described in the Short Breaks Scheme leaflet

You can use this simple [online Eligibility Tool] to check if your child or young person is eligible for the 2025-26 Short Breaks Scheme.

The Short Breaks Scheme leaflet gives detailed information about the scheme, including: -
• Who can access the scheme – details about eligibility
• How to apply – including a link to the [online application form]
• Scheme options – these are a range of options that enable children and young people, together with their parent carers, to think creatively about how they want to spend their leisure time and choose what works best for them

You can see the Short Breaks Scheme leaflet HERE

About the scheme

Designed in consultation with parents and carers, the Short Breaks Scheme aims to meet the individual needs and interests of children and young people who require additional support to either access or engage in leisure activities and social opportunities (also referred to as ‘short breaks’).

The Short Breaks Scheme offers families choice through a menu of options, which means that children and young people, together with their parents or carers, can think creatively about how they want to spend their leisure time and choose what works best for them.

Whilst Wiltshire Council subsidises all options available through the Short Breaks Scheme, families are expected to contribute towards the overall costs of providing short breaks for their children. Families choosing the Activity Club or COMBO option are required to contribute £10 per 3hr session and £18 per 6hr session towards this heavily subsidised service.

Families who choose the payment or COMBO option through the Short Breaks Scheme are responsible for making sure the money is used to best meet the leisure activity and social opportunity interests of their child for the year. By choosing the payment or COMBO option, you could be selected at random to take part in an interview to explain how the funding was used responsibly to benefit your child and meet their leisure interests.

As in previous years, the Short Breaks Scheme will be reviewed to make sure it continues to meet the needs of children and families in Wiltshire.

APPLICATIONS FOR THE WILTSHIRE SHORT BREAKS SCHEME 2025 - 2026 MUST BE RECEIVED VIA THE ONLINE FORM BY SUNDAY 9TH MARCH 2025!

Who can access the scheme

1. aged 6yrs (as of 31st August 2025) to 18yrs (as of 31st March 2025), and
2. resident in areas of the county covered by Wiltshire Council (i.e. this excludes Swindon), and
3. meet the eligibility criteria on page 4 of the Short Breaks Scheme Leaflet

Please refer to the Short Breaks scheme leaflet for further information, terms and conditions.

You can also use the NEW online eligibility checking tool to check your child’s eligibility for the Short Breaks Scheme [HERE]

Applications must be received via the online form by Sunday 9th MARCH 2025 to qualify for the Short Breaks Scheme.

If you are resident in Swindon, please [click here] for information about short breaks in your area.

What the options are

Depending on the age of your child and if they meet the eligibility criteria, the following options are available:

• Short breaks scheme payment up to £240 (6-18yrs)
  
• Up to 78 hours of organised Barnardo's activity clubs on Saturdays and during school holidays (6-18yrs). Please note: Families should expect to pay a minimum of £10 per 3hr session and £18 per 6hr session on regular club days, as a contribution towards this heavily subsidised service. Families may also be required to contribute towards additional costs for special day trips out organised throughout the year.
  
• The ‘combo’ – up to 39hrs of organised Barnardo's activity clubs, plus a short breaks scheme payment of up to £120 (6-18yrs)

Children/ young people with a residential placement: Children and young people in 52 week placements have leisure and social opportunities provided as part of their funded placement for the whole of the year, so they are not eligible for the Short Breaks Scheme. Children and young people in residential placements of 38 weeks or more can apply but will be entitled to a reduced entitlement, as some leisure and social opportunities will already be provided as part of their funded placement. Please refer to the Short Breaks scheme leaflet for further information, terms and conditions.

For general short breaks enquiries, contact the WPCC on 01225 764647.

How to apply

Once you have read through the Short Break Scheme leaflet, are satisfied that your child meets the criteria for the Short Breaks Scheme and you know which option you want to choose, you will need to submit your application with Wiltshire Council. Please have your bank details to hand as you will need them when submitting your online application. If you have an email address and access to the internet, please click [here] to apply directly online.

PLEASE NOTE: You will Need your Reference Number
Wiltshire Council is sending letters to all families know to have eligible children or young people this week. Please don’t apply until you have received your letter, as you will need your reference number for your application.
If you don’t receive a letter and you think your child or young person is eligible, please contact the WPCC as we can check for you.

If you do not have an email account or access to the internet, call the Wiltshire Parent Carer Council who will make an application on your behalf. Telephone: 01225 764647.

APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY SUNDAY 9TH MARCH 2025

Please note that eligible families need to re-apply each year for the Short Breaks Scheme. Wiltshire Council reserves the right to close the scheme if the available budget is exhausted. Eligible families are, therefore, encouraged to apply promptly.

You can also use WPCC's online eligibility checking tool to check your child’s eligibility for the Short Breaks Scheme [HERE]

Remember your application MUST be received by Sunday 9th March 2025.

