2 February
Bracknell Forest Council are having a Tell a Friend event with carers speaking at an event to recruit short break carers, supported lodging carers and fostering carers. Read more here here.

7 January 2011
Bristol City Council in partnership with the
Gloucestershire and Somerset Football Associations and the National Autistic
Society will be using running a ten week block of football and fitness sessions
for children and young people with autism. For more information please contact: Julia Williams BCC Community Football
Development Officer for Central and East Bristol Mobile 07795 446129 Work 0117 9413 800 Em ail williamsj@cityacademy.bristol.sch.uk


7 January 2011
MORE than £500,000 has been earmarked to improve and support the
lifestyle needs of hundreds of disabled and special needs children
across Cumbria.Read full story here

4 January 2011
More than 500 families from Hull have benefited from payments of up to £370 from the Short Breaks Programme.Funding for the scheme, which was created under the previous Government, runs out in March next year. Read more here

4 January 2011
Dotcom entrepreneur Marcelle Speller is not a flash lady, but when she
recently took part in Channel 4’s Secret Millionaire she gave £90k away
to five Plymouth charities. Read full story here

15 December 2010
TAVISTOCK Comm-unity Football Club welcomed one of its own this week to
join its coaching staff when a special disability footballer qualified
as a coach.
Read full story here

15 December 2010
Percy, Sally and Snowflake are three of the latest arrivals to
Bristol to help children with disabilities access more opportunities in
the city.Ten stability penguins have been delivered to Bristol Ice Rink to
help disabled children from across the city to experience ice-skating. Read more here

15 December 2010
A £100,000 extension to a Hexham respite centre has thrown another lifeline to families with disabled youngsters.The new bedroom and wet room at Monksfield, on Corbridge Road, will
provide another 362 bed spaces each year for young people with moderate
to severe learning disabilities. Read more here

15 December 2010
The government's early intervention grant will provide 10.9% less
funding that the aggregated 2010-11 funding councils received from their predecessors.
While funding is not ring fenced the government has told councils that
Sure Start centres childcare for disadvantaged two year olds and short
breaks for disabled children should be prioritised.

Read Community Care article

11th December 2010
Sarah Teather MP, Children’s Minister announced today (11
December 2010) that the Government will be providing local
authorities with £800 million over the next four years to fund
short breaks for families with disabled children over the next four
years. This represents approx £200 million per year, a £22 million
year on year increase on 2010 funding, and sends a clear message to
local authorities that services for disabled children should be a
high priority. Read more here
Read the DfES news release here

11 December 2010

A new evaluation of the short breaks programme
shows the positive impact that short breaks can have on families with
disabled children – with 88 per cent of families surveyed currently
using some form of short breaks service. But there is more work to be
done to better target services and make sure all families have access to
a wide range of support.

Short Breaks Pathfinder Evaluation

22 November 2010
A disabled children’s charity is gearing up to celebrate 10 years of success.Integrating Children is based in Durham and provides free support to children with disabilities in activities of their choice outside of school. Read more here

16 November 2010
Volunteers are needed to help take disabled children on fun trips to the cinema, horse riding and sailing.Stoke-based Caldwell children provides leisure activities across the county as part of its expanding Family Support and Short Breaks Service. Read more here

16 November
Disabled children's holidays could be in jeopardy if a charity doesn't raise enough cash.The Speldhurst-based 3H fund
has been running for more than 30 years but has "struggled" this year
to keep with fundraising targets because of the recession. Read more here

16 November 2010
Government plans to expand the use of personal budgets will give
families more choice over their children's care, but only local
investment can make that choice real. Read more here

News Archive June 2010 - August 2010

Please download the news stories: Reg news archive june-aug 2010.doc

News Archive January 2010 - February 2010

Please download a PDF of news stories: News archive jan and feb 2010.pdf


News Archive July 2009 - December 2009

Please download a PDF of news stories: Short breaks news archive may-dec 09.pdf

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