Overview
The CIA Team Activity Calendar is shaped by families, for families. We work with parent carers, The Unstoppables and partners to make sure the activities on the calendar meet the needs of children and young people with disabilities and additional needs across Somerset.
Families help decide what activities are funded
Before each school holiday, activity providers can apply for CIA Team grant funding from Somerset Council to run inclusive activities.
Funding decisions are made by a grant panel that includes:
- Community Inclusion and Activity Team (CIA Team)
- Early Support Team
- Commissioning
- Engagement and Participation
- The Unstoppables
- Somerset Parent Carer Forum
Having parent carers and young people’s voices helps make sure decisions reflect the experiences and priorities of local families.
What the panel looks for
The panel reviews each application and considers:
- Accessibility
- Location
- Cost
- Value for money
- Range of activities available
The aim is to give as many children and young people as possible the chance to take part in inclusive, enjoyable activities across Somerset.
Understanding the event calendars
There are two ways providers can promote activities on the Local Offer.
CIA Team Activity Calendar
The CIA Team Activity Calendar includes activities delivered by providers that have successfully applied for CIA Team grant funding.
Activities on this calendar have been through the funding and quality assurance process. Many are low cost to families because they are supported by grant funding.
SEND Events Calendar
The SEND Events Calendar is an open-access directory where providers can promote inclusive activities and events for children and young people with SEND and their families.
Providers do not need CIA Team funding to be listed on this calendar. This means families may find a wider range of activities, services and opportunities from across Somerset.
Activities on the SEND Events Calendar have not been reviewed through the CIA Team grant process and costs to families are not subsidised through CIA Team funding.
Helping us improve the offer
We are always looking for new providers and activities to add to the CIA Team Activity Calendar. If there is an activity or organisation you would like to see included, email ciateam@somerset.gov.uk. We can encourage providers to apply for future funding opportunities.
This approach also reinforces the co-production message: families tell us what they want to see, providers apply, and the grant panel (including parent carers and young people) helps shape the funded offer.
Listening to families about transport
Families have told us that travel can be a challenge, especially in a rural county like Somerset.
The CIA Team tested transport for activity days, but it was expensive and not used enough to be sustainable. Even so, we continue to review this issue and listen to family feedback.
To help with travel costs, families may be able to:
- Share transport with other families
- Ask relatives or friends for support
- Use Disability Living Allowance (DLA), if eligible, towards transport expenses
You can also visit our getting out and about information for support with using public transport and community travel options.
Discounts and passes
Families often ask why more attractions do not offer free or discounted access through the CIA Team.
The CIA Team works with attractions across Somerset to try to make activities as affordable as possible. One way we do this is through a small number of transferable annual passes that can be shared by different families throughout the year.
Not all attractions offer passes that can be shared in this way. Many attractions sell tickets on a per-person basis and do not have systems that allow multiple families to use the same pass. This can limit the number of attractions that can take part in the scheme.
Where shared passes are not available, families may still be able to reduce costs by using a Somerset MAX card, which provides discounts at a range of venues and attractions.
We continue to speak with local attractions and explore opportunities to increase the range of affordable activities available to families across Somerset.