Short Breaks statement 2023/24

Main Access Grant (for groups and organisations)

Section 4.2 - Main Grant

Grants of up to £10,000 are available for groups/organisations to provide short breaks for disabled children and young people.

Applications opened on 3 April 2023 and closed at midnight on 22 May 2023.

The grants of up to £10,000 for 2023/24 are now closed for groups/organisations to provide short breaks for disabled children and young people.

Southend City Councils Childrens Short Breaks are delighted to be supporting SEND children and young people in Southend to access activities and are committed to improving our Short Breaks offer.

What is funded?

  • activities that support disabled children and young people to engage in interesting activities such as sports, arts, and outdoor activities
  • play schemes and clubs which support disabled children and young people to play alongside non-disabled children, including siblings and friends
  • additional staff to run activities. When providing for a disabled child or young person you may need extra staff to ensure the needs of all children are met Staff wages must be reasonable. 1 to 1 staffing rations will only be considered where this is necessary and there is evidence to support this
  • care support staff if required during activities and unavailable from other sources (for example to assist with personal care requirements during activities)
  • providing money towards training for volunteers that help to run activities
  • staff training related to working with individuals. This can include disability awareness or training on specific disabilities
  • costs for adaptations to equipment or buildings, where this is a reasonable to meet the needs of the individuals taking part
  • equipment and resources needed to meet the needs of disabled people to access the activity

The activities and clubs can be held after school, evenings, weekends and/or in the school holidays. An activity may be just for half an hour or up to a full day. It can be for a single activity session or a series of sessions that an individual would like to attend.

What is not funded?

  • purchase of vehicles
  • activities during normal school hours

Who can apply?

Please note - applications for 2023/2024 have now closed:

The Main Grant is for groups/organisations or services meeting any of the following requirements:

  • voluntary and community organisations that are formally established
  • services within legal organisations, such as Local Authorities and Health partnerships
  • groups, organisations, and services, including commercial companies that are clearly able to show their ability, through an award, to deliver benefit to the community within the period of the short break award
  • groups, organisations, or services whose activities benefit residents of Southend-on-Sea

The following will not be considered for funding:

  • groups, organisations, or services whose main aim is advertising
  • activities or projects that promote religion
  • activities where the full cost of which can be charged for

Grant criteria and eligibility:

  • benefit only children and young people who live in Southend-on-Sea
  • each application must be for a single project
  • there is no limit to the number of applications that can be made by a organisation/group
  • grants will be awarded for the 2023/24 financial year. Funding cannot be rolled over and awards cannot be extended beyond 31 March 2024
  • organisations/groups must have valid insurance. Children's Services funded organisations are required to hold £5,000,000 Employers Liability and £5,000,000 Public Liability Insurances. If your application is successful, and you hold a lower level of cover, you can increase your level of cover
  • organisations/groups must have policy statements and guidelines for Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety and Safeguarding Children/Child Protection
  • ensure all staff, both paid and voluntary have an up-to-date Disclosure and Barring Service clearance and appropriate training
  • comply with reporting and monitoring arrangements
  • the organisation/group must have a reasonable charge, parental contribution towards the cost of the activity

We are particularly interested in supporting activities that are available for children without disabilities (sometimes called mainstream activities) to become more accessible for children with disabilities to participate.

Main Access Grants issued in 2023/24

8 organisations were awarded Main Access Grant funding in 2023/24 to facilitate clubs and activities for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities aged 0 to 18 years. Details of these are shown on a further page.