Targeted Short Breaks

Changes to Targeted Short Breaks in Southwark

Targeted Short Breaks are clubs and activities specifically for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), funded by Southwark Council.

Last year we invited providers to apply to a competitive procurement process to deliver Targeted Short Breaks over the next 3 years.  We are pleased to announce that the following providers will start to deliver activities from 1st April 2024:

Sport Works: Sport Works will deliver sport and physical activity clubs after-school, at weekends and during school holidays, for children and young people aged 5-18. Activities will include dodgeball, basketball, parachute games, football, fitness workouts and much more. Support will be provided at a general staff ratio of 1 to 4, but the provider can be flexible to accommodate a range of needs.

Endorphins: Endorphins will deliver school holiday play schemes and occasional weekend sessions for children and young people aged 8-19. Activities will include art, crafts, games, sensory activities, yoga and much more. Support will be provided at a general staff ratio of 1 to 3 with a designated number of 1 to 1 placements available each day for children or young people that require a higher level of support.

Whippersnappers: Whippersnappers will deliver a varied programme of holiday and Saturday sessions for children and young people aged 5-19 that require a higher level of support. Support will be provided at a standard ratio of 1 to 1 to meet the needs of children and young people with additional support requirements.

Please note: Due to high demand, holiday provision will be capped to a maximum of 10 days provision per child per year (subject to availability).

Eligibility criteria

To access these activities, your child or young person must meet the targeted short breaks eligibility criteria i.e.:

1. General criteria (staff ratio of 1:3 or 1:4)

  • Age 5-19 years
  • Southwark resident
  • EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) and unable to access universal services due to level of need and/or require additional support

 2. Further support needs (staff ratio of 1:1)

In addition to criteria above:

  • Attend a special school (in or out of borough) and/ or open to All Age Disability Service in Southwark 
  • Severe or complex learning disability, physical disability and/or health condition

Registering for short breaks

If you wish to access any of these activities, please register via the new booking platform from Tuesday 5th March 2024. Please visit www.eequ.org/southwarkshortbreaks     

For the higher needs provision (1-to-1 spaces), eligible families will receive a specific booking link from their assigned practitioner or special school.

If you have any problems registering for the new provision please email thriveto25@southwark.gov.uk or speak to your social worker or assigned practitioner (if applicable).

In addition to the activities outlined above, you can find more information about a wide range of services and activities at www.localoffer.southwark.gov.uk 

Existing clubs and activities

The changes mean that some existing clubs will no longer receive funding from Southwark Council’s Short Breaks Service from 1st April. This includes the PE & School Sports Network Saturday Club at Bacon’s College, and Salmon Youth Centre’s ‘Mixables’ club. We acknowledge and greatly appreciate the support these organisations have provided to Southwark families to date.

Privacy Notice: Southwark Short Breaks EEQU Booking System

Read our privacy notice for information on how we collect, store and process your data.

About EEQU

EEQU is an online booking system commissioned by the council to support Southwark’s Targeted Short Breaks service. Parents and carers are invited to book places for eligible children through the booking system. Through accessing the council’s Targeted Short Breaks service, you are providing your information to Southwark Council’s Commissioning, SEND and All Age Disability Teams.

Southwark Council are committed to ensuring that your personal information and data is protected and stored securely (both digitally and on paper). The proper handling of personal information is very important to the delivery of our services at Southwark Council.

To make sure that we treat personal information correctly, we aim to meet in full, the requirements of data protection law. Therefore, this privacy notice has been produced to explain, as clearly as possible, how we aim to process and use your personal data.

The Data Controller for your data

Southwark Council is the data controller for purposes of the Data Protection Act (2018) and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and is registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Why we collect your personal data

Personal data is collected on the EEQU booking system, when provided by you or by a funded organisation, either when accessing an activity or booking an activity in advance. 

This data will be used to verify eligibility, to assess whether the provider is meeting their contractual obligations and to ensure that appropriate support is in place to meet the needs of all children and young people accessing the service. Anonymised data may also be included in reports on the outcomes and impact of the service.

Any data and information requested upon registration to a short breaks activity will remain within the provider’s records until the end of the contractual period (up to end March 2029).

Who we share your information with

To check eligibility and to fulfil our duties, we may need to share information with your child’s school or college.

There are other specific situations where we may be required to disclose information, such as:

  • where we are required to provide the information by law
  • where disclosing the information is in the vital interest of the person concerned (i.e. a safeguarding concern regarding a child or adult)

How your data will be stored

Your data will be securely stored on the EEQU system on behalf of Southwark Council.  Only authorised staff members from the relevant teams and data analysts will have access to the data.

We will only retain your personal data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes that it was collected it for. 

Your data protection rights

Under GDPR, you have certain rights concerning your information:

  • the right to be informed about the collection and use of your data
  • the right to obtain access to your data
  • the right to have any inaccurate or incomplete data rectified
  • the right to have personal data erased in specific circumstances
  • the right to restrict processing of data in specific circumstances
  • the right to object to processing of your data in certain circumstances

Check your rights in relation to your personal information.

How to get advice or make a complaint

Data Protection Officer

If you have a concern about how we collect or use your personal data, you can contact the Council’s Data Protection Officer by:

  • emailing dpo@southwark.gov.uk
  • mailing a letter to: Data Protection Officer, 2nd Floor Hub 1, Southwark Council, PO Box 64529, SE1P 5LX
  • phoning 0207 525 5000

How to make a complaint

We aim to resolve all complaints about how we handle personal information. You also have the right to make a complaint about data protection and our handling of your personal data to the Information Commissioner’s Office here.

Similarly, you can contact them by:

  • mailing a letter to: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
  • phoning 030 1231 113

If your complaint is not about data protection, find details on how to make a complaint about a council service.