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Short Breaks Innovation Programme: Lessons Learned Report

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Title: Short Breaks Innovation Programme: Lessons Learned Report
Language: English
Authors: Department for Education (DfE) (United Kingdom)
Source: UK Department for Education. 2026.
Availability: UK Department for Education. Castle View House East Lane, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 2GJ, UK. Tel: +44-37-0000-2288; Fax: +44-19-2873-8248; Web site: http://www.education.gov.uk
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 24
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Reports - Evaluative
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Special Education, Special Needs Students, Students with Disabilities, Respite Care, Program Descriptions, Innovation, Family Involvement, Accountability, Program Evaluation, Program Effectiveness, Positive Behavior Supports, Needs Assessment, Evidence Based Practice
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
Abstract: Short breaks (sometimes referred to as 'respite care') are provided by local authorities under the Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2011. Local authorities must provide a range of short breaks for disabled children and young people as well as for their parents or carers to support them in caring for their children. In 2021, the Department for Education (DfE) successfully bid for £30 million from His Majesty's Treasury (HMT) to award extra funding to local authorities to provide additional short breaks, improve access to short breaks for under-represented groups, and test innovative delivery models for short breaks. This fund established the Short Breaks Innovation Programme, a 3 year programme that ran from April 2022 to March 2025. In Year 1, £5 million was made available for the local authority applicants who scored highest against stipulated success criteria. In Year 2, this increased to £10 million, and in Year 3, it increased further to £15 million. Successful local authorities were those who best demonstrated that their project could deliver the broader aims of the programme. These included: (1) the improvement of health, education and well-being outcomes for young people with disabilities and their families; (2) a reduction in the pressures on high needs and other budgets (by, for example, reducing the need for educational transitions from mainstream into specialist settings, or moves into the care system); and (3) an exploration of possible future structural reform and service redesign, in the context of broader special educational needs and disability (SEND) system reform. This report collates lessons learned from across the programme for the benefit of all local authorities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their short breaks offer. Given the limited scope of the programme, the evidence base provided here is not exhaustive or conclusive, but suggestive. It draws on multiple in-depth interviews with the local authorities who participated in the Short Breaks Innovation Programme, as well as their annual impact reports. We anticipate that the innovations discussed below will resonate with local authorities beyond the programme. The report therefore aims to provide all local authorities impetus to strategically reconsider their historic approaches considering today's changing landscape.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED680042
Database: ERIC
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  Data: UK Department for Education. Castle View House East Lane, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 2GJ, UK. Tel: +44-37-0000-2288; Fax: +44-19-2873-8248; Web site: http://www.education.gov.uk
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Special+Education%22">Special Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Special+Needs+Students%22">Special Needs Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Students+with+Disabilities%22">Students with Disabilities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Respite+Care%22">Respite Care</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Descriptions%22">Program Descriptions</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Innovation%22">Innovation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+Involvement%22">Family Involvement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Accountability%22">Accountability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Evaluation%22">Program Evaluation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Effectiveness%22">Program Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Positive+Behavior+Supports%22">Positive Behavior Supports</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Needs+Assessment%22">Needs Assessment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Evidence+Based+Practice%22">Evidence Based Practice</searchLink>
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  Data: Short breaks (sometimes referred to as 'respite care') are provided by local authorities under the Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2011. Local authorities must provide a range of short breaks for disabled children and young people as well as for their parents or carers to support them in caring for their children. In 2021, the Department for Education (DfE) successfully bid for £30 million from His Majesty's Treasury (HMT) to award extra funding to local authorities to provide additional short breaks, improve access to short breaks for under-represented groups, and test innovative delivery models for short breaks. This fund established the Short Breaks Innovation Programme, a 3 year programme that ran from April 2022 to March 2025. In Year 1, £5 million was made available for the local authority applicants who scored highest against stipulated success criteria. In Year 2, this increased to £10 million, and in Year 3, it increased further to £15 million. Successful local authorities were those who best demonstrated that their project could deliver the broader aims of the programme. These included: (1) the improvement of health, education and well-being outcomes for young people with disabilities and their families; (2) a reduction in the pressures on high needs and other budgets (by, for example, reducing the need for educational transitions from mainstream into specialist settings, or moves into the care system); and (3) an exploration of possible future structural reform and service redesign, in the context of broader special educational needs and disability (SEND) system reform. This report collates lessons learned from across the programme for the benefit of all local authorities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their short breaks offer. Given the limited scope of the programme, the evidence base provided here is not exhaustive or conclusive, but suggestive. It draws on multiple in-depth interviews with the local authorities who participated in the Short Breaks Innovation Programme, as well as their annual impact reports. We anticipate that the innovations discussed below will resonate with local authorities beyond the programme. The report therefore aims to provide all local authorities impetus to strategically reconsider their historic approaches considering today's changing landscape.
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 24
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Special Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Special Needs Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Students with Disabilities
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Respite Care
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Program Descriptions
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Innovation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Family Involvement
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Accountability
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Program Evaluation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Program Effectiveness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Positive Behavior Supports
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      – SubjectFull: Needs Assessment
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      – SubjectFull: Evidence Based Practice
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      – SubjectFull: United Kingdom
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      – TitleFull: Short Breaks Innovation Programme: Lessons Learned Report
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