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Short Break Local Offer

Information for families wishing to use community short breaks activities through the Short Break Local Offer from September 2014

This factsheet provides information for families interested in using specialist play schemes and other activities through the Short Break Local Offer.

The factsheet includes links to other documents which will only work if you are viewing this factsheet electronically.

At the end of the factsheet is a list of full web addresses to those documents.

You can request the KIDS HUBs to send these to you in hard copy if you prefer.

The contact details for the HUBs are provided on page 4.

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Hertfordshire County Council

Children’s Services

Telephone: 0300 123 4043

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What is the Short Break Local Offer?

The Short Break Local Offer (SBLO) is an offer from Hertfordshire County Council to all disabled children in Hertfordshire. We aim to:

• make access to short breaks more transparent and equitable,
• offer more disabled children and young people a short break,
• increase the range of short break activities
• help those families who need extra support.

Community short breaks are part of the range of short breaks support at four levels:

• Community short breaks - Universal
• Community short breaks – Activities Extra
• Specialist short breaks - SBLO Plus
• Specialist short breaks - SBLO Intensive

This leaflet is primarily concerned with SBLO Activities Extra. This includes arrangements for access to Hertfordshire County Council funded community based short breaks, such as specialist play-schemes, Saturday clubs and other activities.

The Short Break Partnership Group is committed to keeping the entitlement under review and if possible to increase the level of entitlement.

Who is Eligible?

Families with a disabled child living in Hertfordshire. Please refer to Appendix 2 on page 10 for further information.

When will the SBLO be available?

From September 2014 you will be able to apply for up to 40 hours of activities which the Council funds.

You will also be able to use universal services and a wide range of inclusive and specialist activities not funded by the Council. The HUBs directory is a useful source of up to date information about services available, it is available on their website

Overview of Short Break Eligibility

There are four levels of short breaks support as set out in Appendix 2 on page 10:

• Community short breaks - Universal
• Community short breaks – Activities Extra
• Specialist short breaks - SBLO Plus
• Specialist short breaks - SBLO Intensive

What are Community Short Break Universal Activities?

Community Short Break Activities include community groups e.g. local sports clubs, scouts/guides as well as groups that specifically support disabled children but do not receive funding from Hertfordshire County Council. There is a directory on the KIDS HUB website of inclusive activities for disabled children: (see below for direct contact details).

How do I access them?

You can contact the activity providers directly to book (if necessary).

What are Community Short Break ‘Activities Extra’?

Community Short Break Activities Extra refers to services for disabled children funded by Hertfordshire County Council. At the time of writing these activities are provided for 5 to 19 year olds and include some of the services provided by:

• CHIPS
• Noah’s Ark
• North Herts CVS Breakaway
• St Albans Mencap
• Watford and District Mencap
• Jubilee House Care Trust
• Action for Children at Aldenham Adventure Park
• Norwood
• Royal Association for Deaf People

(see Appendix 1 on pages 8-9 for more information)

How do I access community short breaks activities extra?

If you have a disabled child or young person, and live in Hertfordshire, and wish to use the services we fund please contact the KIDS HUBs to apply.

KIDS will help you with:

• a discussion of the activities you and your child or young person are interested in. Some of these may be activities which are not funded by HCC.

• a brief application formand evidence of your child’s age, disability / level of need and address. The application form is available on and can be sent to you in hard copy.

• KIDS will contact the services you are interested in, and then will contact you again.

• You can proceed to contact the service directly to make arrangements.

Activity providers may ask for more detailed information from you regarding your child’s needs than is included in your short break local offer application form, to enable them to provide the appropriate care and support for your child.

Activity providers will make a maximum charge to families of £2 per hour. Discretion for financial hardship will be assessed by providers.Providers may arrange additional optional trips and visits for which additional fees apply.

If this is agreed the Brokerage and Short Breaks Review Team (B&SBRT) will discuss with you the activities you would like your child to use as part of the care package, and will confirm this with the service provider. You will not need to ask the HUBs to do this for you.

Brokerage and Short Breaks Review Team: 01438 844254

Depending on the assessed needs and the care plan in place, families receiving a package of care through the DCT:

• may receive 40 hours or more of ‘activities extra’ provision
• may receive more than 40 hours of ‘activities extra’ as well as other services included in the care package

or

• may not take up the full 40 hours of ‘activities extra’ – such as where some or all of the care package is provided through alternative specialist services.

There is the option for families who receive a service through the Disabled Children’s Team to have a personal budget (an agreed sum of money to arrange their own support). Further information about this will be available from September 2014.

Can my child attend activities for more than 40 hours per year?

• We think that the Short Break local Offer will help to increase the number of families who use short breaks
• If your preferred service has additional spaces, these will be offered to families (there may be a charge of more than £2 per hour for additional sessions)
• You may also use your own funds (DLA or PIP) to buy sessions in your chosen service.

What happens if I cancel an activity?

If you have booked onto a session and then need to cancel, the service provider may not be able to offer you an alternative and you may lose your hours for that session.

Annual re-checks

Each child’s entitlement is for a year from the date that their eligibility and access has been confirmed. It is envisaged that future annual checks will be lighter touch involving confirmation of residence within Hertfordshire and only re-checking evidence of disability when the original evidence you supplied has expired. The HUBs will let you know when to re-apply. Children who also have a care package through the DCT will not need to re-apply for SBLO as this will be confirmed as part of the Child In Need or Short Breaks Review meeting which takes place at least annually.

Recording Information

The KIDS HUBs will send the Council the names of all children eligible and wishing to access activities. The B&SBT will record these on the Council’s ICS database.

Comments and Complaints

Organisations welcome comments, complaints and compliments, this helps us to continually improve.

Complaints about the way in which the KIDS HUBs or B&SBRT have processed SBLO applications should be directed to KIDS or the Council respectively, using the complaints procedures which can be found by clicking the links. If a complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of a complaint regarding the KIDS HUBs they may wish to complain to the Council as the commissioner of the service.

The KIDS comments and complaints policy can be found here.

The Council’s complaints procedure can be found on this page.

Complaints about services received from SBLO activity providers should be directed to the provider via the provider’s complaints procedure in the first instance. If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of their complaint they may wish to complain to the Council as the commissioner of the service.

The following flowchart outlines the process for families:

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Appendix 1: List of Commissioned Activities

Appendix 2: Eligibility and Access

Eligibilityand Access information is available on the Short Break Local Offer pages of the Hertsdirect website. Please contact the HUBs for a hard copy if you do not have access to the internet. The contact details for the HUBs are provided on page 4.

The eligibility criteria for the Short Breaks Local Offer refer to Hertfordshire’s definition of disability. Eligibility for ‘Activities Extra’ also includes: children who have other needs, such as those associated with ADHD for example, where the child receives: DLA middle or highest rate care component or higher rate mobility component; or any rate PIP daily living component or enhanced rate PIP mobility component.

Links

Short Break information

Eligibility and Access document

Short Break Local Offer Activities Extra Application Form

Hertfordshire County Council’s Complaints Procedure

KIDS HUBs

KIDS Comments and Complaints Policy

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