Day Activities for Children and Young People
A structured programme of activities outside school hours and through the holidays, with transport and meals included.
The hours after school and the six weeks in summer
For families of disabled children the hardest hours are the ones everybody else looks forward to. After school. Weekends. And above all the summer holidays, when the structure disappears for six weeks and there is nowhere to go.
Our day service in Dagenham runs a structured programme for children and young people with disabilities or complex needs. It runs outside school hours and through the holidays, and it is age appropriate and ability matched rather than one room with everybody in it.
Sessions mix creative work, life skills, physical activity and getting out into the community. Arts and crafts, music, literacy, cooking, IT skills, sensory activities, sports, bowling, swimming, cinema, the zoo, the parks. Some of it is skills work with a serious purpose and some of it is a good day out, which is also a serious purpose.
Standard hours are Monday to Friday, nine to four, with flexible hours including eight in the morning to eight in the evening and weekend sessions available by arrangement. Minibus transport with door to door collection is included where available, and lunches, snacks and drinks are included in the daily fee.
Higher support ratios are available for young people with more complex needs, and there is a sensory room for children who need somewhere quieter partway through the day.
This is likely right if
- A child needs somewhere to go outside school hours or in the holidays
- Parents need reliable hours to work or to be with their other children
- A young person is isolated and needs activity and other young people
- Structure and routine are what the child does best with
- A higher support ratio is needed for a child to join in safely
Something else may fit better if
- One to one support at home is what is needed rather than a group setting
- Education is being sought, which is a school rather than a day service
What a day here looks like
Structured but flexible. A shape to the day that children can rely on, with room for the ones who need a different pace.
Collection
Minibus with door to door collection where available, with a trained support worker on board rather than only a driver.
Creative sessions
Arts and crafts, music, literacy work. Age appropriate and matched to ability rather than everybody doing the same sheet.
Life skills
Cooking, IT skills, and the practical things that build independence over years rather than weeks.
Physical and out and about
Sports, swimming, bowling, cinema trips, the zoo, the parks. Community access is part of the programme rather than an occasional treat.
Sensory space
A sensory room for children who need somewhere quieter. Being able to leave the busy room is what keeps a child in the session.
Meals
Lunches, snacks and drinks included in the daily fee. Dietary and feeding plans followed exactly.
What is included, and what is not
Set out plainly so there is nothing to discover later. Anything not listed here can still be discussed, and often arranged.
Included as standard
- Structured age appropriate and ability matched activity sessions
- Minibus transport with door to door collection where available
- Lunches, snacks and drinks
- Access to the sensory room
- Staff trained and refreshed in mandatory training, and in line with the Oliver McGowan Code of Practice
- One to one and two to one support where the assessment calls for it
- Community outings and activities as part of the programme
Arranged separately
- Education, which is a school responsibility
- Therapy and clinical input
- Personal spending money for outings where an activity charges separately
From first call to first visit
Holiday places go quickly, so it is worth asking well before the school term ends.
Enquiry or referral
From a social worker, a school, or a parent directly. Tell us the age, the needs and the days you are hoping for.
A visit
Come and see it, with your child if that helps them. A child who has seen the building before the first day arrives far more settled.
Assessment and ratio
We agree the support ratio and write down what your child needs, including what settles them when a day goes wrong.
Starting
Often a shorter first session rather than a full day, then building up. Review once everybody knows how it is going.
How this is paid for
Day services for disabled children are commonly funded through local authority short breaks provision, through the children with disabilities team, or as part of an Education Health and Care Plan. Short breaks funding exists specifically for this and many families are never told about it.
Direct Payments are also widely used and let families buy the days that suit them. Ask your local authority about short breaks by name.
Read the full guide to fundingWhat families ask us about this
What are the hours?
Monday to Friday, nine to four as standard. Flexible hours including eight in the morning to eight in the evening, and weekend sessions, are available by arrangement.
Is transport included?
Yes, minibus transport with door to door collection where available. Our vehicles carry trained support workers rather than only a driver.
Are meals included?
Yes. Lunches, snacks and drinks are all included in the daily fee, and we follow dietary and feeding plans exactly.
Do you run in the school holidays?
Yes, and that is when demand is highest. Ask early, particularly for the summer.
Can you support a child who needs two to one?
Yes, where the assessment says so. Higher support ratios are available and we would rather staff it properly than accept a child we cannot support safely.
How is this paid for?
Usually through local authority short breaks funding, the children with disabilities team, or an Education Health and Care Plan. Direct Payments are also common. Ask about short breaks by name.
Services that often go together
Respite for Families
Planned short breaks so that parents can rest, work, or spend time with their other children.
Read moreLearning Disabilities and Autism Support
One to one and group support for children with learning disabilities and autistic children, built around communication, sensory needs and routine.
Read morePersonal Care for Children
Care in the child own home, built around their routine and around the family that is already doing most of it.
Read moreThinking about the holidays already?
Most parents of disabled children are. Ask now rather than in July, and ask your local authority about short breaks funding at the same time.
Emergency placements are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.