The council will more than double what it spends on overnight short breaks for disabled children at Beaumonds, to about £1m a year. The aim is to cut a growing waiting list.

Families of disabled children in Bath and North East Somerset are to get more overnight short breaks. The council has agreed to more than double the yearly budget for its Beaumonds service, from about £476,000 to about £1 million.

Councillor Paul May, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, approved the decision on 3 November (decision 2522). It takes effect on 11 November unless councillors call it in.

What Beaumonds is

Beaumonds is a council-owned house in Bath where disabled children stay overnight. Action for Children runs it under a contract that ends in March 2027.

It is registered for up to five children a night, aged 8 to 18, with physical or learning disabilities. It currently opens four nights a week, Tuesday to Friday (Action for Children).

The breaks give children time away with friends and staff. They also give parents and carers a rest. The council has a legal duty to provide breaks like this under the Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2011.

Why it is growing

The council’s report says a needs assessment found:

  • demand has risen significantly
  • there is unmet need and a growing waiting list
  • families “have reported increasing pressure”

The service supports around 50 children and young people at present. The report says the extra money is to expand capacity, not to change what the service does (Cabinet member report).

The council also argues it saves money. Short breaks cost far less than agency care or a residential placement. Without them, it says, some children are more likely to need expensive care or to come into the council’s care.

No extra budget needed

The council says its overall budget does not need to rise. The bigger contract will be paid for by cutting other, non-contract spending on short breaks that the new contract will take over.

That matters this year. The council’s children’s services are forecast to overspend by £7.4 million, the biggest pressure in its £14.8 million budget gap for next year.

When the new service starts

The contract will be put out to competitive tender. The council’s papers disagree on the start date:

  • the report and its purpose statement say 1 April 2027
  • the formal decision says 1 September 2027

The decision also allows the current contract to be extended in the meantime, so that there is no gap in breaks for families.

What it means for you

  • If your child already goes to Beaumonds, the service carries on. The council has approved extending the current contract to avoid a gap.
  • If you are waiting for a place, the expansion is meant for you, but it will not arrive before spring 2027 at the earliest.
  • To ask about short breaks, referrals come through the council’s Disabled Children’s Team after an assessment of need.