Short breaks
Short breaks give your disabled child time doing something they enjoy with another trusted person, and give the rest of the family a rest. You can ask your council what is on offer where you live.
Applies across the UK
A short break can be a few hours at a club or with a sitter, a day activity, or an overnight stay. It is support for your child and a break for you, and asking for one is not a sign you are failing to cope.
In England, the Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2011 require every local authority to provide a range of short breaks and to publish a short breaks services statement Statement of SEN in Northern Ireland The legal paper in Northern Ireland that sets out a child's help at school. England ended statements, but they still run in Northern Ireland. Read the full definition of Statement of SEN in Northern Ireland . That statement is a real document you can ask your council for: it must set out what is available locally and who can use it. In the other UK nations the route runs through each nation's own carers and social care law, and what is on offer varies a lot from area to area.
Where this comes from
- The Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2011 , legislation.gov.uk. Checked 2026-08-15.
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