Short Breaks consultation 2023
Short Breaks are supportive, family services that allow parents and carers to have time out from their caring responsibilities looking after children who have additional needs or disabilities. They also give children and young people with additional needs or disabilities the opportunity to go places, spend time with friends, take part in fun and enjoyable activities, become more independent and try new things.
Short Breaks services used to be called ‘respite care’. In Bristol, Short Breaks refers to several services run by Bristol City Council and other services which are funded by Bristol City Council and run by external organisations.
A consultation on proposals to reduce the budget was undertaken for 6 weeks between 21 November 2023 and 2 January 2024. It included a survey and workshops with parents and carers.
Consultation closed
All responses to the consultation have been analysed and the feedback helped us to develop final proposals for the Short Breaks service.
When we consulted, we proposed that the changes to the Short Breaks service would start in April 2024. A decision on whether to make the budget reduction and changes to the Short Breaks service was due to be taken by Cabinet in March 2024 following the conclusion of the consultation in January 2024. However, due to the impending May local elections and change from the Mayoral system, the Mayor’s Office decided that decision should be delayed, to be taken by the new Committee System in June 2024. Due to the decision being delayed it was also decided that the budget reduction, if agreed by Committee, would be taken from March 2025 onwards, meaning there has been no impact to Short Breaks in 2024 to25.
Decisions on the proposals for Short Breaks were made by the council’s Children and Young People's Committee on 27 June 2024. The committee took responses to the consultation into consideration when making their decisions.
The Committee resolved to:
- Agree to reduce the Short Breaks for Disabled Children’s Service by £273,340 in line with options in the consultation report.
- Authorise the Executive Director Children and Education in consultation with Chair of the Children and Education Committee to procure and award the Targeted Short Breaks contracts in-line with the procurement routes and maximum budget envelopes outlined in this report.
- Authorise the Executive Director Children and Education to invoke any subsequent extensions/variations specifically defined in the contract(s) being awarded, up to the maximum budget envelope outlined in this report.
- Agree changed eligibility to Bristol Autism Project so it is accessible by families living within Bristol City Council Boundaries only.
Key dates
- Start date: 20 November 2023
- End date: 2 January 2024