Response to West Berkshire Short Breaks parent/carer feedback survey

You said, we did [419KB]

We are grateful for all your responses from the recent survey we opened. We received a lot of helpful feedback as well as some areas we could improve.

In this 'You said, we did', we capture the feedback from the survey and show what we are doing to make improvements. There were some common themes from survey responses that we have merged here to make it easier to follow.

You said

"Families are unaware of what short breaks are, how to access them, and where to find information. More promotion and clearer guidance is needed."

We did

We are creating a simple, one-page guide, that explains what Short Breaks are, what support is available and how to access it. This is being developed with West Berkshire's Parent/Carer Forum to make sure it is helpful for families.

The Short Breaks Statement for 2024 has been updated to make it clearer and easier to understand. A new Short Breaks Statement Task Group is being established to co-produce an annual update to the statement to ensure it remains a useful and up-to-date document.

In response to previous feedback about lack of communication/information sharing, we have introduced Parent Champions. The Parent Champion Programme is based on the idea that parents are the best people to support other parents to find out about services. They are volunteers who give a few hours of their week to talk to other parents about the local services available to them.

You said

"Short Breaks aren't always in easy-to-reach locations, especially for families living in the East or West of West Berkshire. Some activities aren't suitable for older children and teenagers. Prices are going up, there aren't enough sessions during the holidays, and it's hard to access overnight breaks."

We did

We know that the current offer doesn't work for everyone, and we are working to change that. We're planning a new 'open tender' process to invite a wider range of providers to deliver Short Breaks. This will help us offer more choice, better value, and a wider range of activities, including holiday provision for children and young people with SEND.

We're looking at best practice from other local areas and using data about where eligible families live and what type of Short Breaks are most in demand to shape what we ask for in our open tender.

While this won't be an immediate fix, we've asked our current providers to extend their contracts to keep services running while we work on the new offer.

Short Breaks are a key part of our SEND & Inclusion Strategy 2024-2029. A dedicated task group meets six times per year to oversee this work and make sure we're moving in the right direction.

Thank you for helping us to improve our Short Breaks. If you would like more opportunities to contribute in this way, please contact beth.kelly1@westberks.gov.uk for more information.  

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