Short breaks for disabled children

Short breaks provide:

• opportunities for disabled children and young people to spend time away from their families and have fun
• families with a break from their caring responsibilities

Keeping you informed

Short Breaks Update bulletin

We keep families and professionals informed through the monthly Short Breaks Update bulletin. Contact us if you would like to receive the bulletin.

• Short Breaks update - Upcoming activities - September 2026 (pdf format, 8 MB)
• Short Breaks update - Regular activities - September 2026 (pdf format, 10 MB)
• Short Breaks update - Other - September 2026 (pdf format, 5 MB)
• Parent/carer support groups - September 2026 (pdf format, 4 MB)

If you would like a previous issue, contact us.

Facebook group

We also have a Facebook group page - Oxfordshire SEND Families Together. This is a group for parents of children and young people with impairments living in or near Oxfordshire. The group page is designed to share information, activities, and events that will be useful and relevant to families. It is also open to professionals working with these families.

Our short breaks statement

Read our Short Breaks statement (updated February 2026) (pdf format, 3 MB) to find out what short break support we are providing and what short breaks are available that could work for your child.

The local offer

The Local Offer for SEN and Disability (SEND) brings together information about education, health and care services for children and young people from 0 to 25 with SEND.   

Short Breaks Services annual report

Overview Report for Short Breaks Services from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 (pdf format, 268 KB)

Short breaks providers

We have commissioned seven organisations to provide short breaks for disabled children and their families. There is a charge for the activities. 

After school clubs

• Branch Out from The Gallery Trust provides after-school activity clubs, three days a week for disabled children and young people (5-18) from Branch-Out - Bardwell, Bicester and at Branch-Out - Springfield School, Witney. There is also an afterschool club at Mabel Prichard for pupils attending the school - Branch-Out - Mabel Prichard.
• Energise from Endorphins run an after-school club one day a week at Kingfisher Special School, Abingdon.
• The Let’s Play Project provides after-school activities for children and young people with additional needs in the Banbury area, aged 5-18 years.

Holiday playschemes

• Branch Out from the Gallery Trust provides holiday activities for disabled children and young people (5-18) in the Bicester and Kidlington area - Branch-Out - Bardwell, Bicester and in the Witney area at Branch-Out - Springfield School.  Branch-Out - Iffley Academy in Oxford runs holiday activities for 12-18-year-olds.
• The Let’s Play Project provides a variety of holiday activities for children and young people with additional needs in the Banbury area, aged 5-18.
• The Parasol Project provides an inclusive holiday playscheme for children aged five to 12.  They also deliver holiday activities for autistic children without learning difficulties.  The Child sessions (age 5-12) will be delivered at the Playscheme alongside children and young people with a range of SEND.  The playscheme runs four days a week during the school holidays at Tower Playscheme on the Northway estate in Oxford.

Teenage holiday activities

• The Parasol Project runs age-appropriate teenage activities in all school holidays and during term time for young people aged 12 to 18.  All activities are for disabled and non-disabled young people to take part in together. Our teenage users select activities, ranging from creative ‘in days’ to adventurous canoeing days and everything in between.  They also deliver holiday activities for autistic young people without learning difficulties.  The Teens (age 13-18) provision will include both inclusive sessions alongside children and young people with a range of SEND, and sessions delivered as a distinct ASD-specific group.
• Yellow Submarine runs activities in the Witney and Abingdon areas. These are for young people aged 11-18 with mild to moderate learning disabilities and/or autism. Regrettably, they cannot support those with PMLD, complex needs, or physical disabilities. There are exciting activity days during the school holidays, including explore days, multi-sports days, and forest days.

Find activities

Children attending a special school

Ask at your child's special school for any local information and support for out-of-school and short-break activities for your child. If further help is needed, contact our Disability Information Officer.

Children attending a mainstream school

The Disability Information Officer works with the Oxfordshire Family Information Service. They can help you find out-of-school and short break activities for your child. Contact the Family Information Service for further details. You can also contact the Family Information Service through the FIS Facebook page.

To find more information on activities and organisations supporting disabled children and young people, please see the Family Information Directory.

Youth activities

To find information on things to do and places to go near you for young people living in Oxfordshire, go to Activities Oxfordshire.

Funding

Inclusion Support Scheme (Short Breaks) and Short Breaks Transport Scheme

If you need help paying for transport, fees or extra support to access activities, funding is available through the Inclusion Support Scheme (Short Breaks) and the Short Breaks Transport Scheme.

• Criteria for the Inclusion Support Scheme (Short Breaks) (docx format, 45Kb)
• Criteria for the Short Breaks transport scheme (pdf format, 43Kb)

Who can apply

Funding can only be accessed by families on low income/benefits with disabled children aged 5-17 years. The priority for this scheme is to support access to out-of-school activities and/or holiday activities.

How to apply

Applications for this funding can only be made by out of school liaison officers (OSLOs), children's disability social workers or the disability information officer based at the Oxfordshire Family Information Service.

Early Years Inclusion Support Scheme

The Early Years Inclusion Support Scheme aims to promote inclusion and remove barriers to play, childcare, and leisure for disabled children and young people, including funding to help with the costs of childcare. It is available to children and young people under 5 years of age with impairments or emotional, behavioural, or learning difficulties who would otherwise be prevented from taking part.

Applications must support children under 5 years with the highest needs from low-income families.

For children aged under five years, a maximum of £250 can be paid in any one year. However, there is no entitlement to this maximum amount. 

The funding is for short-term support, such as for a term or during a holiday playscheme.

• Criteria for the Early Years Inclusion Support Scheme (pdf format, 80Kb)

Enabler Support Scheme

The Enabler Support Scheme aims to promote inclusion and remove barriers to play, childcare, and leisure for disabled children and young people.

• Criteria for the Enabler Support Scheme (pdf format, 80Kb)

Funding can pay for:

• additional staff/enabler hours
• support from specialist organisations to enable children to access a setting by training existing staff to gain skills/ knowledge and child specific training necessary to meet individual needs
• training
• equipment - if there are no other funding mechanisms to do this, this will enable a child or young person to attend an inclusive setting

Funding will be prioritised for:

• support for children and young people to attend more local mainstream settings
• support teenagers in preparing to move into adulthood
• support for Early Years children
• support for working families to access childcare for children and young people
• any other enabler situation that meets the criteria

How to apply

Applications for this funding can be made by

• out of school liaison officers (OSLOs)
• children's disability social workers
• disability information officer (FIS)
• individual groups, as agreed by Angela Tait

Contact us for more information.

The Max Card - discount scheme

The Max Card is a discount card for families of disabled children and children with additional needs.

Families show their Max Card upon entry to a venue to obtain free or discounted admission. It is designed to help families save money on great days out at castles, zoos, bowling alleys and lots more.

The card is free to families in Oxfordshire. It has been funded by Oxfordshire County Council, working in partnership with Action for Carers (Oxfordshire).

Visit the Max Card website for details of available attractions in Oxfordshire and across the country. Download a registration form (pdf format, 253Kb)

Contact us for more information.

Commissioned services

If you have any questions or concerns about the services provided, contact qualityimprovementteam@oxfordshire.gov.uk.  

We value your input and are committed to ensuring positive and enriching services for children and young people in Oxfordshire.