“Short breaks provide opportunities for disabled children and young people to spend time away from their primary carers. These include day, evening, overnight or weekend activities and take place in the child’s own home, the home of an approved carer, a residential or community setting".
Short break services are additional services required to support disabled children and their families; in other words, short breaks are services over and above the universal services expected and available to all families. The issue of ‘additionality’ is important when looking at the use of universal services.
The document within this link describes the different types of short breaks and direct payments. For further information on direct payments - link