Contract for the Provision of Short Breaks for Disabled Children

About Short Breaks in Cheshire East

Cheshire East Council is looking to provide a range of short breaks for disabled children (aged 0 to 18) and their families, resident in Cheshire East, in various settings and of various lengths ranging from a couple of hours to a half/full day session, provided after school at weekends and in school holidays. The services will be available at a time to suit the targeted individuals in order to provide flexible access. This will depend on the nature of the service being offered and will often include delivery out of standard working hours.
It is the intention of Cheshire East Council to commission ‘free to access’ short break sessions/activities. Therefore, any bids submitted will cover the costs in full within the pricing schedule, without the need for subsidies from children and families accessing the session/activity. All services will be operational from 5th January 2026.
Targeted Universal Short Breaks (Community Short Breaks)

The Council is looking to commission a Lead Provider to deliver range of short breaks for disabled children (aged 0 to 18) and their families who are resident in Cheshire East, in various settings and of various lengths ranging from a couple of hours to a half/full day session, provided after school, at weekends and in school holidays. This service will deliver the Universal Targeted Short Breaks offer.

The Lead provider may arrange and deliver the sessions directly or subcontract to other local providers that may deliver specific activities, ensuring comprehensive coverage across the Cheshire East Footprint. Collaboration with other local providers, the voluntary and community sector and Family Hubs will be central to the delivery of this service.

Targeted Specialist Short Breaks (Community Short Breaks)

A highlighted gap in provision has been for young people with more complex needs who require additional support to access the commissioned short break offer. A specific offer is proposed within the commission to deliver a range of activities within the community that can be accessed by pupils with a more severe or substantial disability has a significant impact on one or more of the following outcomes:

• Physical ability
• Communication and understanding
• Awareness of risk and danger
• Behaviour
• Independence
These arise from one or more of the following:
• A severe or profound learning disability
• A severe physical disability
• A substantial degree of visual impairment
• Moderate and severe hearing loss
• A complex autistic spectrum condition with severe learning difficulty
• A complex medical health condition, life limiting condition

These sessions would require a higher level of staffing and oversight with staff who are trained to meet the needs of more complex pupils. The pupils would be assessed by the local authority following its current processes and referred through to the lead provider as requiring the specialist offer. It is envisaged that this would be a time limited offer unlike the Universal Targeted Offer.

It is anticipated that this offer will inform a Test and Learn approach whereby in year one just 25% - 30% of the budget is allocated to this part of the offer and the Provider works with commissioners to determine its success and future opportunities.