Short Breaks

Specialist Short Breaks gives families a break from caring responsibilities while the child or young person is looked after in a residential setting.

There are three residential provisions for Overnight Short Breaks in Coventry:

• Broad Park House is a 4-bed facility, owned and run by Coventry City Council. It is for children and young people with learning disabilities and additional needs.
• The Birches is owned and run by the NHS, for children and young people with complex medical needs.
• Bradbury House is run by the NHS, for children and young people with challenging behaviour/learning difficulties.

Broad Park House is the default for Specialist Short Breaks unless the need is greater than we can meet. In these cases, we will access the Birches or Bradbury House.

Accessing Specialist Short Breaks

Specialist Short Breaks are for children and young people who require a high level of support as their needs cannot be met by Targeted or Community Short Breaks.

An assessment of need is required to access this service. This is through a Child and Family Assessment, undertaken by a social worker.

All cases are presented at the Short Breaks Panel by allocated Social Workers.

A parent/carer can also request Specialist Short Breaks via the MASH. The referral will be sent to the Children's Disability Team who will assess need. The Panel process still applies.