Play Your Way

Play Your Way sessions recognise that not all play looks the same and that’s something to be celebrated. These neuro-affirming sessions embrace the individuality of each child, offering a wide range of activities that reflect the unique ways they choose to play. Whether it's sensory exploration, imaginative games, or quiet time, Play Your Way creates a supportive and inclusive environment where every child can engage on their own terms and feel valued just as they are.

Outdoor Pursuits

Outdoor Pursuits encourages exploration, adventure, and connection with nature in a way that embraces every child’s unique needs and preferences. These neuro-affirming sessions offer a flexible approach to outdoor play, recognising that not all children engage in activities the same way — and that’s something to be celebrated. From gentle walks and sensory nature play to more active adventures, young people are supported to choose activities and how they take part, building confidence, independence, and joy in a safe, inclusive environment.

Sensory Play - Early Years

Sensory Play for Early Years is co-designed with young disabled children, providing a calm, supportive space where they can explore the world through their senses in a way that feels right for them. These neuro-affirming sessions recognise that early play is deeply individual, and not all children engage in typical ways, which is both valid and valuable. With a variety of sensory-rich activities, from textures and sounds to lights and movement, children are free to lead their own experiences, building comfort, curiosity, and connection at their own pace.

Theatre Express

Theatre Express is a creative session that offers a space to explore drama, movement, music, and storytelling in ways that reflect their unique voices. These neuro-affirming sessions are co-designed with the young people themselves, ensuring the activities are meaningful, accessible, and tailored to their interests. Whether performing, directing, designing, or simply expressing themselves in their own way, participants are encouraged to take the lead, celebrate their creativity, and build confidence in an inclusive and supportive environment where all forms of expression are welcomed and valued.

One on One

If a child or young person is unable to join in small group activities or unable to travel, we can create tailored activities at your home, in your garden or in another space where your child feels safe. We can bring animals to interact with games to play or something that your child has a special interest in. You and your young person might have some other ideas!

More Information

Short Breaks are regular fun activities for disabled children to enable parents to have a break.

Barnwood Trust has funded us to run short breaks in Tewkesbury and North Cotswolds as part of a test-and-learn approach.

We have partner organisations that can refer families to us, or you can SELF-REFER. There is no one-set referral process. We accept emails, phone appointments, and texts. We can meet in person, or you may find us at local events.

You don't need an assessment from Gloucestershire County Council or a diagnosis. We base our referral on your family's needs, with the highest priority being families that are unable to access any activities or breaks.

Referrals lean towards equity rather than equality. We provide opportunities tailored to your family's individual needs. We recognise that everyone is starting from a different place so we provide the support you want. When your family fits the criteria, you can receive a Short Break that you and your children have a say in to ensure you have a break!

Your family is important. We want to know what your children enjoy, how we can make that happen and what worries you have when leaving your child in the care of others. We acknowledge that for some families, time apart is not a break and not all children can or want to join a group.

We will also ask questions on personal care, food, and transport. We want to work with you to remove any barriers that might otherwise stop you from enjoying a break.

Our play workers are all neurodivergent and have lived experience, relevant qualifications and lots of training. Although we have had stoma care training (for example), we know that each family is individual and might want us to also spend time understanding your child's needs with you so we can offer care in a way that is familiar to each child and you feel confident in. We know that you are the expert in your child's care needs.

What if what you can offer isn't what we want?

Here are links to the other five organisations working with Barnwood Trust on the Short Breaks test and learn project.

Can't Sit Still

https://www.cantsitstill.org/being-me

‘Being Me’ clubs are spaces where Autistic girls and non-binary young people can feel accepted and celebrated for being their authentic selves.

Music Works

https://themusicworks.org.uk/get-in-touch/

Mobile Mix & Mash

Parent Carer Alliance

https://www.parentandcareralliance.org.uk/

Individual & Group Provision

Creative Sustainability

https://cscic.org/

Nature-based and online activities, with overnight camps and residentials, and day trips to great places.

Belmont School

If your child attends Belmont School, please enquire directly.

You can also request an assessment for your child through Gloucestershire County Council.

A professional will talk with you about your child's and family's strengths and supports and any concerns you have or gaps in your support. All disabled children are entitled to an assessment of their social care needs, leading to a support plan to meet any assessed needs. Any agreed need for short breaks will be included in your assessment and plan.

If you want to ask for an assessment, contact the children's help desk on 01452 426565.

Children's and adult social care services often use the terms ‘Short Breaks’ and ‘respite care’ differently. However, both are used to describe social care services providing specialist care and support to families of disabled children and adults.

Short Breaks is a government-funded programme that provides councils with up to £1 million each for a year to work with families to develop innovative experiences that would otherwise be inaccessible to children because of their disability. The programme also covers the costs of providing the activities.

In 2022, Barnwood Trust conducted research that revealed families in Gloucestershire needed support to access the activities they wanted. Their findings showed that it was often difficult to find information on what was available, or parents needed to stay with their children during the activity, meaning they didn’t get a proper break. The research also found that a lack of available and accessible transport was a major barrier, as was a need for more specialist staff training. There were also ‘cold spots’ in parts of the county where there was limited or no provision.

In early 2023 Barnwood Trust co-designed a funding opportunity with a group of parent carers, young people and people with experience of accessing Short Breaks. They set a budget of £300,000 for addressing these issues. They wanted to support organisations that could provide high-quality activities that would be co-designed by the young people who would take part and where their parents and carers were assured of a proper break from their responsibilities. The Trust also committed an additional £60,000, which could be ring-fenced by projects to pay for logistical access requirements, such as transport, additional Personal Assistant (PA) time, or any other costs that would support young people and their parent carers to access provision meaningfully. The group that co-designed Barnwood Trust received and made a funding recommendation to the Trust’s Funding Committee.

The ADHD Hub (now the ND Hub) was one of 16 organisations to apply and one of the 6 that was awarded funding.

This research project ran up to August 2024.

Barnwood Trust has extended this test-and-learn project from April 2025 to April 2027 for the six projects that have been delivering inclusive short breaks across the county since 2023. This is through the Short Breaks Fund, as part of the Trust’s Short Breaks change programme. Barnwood Trust will invest a further £1.2 million in time-limited grant funding for the county-wide projects.

This new partnership is part of Gloucestershire County Council’s plans to provide families across the county with more choice of inclusive and engaging short breaks for disabled children and young people. It will complement the council’s existing county-wide offer and boost support for families.