Disabled children, young people and their families across Devon are benefiting from improvements to the county council’s Short Breaks offer, with work now underway to create an even broader range of support through a new county-wide quality assured provider offer.
Short Breaks help disabled children and young people develop independence, build friendships and gain confidence while giving parents and carers valuable respite from their caring responsibilities. Support can include sports, music, creative sessions, drama, community groups, holiday programmes and other experiences tailored to individual needs.
Since agreeing Devon’s Short Breaks Strategy in March 2026, the council has worked with children, young people, parent carers and providers to shape services around what matters most to families. This has included a greater focus on inclusive, community-based provision and helping children and young people take part in everyday experiences alongside their peers.
One parent shared their feedback after their child attended both a SEND basecamp at Pixie’s Holt on Dartmoor during a half-term and a family day at Haven Banks in Exeter.
“The new short breaks offers have been life changing. I haven’t successfully left my child for over four years, which we managed at Pixie’s Holt this half term. I went for cake in quiet!”
Around 1,500 children and young people currently access Short Breaks support in Devon. The council is now developing a more diverse offer, with quality assured providers available more consistently across the county.
Importantly, the new short breaks offer is designed to complement, not replace, the Devon Wallet. The wallet is the online platform families and the council use to support personalised short breaks and support plans to support assessed social care needs.
This blended approach will continue, ensuring direct payments are still available where flexibility is essential, particularly for children and young people with more complex needs.
These improvements are part of delivering Devon’s Short Breaks Strategy 2026–2030, which sets out a vision for a graduated, inclusive offer focused on independence, life skills and community involvement.
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