Leisure Activities and Short Breaks
Since April 2011 every local authority has had a duty to provide a range of short break services for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities.
In Suffolk, Activities Unlimited provides short breaks and leisure activities to disabled children aged 0-25.
What are Short Breaks / What's available?
What are Short Breaks?
Our activities and short breaks are available for all children and young people with SEND aged 0-25 in Suffolk. They include clubs, sports and other activities that enable children and young people with SEND to make friends, try new things and take part in the same sort of activities as children without additional needs, and can give parents / carers a break from their caring responsibilities or support families to do things together. Short breaks may take place after school, at weekends (including overnight) or in the school holidays.
Every activity will be able to cater for children with SEND; some may require a carer to attend along with the young person, depending on activity and level of need. All our activities are subsidised, but still charge a fee. This is either because they are a mainstream provider who are already offering activities but would like to offer their services at a reduced rate to disabled children and young people, or because they receive investment from the Local Authority and therefore must adhere to Suffolk County Council's pricing strategy.
What Short Breaks are available in Suffolk?
To find an activity or short break near you, just browse through the lists below, view our calendar or download our provider guide and contact the provider directly to see what spaces are available.
Mainstream / inclusive providers and activities
Specialist providers and activities
Activity Calendar:
Guidance on choosing a Short Break Provider
The information about our short breaks is supplied by the organisations who provide the activities or breaks and not by Suffolk County Council. Because we rely on others to give us the information, we cannot be sure it is correct and up to date and Suffolk County Council therefore assumes no responsibility for information contained on this site and disclaims all liability in respect of the information. Where we provide links to other websites, Suffolk County Council is not responsible for the content of other sites which are not part of Suffolk County Council Services and, to the extent permitted by law, disclaims all liability in respect of their content and the content of any sites which may be accessed through these other sites.
It is your responsibility to check the information and to find out if the club, activity, break or service is of a high standard and able to safely meet your needs, or those of your child. If you are a child or young person, please ask your parents or carer to help you decide if the standard is appropriate. The information you need to make this decision should be available on the provider profiles and activity pages of the website. If you feel the information you need is not there then you can call Activities Unlimited on 01473 260026 or go direct to the provider.
Guidance from the DfE on keeping children safe
Young Person’s Guide to Keeping Children Safe (childrenscommissioner.gov.uk)
Short Breaks Personal Budgets
What is a Short Breaks Personal Budget?
In addition to providing grants to activity providers, we also provide Short Breaks Personal Budgets directly to eligible families. This is a sum of money paid directly to eligible families as a contribution to help your child access short breaks and to give you a break from your caring responsibilities.
Any parent carer of a child aged 0-18 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) who lives in Suffolk can apply for an Activities Unlimited Short Breaks Personal Budget, although not all families who apply for a Personal Budget are eligible to receive one; budgets are reserved for those children, young people and families with the most significant needs.
Find out more about our Personal Budgets, including our most frequently asked questions.
Social Care Services
A range of specialist residential 'respite-style' short breaks are also available for disabled children and young people with complex needs who are eligible for support from the Disabled Children and Young People’s Social Work Team. In most cases, families open to this Team have a named Social Worker.
If you are accessing short break services through Activities Unlimited and feel your child's needs are more complex than can be met through AU's Short Breaks, you can ask for an assessment by the Social Care team by contacting Customer First on 0808 800 4005.
You can find out more information about Social Care support here: Social Care and Early Help
Contact Us
You can contact us in the following ways:
Email: info@activities-unlimited.co.uk
Telephone: 01473 260026
Facebook: www.facebook.com/activitiesunlimited
Twitter: www.twitter.com/activitiesunltd
Latest News
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Time to Listen events, 2023
In 2021, we published the final report following the independent review of SEND Services in Suffolk undertaken by Lincolnshire County Council. You can read more about the review here. One of the things families fed back to us as…
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Information for parent carers and children and young people on SEND inspections
Ofsted and CQC jointly inspect local area partnerships to see how well they work together to improve the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Read more: Area SEND inspections: information about ongoing inspections. From January 2023, all local area partnerships will receive an…
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Children’s expert brought in to strengthen council’s focus on real-life experiences of children with special educational needs
An independent special advisor has been commissioned to further strengthen reform of special educational needs and disabilities services (SEND) at Suffolk County Council. Well-respected senior leader in children’s services, consultant Anthony Douglas CBE, will work with SEND system leaders and the SEND networks to support the reforms already underway. He will…
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Local Offer News, April 2023
Read the latest edition of Local Offer News! As ever, our aim is to bring you a mixture of strategic updates about the work being done to improve SEND Services in Suffolk, and day-to-day news and resources that we hope you will find useful. Read the April edition of our…
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Young Person's SEND Survey 2023
Help us get the views of children and young people with Special Education Needs and Disabilities. Suffolk County Council is repeating the SEND CYP survey to empower children and young people with special educational needs, to share their experiences. As part of the SEND Strategy, we need to hear how…
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Castle East School, additional places
From September 2024, Castle EAST School in Bungay will increase its places from 80 to 120. This expansion will cover academic year groups 5 to 11. The SEND school educates pupils with a diagnosis of communication and interaction needs or Autistic Spectrum Disorder. It opened in September 2011 and continues…
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SEND Employment Forum
Do you want to shape the futures of Young People in Suffolk? Would you like to increase your potential talent pool? Would you like to increase not only the employment but the life outcomes for young people with disabilities? We are setting up a SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities)…
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Inclusion Roadshows: Autumn 2022
In the Autumn of 2022, we held a series of Inclusion Roadshows for Headteachers, SENCOs and school leaders throughout the county, to update them on the work being undertaken to improve SEND Services in Suffolk. You can view the slides presented on the day along with a summary…
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Autism and Nature - Alex and Rosie learn about woods and trees
Our friends at Autism and Nature have a new book out: "Alex and Rosie learn about trees", complete with artwork, Widgit symbols and narration by Dame Virginia McKenna, star of the film 'Born Free'. It tells the story of two children, Alex and Rosie, who learn about trees in school,…
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Become a Digital Champion
Can you help your community? Do you have a few hours spare each month? Do you have the enthusiasm for supporting others to make the most out of getting online? You will have access to the Digital Unite web-based learning platform that trains, supports and provides resources for Digital Champions -…
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Further Information
Featured Links
AU October Guide 2023
Find out more
Apply for a Short Breaks Personal Budget / login to your account
Find out more
Short Breaks Personal Budget Application Form Guidance Notes
Find out more
Activities Unlimited Holiday Lodge
Book our modern, accessible lodge for a short break!
Find out more
Contact our Family Advice team
If you're struggling to find a short break suitable for your child or you've got any other queries about short breaks, you can contact our Family Advice team.
Find out more
