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Capital Grants and Inclusion Funding

During the development of the Essex Short Breaks Commissioning Strategy 2021-2026, families told us they wanted to see more  inclusion in mainstream settings, and more accessibility for children with SEND across activities provision. 

Under the Essex Short Breaks Commissioning Strategy 2021-2026, Essex Short Breaks has run a Capital Micro Grants fund for community organisations to apply for capital funding. This has been for adaptations to facilities, or purchase of specialist equipment, or training to improve staff skills and confidence etc. 

Providers with a specialism in delivering SEND activities are welcome to apply but must demonstrate how they will meet the aims of the fund, to improve access to clubs and activities in mainstream settings. 

The next funding round is anticipated to be launched in March 2025 for the 2025/2026 financial year. 

A list of providers is set out below in order of the district in which the funding has been implemented. 

Basildon

The funding will be used to provide four online training courses for staff members. These courses will cover classroom behaviors, challenging behaviors, autism awareness, and managing challenging behaviors with non-physical intervention. This training will support their existing PE, extracurricular activities, and half-term camps.

The funding benefits children age 4-12 with a disability.

Pilot of yoga sessions you children and young people with autism

Funding for refurbishment of existing soft play sensory room to include additional sensory equipment.

For children, young people and adults ages 3-25 with a disability.

  • BOSP £10,380 2021/2022

Funding to build a sensory room which is both calming and interactive.

For children, young people and adults up to age 25 with a disability. 

Braintree

The funding was used to purchase a smaller 9-seater minibus. This helped address the challenges faced by children with severe challenging behaviors and complex health conditions who have regressed due to the pandemic and are now reluctant to use the existing larger 17 seater minibus the organisation already had. The new minibus enabled the organisation to offer more short breaks and community activities, providing additional 10 places per session.

Funding benefits children and young people ages 3-25 with a disability.

Brentwood

Funding to build a sensory room, disabled toilet and purchase equipment to improve accessibility.

Funding to purchase two new floor projectors and three pieces of sensory equipment to replace outdated or broken equipment in the activity hall and multi-sensory room. The floor projectors encourage communication skills, physical activity, and social interaction, while the sensory equipment provide stimulation and help children feel comfortable and relaxed.

Funding benefits children, young people and adults up to age 25 with a disability.

Funding to purchase and install equipment to fit out the multi-sensory room within the pavilion development in King George’s Playing Fields in Brentwood. Equipment includes audio/visual interactive products such as a bubble tube, mirrors, fibre optic curtain, projectors and UV lights, interactive activity panels, interactive projection system with seating, a waterbed, wall and floor padding.

Funding supports children, young people and adults up to age 25 with a disability.

  • REACH, £11,000, 2021/2022

Funding to provide a mobile classroom/breakout facility to support Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL) sessions.

Funding supports children, young people and adults ages 1 and upwards with a disability but also those facing family breakdown, domestic violence, bereavement, school refusal behavioural issues, self-harming, anxiety, bullying, mental health issues or PTSD. 

Canvey Island, Castle Point

The funding will enhance inclusion and participation for children with special educational needs in mainstream holiday clubs. It will be used to invest in sensory equipment, musical instruments, yoga mats, outdoor learning activities, and sports equipment. Additionally, staff training will increase awareness of SEND, enabling personalised support and ensuring activities are accessible to all children.

The funding benefits children and young people ages 4-14 with a disability.

Chelmsford

The funding will support the integration of non-verbal children with disabilities into mainstream clubs and activities across Essex. This will be achieved through personalized communication passports, 'communication buddies', and additional pages on communication devices. Monthly online calls will educate club organizers and carers on effective communication with non-verbal children.

The funding benefits non-verbal children andd young people with disabilities ages 2-17.

12-week Saturday club pilot, targeted at young people with SEND, where they can choose from a range of activities.

Purchase of equipment to enable young children with SEND to take part in sensory activities.

Training and equipment to make community activities more accessible to young autistic people.

Purchase of equipment to make Parkour sessions more inclusive such as foam vaulting tables and soft mats

 Purchase of equipment to enable young adults with SEND to take part in sociable activities, specifically camping.

Chelmsford/ Billericay/ Colchester

The funding will be used to enhance the inclusivity and accessibility of their mainstream holiday camps for children and young people with SEND. This includes providing specific SEND and medical training for staff, purchasing visual communication aids, sensory equipment and pop-up quiet spaces to give children a place to go when they are dysregulated or struggling with their environment.

