Register for Break Time short break activities

Break Time short break activities provide a range of activities and groups for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities who meet the criteria to attend and who do not receive short breaks following a social care assessment of need.

Please check your child meets the criteria before you register.

Each eligible child or young person can access up to 78 hours of Break Time activities and groups each year which can be used between one or more Break Time providers.

The number of hours they get will depend on the date they get their membership number. This can take up to six weeks from registration.

There will be a minimum contribution from parents and carers towards Break Time activities and groups of £2 per hour. This is in addition to any specific costs for activities, entrance fees or transport costs to activities.

The criteria to attend Break Time is: 

• Children will be able to access Break Time from the start of the academic year (September) in which they turn age 5 to the end of the academic year (August) in which they turn 18. 

• A child or young person has special educational needs and/or disabilities meaning they are unable to access universal services and activities; and the parent and carers are in receipt of child benefit for that child or young person.

• Children will live in Lancashire (excluding Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool council areas).

Children are not eligible to attend Break Time if:

• They are looked after children and live with their parents, in a foster family or in a children's home (however children living with special guardians or someone who is in receipt of carers allowance for that child, are eligible)

• They have had a social care assessment and receive Day Time or Night Time short breaks following this, through a social care plan of support. These short breaks may be commissioned by Lancashire County Council or funded through Direct Payments.    

• They attend a residential school or receive short breaks as part of school support to families.

Break Time activities and groups are for children and young people who do not receive short breaks following a social care assessment of need though a social care plan of support. These children and young people, including looked after children, and their parents and carers can receive short breaks a different way. Break Time Plus enables children and young people with a social care plan of care and support to access Break Time activities. These will be funded through their social care plan of care and support. 

Why there needs to be criteria

Children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities often have less opportunity to attend groups and activities. The criteria makes sure that Break Time activities and groups are only accessed by children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities who don't receive short breaks through a social care plan of support. The criteria also makes sure that only children who live in Lancashire attend. Unfortunately, this means that brothers, sisters and children and young people who don’t live in Lancashire are not able to attend Break Time activities.

You can register for Break Time activities online. You will need to register each year.

Break Time memberships run from 1 April until 31 March.

Registration for 2026/27 membership is now open.

Register for Break Time membership

We will write to you within six weeks to let you know the outcome of your application.

What happens next

You should receive an email to confirm your registration form has been submitted. Check your spam or junk folder if you don’t receive this. This is not a confirmation of your membership.

We'll need to check your child or young person meets the eligibility criteria to attend Break Time. As part of this we'll check Lancashire County Council's records. This will include checking if your child or young person is on the SEN Register or is known to the Inclusion Service.

We may need to contact you to discuss how your child or young person meets the eligibility criteria.

You will receive a letter within six weeks to tell you the outcome of your registration.

• If your child or young person is person is eligible, the letter will say how many hours they will get and explain what you need to do next.

• If your child or young person is not allocated Break Time hours, the letter will explain why this is.

Where the demand for Break Time exceeds the availability of the service, eligible children and young people will be prioritised for Break Time by the date on which their registration form was received.

If you have any questions about Break Time, contact us on: