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Activities for families and young people

Things to do, try out new activities, have fun and be part of your local community, with support for additional needs

Overview

Taking part in activities helps children and young people with additional needs grow, feel confident and enjoy time with others. Activities can make a big difference for families too, helping you meet other families and feel less alone.

There is a range of inclusive activities available across Somerset. This includes clubs and groups, family activities, and short breaks to support children with additional needs and their families.

Inclusive things to do

You can find sports, clubs, things to do and places to go that welcome children with additional needs in our Leisure menu. Including:

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.

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 2025/26

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, 1.1MB

Our Activity Calendar for the holidays is available here:

Document preview
CIA May Half Term Calendar

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, 3.01MB

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

Following discussion at the SEND Partnership Board, Somerset Parent Carer Forum (SPCF) raised ongoing concerns about the challenges many families are experiencing in accessing suitable Short Breaks provision. Families continue to tell them that there is insufficient availability of services, limited choice, and difficulties accessing provision that meets the needs of children and young people with more complex needs.

As part of this discussion, the recent decision by Brookside Academy to cease its holiday provision for older young people (aged 12–18) was highlighted as a further example of the pressures facing families and the importance of ensuring that a range of accessible and sustainable Short Breaks opportunities are available across the local area. The Council advised that it is actively exploring alternative arrangements for families affected by this change and is in discussions with providers regarding potential options for the Summer holiday period.
SPCF will be meeting with the Council to review the findings from the recent parent carer survey, which includes feedback on families’ experiences of accessing Short Breaks and other support services. This feedback will help inform the wider work currently underway to review and develop Short Breaks provision, ensuring that the voices and experiences of families remain central to future planning and service development.

Further information

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.

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.
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.

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.

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 updated: June 3, 2026

Next review due: December 3, 2026

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