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Home Children, families and education Somerset’s SEND Local Offer Leisure Activities for families and young people

Activities for families and young people

Things to do, try out new activities, have fun and access your local community

Community Inclusion and Activity Team

The Community Inclusion and Activity Team – formerly the Short Breaks Team – supports children and young people from 0 to 17 who have a disability or additional need. They have a particular focus on helping them and their families try out new things, have fun and access their local community. They grant fund providers to deliver activities across Somerset, this includes holiday activities and regular clubs.

Community  – We want to enable children and young people with a disability or additional need and their families to access their local community.

Inclusion – We want children and young people with a disability or additional need to feel included in their community and in clubs and activities.

Activity – We can signpost children and young people with a disability or additional need to many opportunities to access regular clubs and activities in the school holidays. We offer some of these activities ourselves and work with many other organisations who offer great activities too. This information is sent to you in our newsletters and calendars.

Team – We cover the whole of Somerset and our team work directly with referred families to offer support, information and guidance, as well as offering activities and clubs. We are part of the Children With Disabilities Team.

Emma introduces the support information and guidance available from the Community Inclusion and Activity Team during Local Offer Live week.

You can keep up to date following @LocalOfferSomerset Facebook page.

Our office phone line is 01823 358117, or you can email ciateam@somerset.gov.uk.

Activities and events calendar

You can view the Community Inclusion and Activity Team Club Activities Booklet here:

Document preview
CIA Team Club Activities Booklet 2023/24

Information about inclusive clubs and groups that are running across Somerset. For all children and young people in Somerset with a disability or additional needs.

PDF, 1.45 MB

Our Activity Calendar for the holidays is available here:

Document preview
CIA Team Activity Calendar Holidays – Easter Holiday 2024

Information about holiday activities being run by organisations who have experience of working with children and young people with a disability or additional need and their families. For all children and young people in Somerset with a disability or additional needs.

PDF, 5.19 MB

You can also view both CIA Team Club and Activity Calendars here on our online events calendar by selecting the filter ‘CIA Team’.  You can search these based on date, location or type of activity.

important

The calendar is no longer posted out, so please use the above links to access it.

Choosing providers for the activity calendar

Providers are invited to apply for grant funding prior to each school holiday. A grant panel meets to make decisions – it is formed by

To decide how to give out the funds they look at things like

  • accessibility
  • location
  • cost
  • value for money
  • variety of activities

Their main goal is to make sure that as many children with disabilities and/or additional needs in Somerset get to have a great time with inclusive and fun activities.

This means that at times, some providers will be turned down and will be advised to apply for funding from other places. They can still promote their inclusive events on the Events Calendar on the Local Offer for families to find. But, the costs to families are not subsidised and we won’t use the ‘CIA Team’ filter to show they have been quality assured.

Increasing activities available in your area

Somerset Council gives funding to providers who offer inclusive activities throughout Somerset. That means only the activity providers who have applied for and received funding can be listed on the CIA Team Activity Calendar. But don’t worry, the CIA Team is always on the lookout for new providers of inclusive activities. So, if there are any activities or providers in your area that you’d like to see on the calendar, email them at ciateam@somerset.gov.uk. They will encourage them to apply for grant funding.

Transport availability for activities

The CIA Team tried out providing transport for CIA Team Activity Days, but since it was expensive and not popular enough, we couldn’t afford to keep it going. We keep looking at this issue because Somerset is a rural area and we understand that getting around can be tough for families.

For now, we suggest families try to

  • share transport
  • ask friends or family members for help
  • use DLA if they qualify to help with transportation expenses.

Visit our page on getting out and about for making public transport easier to use when you have additional needs.

Family activity day passes to attractions

The CIA Team hold transferrable annual passes that can be shared among multiple families. We work with as many attractions in Somerset as we can.

Where attractions don’t offer passes that can be shared among multiple families, the Somerset MAX card gives you discounts at many locations.

Children living in a neighbouring county

Unless the calendar entry says otherwise, activities are only available for families living in Somerset because of the funding.

You can however find the offer for neighbouring counties, often called short breaks or SEND holiday playschemes, on their Local Offers for example see Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset.

Last reviewed: March 5, 2024 by Helly

Next review due: September 5, 2024

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