5 cartoon people, one is in a wheelchair

Yes, you would need to transport your child to the club. The service will locate a club that is as close as possible to your area, but some travel may be needed.

No, taxis are not available for the children to attend the clubs. If this is a concern, please speak to one of our team or your allocated Social Worker if you have one.

Parents can apply by downloading and completing the application form.  You can download the form by clicking here. They can also ask for one sending out by contacting SNIPS:

Telephone: 0114 273 5368

E-mail: SnipsBusinessSupport@sheffield.gov.uk

Clubs differ when it comes to their training and the range of support that they can offer the child or young person. The SNIPS service will talk to you about the range of clubs available.  They will explain the level of support they can offer your child or young person.

The service will make sure the child or young person’s allocated club has all the right training in place before a child or young person starts.  This helps the staff to meet their needs. Should the club need anything specific to support the child or young person, then the service can arrange this.

Your SNIPS Inclusion Officer will look at things like:

  • distance
  • specialist training
  • age range
  • facilities
  • suitable/preferred activities
  • capacity in the club

They will discuss these with you during the process.

Contact the SNIPS team and request a “change in provision”. You will be allocated to a member of the team who will help you through the process of changing to a new club.

The club will flag this up with us and you. You will have the opportunity to transition to an adult club if you meet the level for adult social care.  More information please click here.

We work with our clubs to make sure they are upskilling and training their staff.  This is to help them manage the complex needs of all children.  This may not always be possible due to the clubs’ environment, facilities, location or staff.

If a club cannot give effective support to a child or young person and we have tried different coping strategies, we will look at whether a different club would be more suitable or a different type of support from SNIPS.

We will discuss the ratio with you and other professionals involved with your child.  This is to gain a wide view of the most suitable ratio. We will also review this on a regular basis with the staff at the club so this may change as your child settles in.

For additional sessions, please contact the SNIPS team to discuss. They will advise how to make the request. In most cases this will be undertaken via the Safeguarding Hub.

Some clubs may offer this service.  This is not something SNIPS have any control over.

Every child is assessed individually.  Some may receive more than one type of Short Break service. Please note that if you receive the Short Break grant, we will not usually re-assess for another service until 12 months have passed.

SNIPS have the same eligibility criteria as the Children with Disabilities Team. The SNIPS team and Safeguarding Hub will  apply this criteria to every request for a short break.  Short breaks are available for disabled children and young people who:

  • are aged from birth up to their 18th birthday
  • live in Sheffield
  • are disabled. This means that they have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities (Equality Act 2010).
  • have a disability which has a significant impact on their family and home life

Time scales for allocation to a member of the SNIPS team for an assessment depends on staff levels. Currently allocation to a member of the team takes place within 1 working week of receiving a referral.  A member of the team will then contact the parent/carer within 5 working days from allocation. 

Getting Short Break provision in place is dependent on:

  • capacity
  • parent/carer engagement
  • waiting lists for some of the Short Break clubs
  • when the provision is running (e.g. holiday club outside of term time).
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