Short Breaks Services

A short break can last between a few hours and several days.

It can take place:

• in your own home
• in a supported setting
• within the community

It provides families with a break from their caring role and time to spend with other family members or to have time to themselves. The Local Authority provides the following short breaks which are accessed through an assessment by Social Care.

For further information about Short Breaks and eligibility criteria for children and young people in Stockton-on-Tees, read the  Short Breaks Statement of Purpose (PDF) [888KB] .

We value your views on the Short Breaks Grant and take on board your feedback. Our  You Said, We Did document (PDF) [164KB]  explains how we have used your feedback to improve the offer.

A copy of the latest Hartburn Lodge Statement of Purpose can be requested from Hartburn Lodge by emailing hartburn.lodge@stockton.gov.uk or calling 01642 527994.

Apply for a Short Breaks Grant

Families caring full time for a child or young person with a special educational need or disability (SEND) can sometimes struggle to get any kind of break from their caring role. We provide a Short Breaks Grant to eligible families that we have co-produced with Stockton Parent Carer Forum.

Please return your receipts or unused money on our secure payments page. Select 'other payments', then 'Short Breaks', 'Short Breaks Repayment' from the drop down menus. Failure to do so will impact on future applications.

If you want more information about Short Breaks read our  Short Breaks Statement of Purpose (PDF) [888KB] and the  Short Breaks Grant Offer (PDF) [350KB] .

The Short Break Grant has now closed for this period, no further applications will be processed.

The grant will open for applications on Monday 3 April at 12.30pm, the link to the online form will not be available before then. The grant period runs to 30 September and will be closed to applications on 31 July 23 or sooner if the budget allocation is reached before then.

The grant continues to be very popular and is provided by Stockton-on-Tees Brough Council each year from a limited budget. In the last grant period, 310 families in the brough benefited from the grant. 

As requested by families, we are continuing to use the on-line application. Some families may feel they need support, and we would advise you make arrangements with someone in advance of the launch to help. This could be a family member or a professional who work with you and your family.  You can request support from a member of the Short Breaks Team by contacting Frances Selby through our main switch board on 01642 527860, however availability at the point of the launch of the grant on the Monday 3 April 2023 cannot be guaranteed.   

Please find attached the Grant Offer which explains the categories and amounts you can apply for.

Keep an eye on our website for updates and sign up to Stockton Parent Carer Forum (SPCF) who co-produces the grant with Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council.