Wiltshire Short Breaks Activity Clubs for Children and Young People with SEND

Barnardo’s is responsible for running and delivering Short Breaks Activity Clubs for Children and Young People aged 0 to 18 who choose either the Club option or COMBO option within Wiltshire’s Short Breaks Scheme.

To find out more about the clubs, the sorts of things children and young people might do, where they take place and more, please see the following information (WSB info sheet).

Information about other short break opportunities

If your child is not eligible for the short breaks scheme, there is plenty more on offer. As well as being able to access opportunities available to ALL children and young people in Wiltshire (referred to as ‘universal’ services), such as play areas, swimming pools, leisure centres and youth clubs, Wiltshire Council also funds initiatives specifically designed to meet the needs of children and young people (with special educational needs/ disabilities) who require some support to enable them to access leisure activities.

These are referred to as ‘targeted’ services and include a variety of sports activities, youth clubs, dance clubs, etc. With no assessment or criteria to meet to access these clubs (other than having a disability or special educational need), all you need to do is book a place.

Further information can be found in WPCC's signposting section or go to the online calendar.

Small Grants Scheme

Wiltshire Council wishes to continue to support the expansion of the provision of clubs and activities across the county for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to support them to participate in activities that they are interested in alongside their friends and peers.

The Small Grants Scheme is for new provision or expansion of an existing scheme and not to support the continuation of existing clubs and activities. Individuals and organisations have been invited to apply for small grants of up to £10,000 to increase the number of opportunities available for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities in the Wiltshire area, in the hope that it will support an increase in opportunities for children and young people, and promote greater inclusion in activities and groups, allowing them to participate alongside their friends and peers.

The WPCC published details of the Small Grants Scheme in previous newsletters and on its website.

If my Child or Young Person doesn't Meet the Eligibility Criteria what Should I do?

If your child is not eligible for the Short Breaks Scheme and would have difficulty accessing universal or targeted services without additional support, you may wish to consider making an appeal. For more information on appeals please contact Wiltshire Parent Carer Council on 01225 764647 or email: admin@wiltspcc.co.uk An appeal can be made by a parent, carer or professional who works with the child.

All appeals are carefully considered by the Short Breaks Appeals Panel, which is made up of members of Wiltshire Council and Wiltshire Parent Carer Council. The panel meets monthly.

Upon receipt of an appeal, if further information or clarification is required before a decision can be reached, you will be contacted. As soon as the panel has reached a decision, you will be informed about the outcome.

Appeals form to follow shortly.

Changes to the Wiltshire Short Breaks Scheme

Wiltshire Council has provided the following statement about the Short Breaks Scheme this year:

Wiltshire Council continues to be fully committed to providing the short breaks service in the county, and to helping to support children and young people with SEND, and their families/carers.
However, like all local authorities, Wiltshire Council continues to face significant financial pressures, and it is essential that we are able manage those pressures carefully. These pressures have been impacted by the further significant increase in the number of eligible children and young people in Wiltshire who can now access the Short Breaks offer. This has meant that, despite additional funding being made available for 2025-2026, we have been unable to match last year’s direct payment option. This reduction does however mean that we are able to support as many children and young people as possible.
This means for those selecting the payment scheme this year, the first payments will be up to £180 for the Scheme payment option and up to £90 for the COMBO. The second payment will be up to £60 for the scheme payment or up to £30 for the COMBO option. This will mean a total of up to £240 for Scheme Payment option and up to £120 for the COMBO option.
The activity and clubs provision provided by Barnardo’s will continue for the next year and as part of our two year agreement, the offer has been enhanced to provide a greater offer of provision.
We have continued to support the Small Grant Scheme to provide additional inclusive opportunities in the community for the children and young people with SEND in Wiltshire, and we will continue to look for ways to make sure that we support all those with SEND across the county.
Finally, as outlined on page 13 of the Short Breaks Scheme leaflet, Wiltshire Council has embarked on a wide ranging review of its Short Breaks offer and has already met with parents and carers, and children and young people to understand what they want from this scheme and how we can work together to achieve this. We wish to ensure that the future scheme continues to meet growing demand for services while striving to support parents and carers, and children and young people in receiving the best provision possible. We will be carrying out further engagement events in the spring of 2025 and details on how to get involved will be published through 11 our Local Offer website and through our WPCC partners.

The future of Wiltshire’s Short Breaks Scheme

Wiltshire’s current Short Breaks Scheme is commissioned until 2026.

To begin to inform future decisions about the scheme, the WPCC arranged a number of opportunities in 2024 for parent carers and young people to participate in early conversations about the future of the scheme. In partnership with Wiltshire Council, the WPCC will be arranging further opportunities in 2025 for parent carers to get involved in conversations to help shape the future of Wiltshire’s Short Breaks Scheme from 2026. This is essential to help ensure the scheme is able to meet the needs of the growing number of children and young people with SEND in Wiltshire and provide an offer that is meaningful and appropriate for those who need it most.