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<p>Since 2011, local authorities have been under a duty to provide a range of short
breaks services. This requires them to consult upon and publish a short breaks duty
statement. This should set out what is available locally, how to access these services,
and any eligibility criteria.</p><p> </p><p>To support this, the department made £800
million available in grants between April 2011 and March 2015, plus £80 million of
capital funding to support new projects. The department offers support and challenge
to help ensure local authorities meet their statutory requirements on special educational
needs and disabilities (SEND). The department has funded innovative grants that promote
best practice for delivering services; and continues to consider how we can best support
local authorities who are working to deliver sustainable short breaks provision.</p><p>
</p><p>The government is able to oversee how much local authorities have planned to
spend on short breaks provision through authorities’ annual section 251 returns. This
information can be found at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/section-251-2016-to-2017"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/section-251-2016-to-2017</a> (see attached).</p><p>
</p><p>Departmental surveys such as the Children’s Services Omnibus gather information
on SEND services provided by local authorities, including short breaks.</p><p> </p><p>There
are also opportunities through the new Ofsted and Care Quality Commission SEND inspection
frameworks for local areas to consider how well they are providing for the education,
health and care needs of those with SEND. This includes their need for short breaks
services. A thematic ‘one year on’ report published by the two inspectorates in October
2017 found that ‘children and young people who have SEND and their families typically
had good access to high-quality short breaks’ (attached).</p>
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