Shropshire Council awards new contract for Overnight Short Breaks for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Shropshire Council is pleased to announce that Shaftesbury has been awarded the contract to provide Overnight Short Breaks to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) for at least the next three years. The award of the contract follows the completion of the formal tender and procurement process. Shaftesbury will begin providing Overnight Short Breaks from April 1, 2026.
Shaftesbury is a national disability charity that delivers vital disability care and support services across the UK for adults and children including residential care, nursing care, supported living, day care and domiciliary care. Shaftesbury has a long history in Shropshire and recently developed a Supported Living facility in Shrewsbury, working closely with Shropshire Council. Shaftesbury also runs three accredited education centres providing specialised education, therapy and care for young people with disabilities, aged three to 25.
Short breaks are a vital resource for children and young people with SEND, offering them opportunities to enjoy activities, groups and trips away from the family home. Short breaks not only provide enriching experiences for children and young people, but also offer much-needed respite for parent carers. Children and young people who are eligible for Overnight Short Breaks have all received a social work assessment and are allocated a number of nights per year.
The newly commissioned overnight short breaks service will continue to be provided at Bradbury House, a specialist property owned by Shropshire Council. By keeping the overnight short breaks at Bradbury House, the new service will provide reassurance and continuity of care to parent carers and their children. Shropshire Council are keen to assure parent carers that changes will be minimal and only to the benefit of families. The mobilisation of the new contract will be carefully managed during the transition period.
Families continue to shape the future of SEND services in Shropshire
The decision to award the contact to Shaftesbury follows a full, transparent, rigorous and legally robust procurement process. The Shropshire Parent Carer Council (PACC) was consulted throughout the commissioning and tender evaluation process, providing valuable insights into the needs of parent carers and children with SEND. The new Overnight Short Breaks service is a positive response to the feedback from families, and has been designed and commissioned to provide an improved service that will ensure best possible outcomes and value for money.
Councillor Ruth Houghton, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services, said:
We are pleased to award the contract for Overnight Short Breaks to Shaftesbury, who have an outstanding track record in this area. We all look forward to working closely with Shaftesbury so that parent carers who have children with SEND can get the most out of a service that they need to support them in their ongoing caring responsibilities.
“We are also extremely grateful to all the advice we received during the tender process from PACC. Their support, guidance and lived experiences mean that the new Overnight Short Stays have been created in close collaboration with the very families who rely on this service. We look forward to continuing our close relationship with PACC around all of the short breaks we provide, including All-In Short Breaks, Specialist Community Based Short Breaks and Family Based Care.
“The new Overnight Short Breaks offers are truly person-centred and have been designed with the unique needs and interests of children and young people with SEND and their families at heart, and are a positive step forward for this service offer.”
Jane Percy, Shaftesbury’s Executive Director for Care Operations, said:
“We are delighted to be awarded the contract for this vital specialist overnight short breaks service for children and young people with disabilities in Shropshire.
“Bradbury House will be a home away from home for the children and young people with disabilities who come to stay. It will be somewhere they can thrive, have fun, be themselves, grow and be happy. Crucially, it will also be somewhere that gives their families and carers peace of mind that they are safe, secure and well cared-for.”
The award of the new contract forms part of a wider review of all short breaks offered through Shropshire Council and its partners. Third-party contracts for All-In Short Breaks, Specialist Community Based Short Breaks, and Family Based Care are all currently being evaluated, and are at different stages of the bidding and procurement processes.
What happens next?
Shropshire Council will now work closely with Shaftesbury to begin the mobilisation process, with the new Overnight Short Breaks due to go live on April 1 2026.
Further communication will be shared with parent carers during this period to ensure that the changeover is smooth, seamless and responds to their specific needs. The new service will continue to be provided out of Bradbury House.
In the meantime, parent carers are urged to contact Yvonne Oliver (Yvonne.m.oliver@shropshire.gov.uk) for more information.
