The council’s Children’s Scrutiny Committee was provided with a comprehensive update on the ongoing review of services delivered to children with disabilities and their families, as well as an update on the Short Breaks service.
Short Breaks support carers to continue to provide effective care, and also to ensure disabled children and young people can access enjoyable, meaningful activities they would not ordinarily be able to participate in due to their disability.
In Knowsley, this support is delivered through a combination of children’s social care services, direct payments, internal residential Short Breaks provision, and commissioned services.
Across the country, a number of challenges have been identified around Short Breaks including increasing demand; children are presenting with more complex needs; variations in provision and access to Short Breaks remain inconsistent; recruiting and retaining staff with the skills required to meet complex medical, behavioural and personal care needs, contributing to lower attendance rates or reduced session availability; and financial pressures.
In Knowsley, a Short Breaks review was undertaken in 2023, which identified a number of issues including Short Breaks provision was not effectively embedded within the graduated approach; there was insufficient data around the level and type of support being provided’ and thresholds were unclear. These findings provided the foundation for the extensive service redesign and improvements.
A redesign of the Children with Disabilities service has been implemented to ensure families receive the right support at the right time and at the appropriate level of need. A new SEND Social Care Team has been created; Tier 2 has been introduced to support children whose needs do not require Early Help intervention; Level 3 targeted support provides a specialist Early Help offer for families where needs are significant but do not require statutory intervention. Management oversight has been strengthened and the team expanded in August 2025, which includes a dedicated finance officer to oversee financial arrangements for Short Breaks and Direct Payments.
The Council commissions Merseyside Youth Association and Endorphins Group to deliver term-time, weekend and school-holiday activity groups. Volair also provides a swimming offer. Contracts have been extended until October 2026 to enable a consultation to be completed around future services which are co-produced with families; identify best practice; commission the Council for Disabled Children (CDC) to review the current offer and provide recommendations; develop a new online referral form for implementation alongside the recommissioned service from November 2026; and review all children currently accessing the commissioned offer and those on the waiting list to identify issues and challenges.
In addition, the council operates a children’s residential home in Huyton, judged to be “Good” by Ofsted offering short breaks.
Improvements to Direct Payments include a refreshed Resource Allocation Forum (RAF); stronger scrutiny and review of packages; and work underway to develop an appeals process to support transparency and reduce complaints.
A Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO) post has also been established to strengthen the interface between social care and the SEND system.
Building on the progress achieved to date and the findings of the 2023–2025 review, the council will now move into a further phase of improvement and implementation, including embedding co-production within commission, service review and future quality assurance activities; addressing system challenges; ensuring the future Short Breaks offer is sustainable, equitable, and aligned to the needs of children, young people and their families; ensure Short Breaks are fully integrated within the graduated approach; improve clarity of eligibility criteria; strengthen expectations for commissioned providers; and ensure families are kept informed of progress, changes to the offer, and how to access support; and monitor attendance and uptake, ensuring unused sessions are minimised and capacity is maximised for families who need support.