Purpose

Proposed
Decision:
The Cabinet Member for
Integrated Children’s Services is asked to:
 
Approve the provision of grants
to external providers to deliver Short Breaks for Disabled Children
and Young People Service by commencing an Open Grants Process, and
delegate authority to award grants to the Corporate Director for
Children, Young People and Education or other Officers as required
by the Corporate Director, in consultation with the Cabinet
Member.
 
Reason for the
Decision
A competitive open grant
process for Short Breaks Day Activities is proposed, offering
two-year grants from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2028, with an option
to extend for a further 12 months from 1 April 2028 to 31 March
2029, to help Kent County Council fulfil its statutory duty for
Short Breaks Day Activities. The proposed decision falls within the
Key Decision criteria of affecting two or more electoral divisions
and expenditure over £1m for the lifetime of the
project.
 
Background:
Short Breaks Day Activities are
preventative family support services aimed at families with a
disabled child to allow them to have a break from caring. They also
provide disabled children the opportunity to have fun and learn
while doing activities in a new environment outside of the home.
They provide a chance to spend quality time within their community
with other children and young people who may have similar life
experiences, helping to build friendships and connections beyond
the family. For parents and carers, Short Breaks Day Activities
provide regularly planned breaks from their caring
responsibilities, allowing time to pursue other activities,
education, chores and spend time with other members of the
family.
 
Local authorities have a
statutory duty under the Children Act 1989[1]
and subsequently the Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children
Regulations 2011[2]
to ensure a sufficiency of Short Break Services for parents/carers
of disabled children. The regulations include the specification of
“services available to assist carers in the evenings, at
weekends and during the school holidays”.
 
Current Short Breaks Day
Activities were commissioned under competitive grant arrangements
for a two-year period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2026, with the
intention to better understand demand, reach, performance and
outcomes.
 
Using Grants to commission
these services includes an open and competitive bidding process
with a rigorous evaluation, moderation and compliance to
safeguarding, health and safety and financial viability of
providers. This route is recommended as the market for these
services tend to be grass roots or voluntary sector organisations
that require flexibility to deliver to changing needs. The existing
arrangement introduced improved ways of recording performance and
attendance, allowing a detailed analysis on effectiveness of the
service. The review after the first year of this improved
arrangement identified positive outcomes for children and their
families as well as better reach of service and value for
money.
 
What is being
proposed?
 
Shortly, KCC will be
undertaking a Public Consultation on the Short Breaks Strategy,
this includes the Short Breaks Day Activity programme, overnight
Short Breaks, Care and Support in the Home and Direct
Payments.
 
The Kent Short Breaks Strategy
2026–2031 sets out the county’s approach to providing
inclusive, short break services for eligible disabled children and
young people. It aims to support their development and independence
while offering families meaningful respite from caregiving. The
strategy outlines seven key objectives focused on improving access,
equity, and quality of services, and is shaped by extensive
consultation with families and service providers. Public
Consultation is in the planning phase and the Strategy is intended
to be presented at CYPE Cabinet Committee for Key Decision on 20
January 2026.
 
The previous direction of
travel for these services was to move to a contracted model, as
opposed to a grant process and in light of the forthcoming public
consultation and the development of the Kent Short Breaks Strategy
2026–2031, it is recommended that the progression of the
longer-term Short Breaks Day Activities Model be paused. This will
ensure that any future proposals are aligned with the final
Strategy and informed by the consultation feedback. Additionally,
the anticipated Local Government Reorganisation introduces
uncertainty regarding the future operating landscape, further
supporting the need to defer development until greater clarity is
available. In addition, the optional 12-month extension from 1
April 2028 to 1 March 2029, if required, will provide service
continuity during which time localised plans in line with the new
established local authorities can be considered.
           
This approach will continue to
support Kent Voluntary Community Social Enterprise organisations in
Kent, and help build capacity, enabling creativity and flexibility
to service delivery. Providers are of strategic importance to KCC
in achieving its Sufficiency Duty in relation to Short Breaks Day
Activities. This approach supports the Civil Society Strategy, to
build on the partnership working we have seen over the last year
between public sectors and the social sector partners.
 
The proposed decision supports
Framing Kent’s Future Priority 4 New Models of Care and
Support by enabling cost-effective, community-based services that
promote early intervention and family resilience.
 
It also supports the
opportunity area of ‘service transformation
opportunities’ within Securing Kent’s Future Objective
2 which states “KCC exists to provide services that meet the
needs of Kent residents whilst meeting our Best Value duty.
Consequently, the council can only deliver budget sustainability
through a significant focus on the services it provides and
transforming them accordingly to continue to meet needs whilst
bringing the budget back into sustainability”. Through the
current grants we have transformed the way data is collected to be
able to ensure that the service is reaching the right young people
in the right areas of the county and allows the identification of
any gaps in delivery to be able to target these
accordingly.
 
Options:
Option 1: Do nothing and allow
the current grants to end in March 2026
Option 2: Recommission Short
Breaks Day Activities through contracts
Option 3: Recommission Short
Breaks Day Activities through grants
 
 
 

[1] M Government
(1989) Children Act 1989, Schedule 2, Paragraph 6(1)(c). Available
at:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/schedule/2
 

[2] HM Government
(2011) The Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2011.
Statutory Instrument No. 707. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/707/made

Decision

As Cabinet Member for Integrated
Children’s Services, I agree to:
 
A)  
Approve the commencement of a competitive open
grants process for the provision of Short Break Day Activities for
disabled children for the period 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2028 with
an option to extend for a period of 12 months from 1 April 2028 to
31 March 2029, and
B)  
Delegate authority to award grants and enter into
relevant agreements to the Corporate Director for Children, Young
People and Education, or other Officer as required by the Corporate
Director, in consultation with the Cabinet Member.