The funding benefits children and young people ages 4-14 with a disability.

Colchester

The funding will be used to enhance the organisations ability overall to support children and young people with SEND to participate in their existing sports coaching programmes with schools and during the holidays.

The funding will be split into five areas; staff training to enable them to work with children and young people with SEND, purchasing adaptive resources such as ear defenders and inclusive sports equipment bags, hiring additional coaches for smaller coaching ratios, community outreach to reach more children and families and continuous improvement initatives to adjust sessions based on feedback.

The funding benefits children and young people ages 4-12 with a disability.

Purchase of a Hippocampe wheelchair to enable beach and woodland access for disabled children at their camps.

Pilot project for various activities including accessible horse riding and mindfulness training

Funding to purchase a vehicle to transport equipment and some sensory and fitness equipment for a “Mobile Sensory and Physical Health Unit." The vehicle enables the organisation to transport the necessary equipment, allowing the unit to set up temporary sensory and fitness centres in community halls.

The funding benefits all children, young people and adults with a disability.

Funding to purchase a hearing loop system in all public areas at the theatre.

Funding supports all children, young people and adults with hearing difficulties. 

Funding to build a fully accessible bespoke wheelhouse and cabin for a fully accessible boat enabling people with disabilities to access the river blackwater.

Funding supports school age children and adults up to age 25 with a disability.

Colchester/ Tendring

The funding will be used for the organisation to increase the outreach of their delivery of accessible cycling sessions for children and young people with SEND, their siblings and carers. The project focus on dellivering in areas the organisation have identified gaps in provision such as Braintree, Halstead, Haverhill and Witham. Funding will be allocated for staff training on best practices for inclusivity and safety, marketing to raise awareness, additional seasonal staffing, a staffing project coordinator, venue hire, and bike maintenance and storage.

The funding benefits children and young people with disabilities up to ages 25 plus their siblings and carers.

  • The Cycling Project, £4,988, 2021/2022

Funding to run events promoting their activities Colchester and Clacton and for a number of specialist trikes to increase accessibility

Epping Forest

The funding will  be used to enhance the museum's inclusivity and accessibility for children, young people, and young adults with SEND. The project focuses on supplying sensory backpacks that will aid families during self-led visits to the museum. These backpacks will contain items such as ear defenders, touch buttons, sound buttons and other sensory resources. Additionally the funding will support the development of a sensory den, providing relaxing space for families.

The funding benefits children, young people and adults ages 3+ with a disability.

The funding will be used to purchase a van that will enable the organisation to transport adaptive sports equipment and deliver inclusive activities directly to community settings across Essex. This mobile approach will allow the organisation to set up pop-up sports and enrichment sessions in various locations, including schools and community centres, ensuring that children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) can access their services regardless of transportation or location barriers.

The funding benefits children, young people and adults up to ages 25. 

The funding will be used to resurface pathways at the organisation with granodust. This will ensure that everyone, including those with disabilities, can safely access all activities offered at the organisation. The new pathways will connect various activity areas such as axe throwing, crossbow, archery, bushcraft, pond dipping, and the camping area. This improvement will enhance accessibility and inclusivity, allowing participants of all abilities to fully engage in the centre's outdoor learning experiences.

The funding will benefit all children, young people and adults.

Harlow

Purchase of specialist, light-weight balls enabling more CYPD to be involved at the club.

Purchase of equipment and training to make activities more accessible

Funding to develop the indoor and outdoor space at the organisation to support children with SEND. The project plan was to divide the open-plan space into zones, partially cover the yard space, and ads a soft floor covering. This would enable the organisation to extend services to under 5’s and increase the number of children it can support per session.

Funding supports children and young people ages 4-12 with a disability.

Funding to install a fully accessible, eco-friendly and compostable toilet on site.

Funding supports all children, young people and adults with a disability.

Maldon

The funding will be used to enable access for children and young people with SEND to a gymnastics club. The club will run sensory integration sessions and purchase sensory equipment, provide additional staffing and a pathway to the unit which is more accessible for people with physical disabilities.

The funding benefits disabled children and young people of all ages.

Maldon/ Chelmsford/ Harlow/ Colchester

The funding will be used to enable access to existing outdoor activities, such as canoeing and ziplining, for children and young people with SEND. The project includes providing  Autism awareness training for instructors, purchasing helmets and ear defenders for neurodivergent children and acquiring portable hoists and slings for those with limited mobility. Additionally, the funding will be used to buy harnesses to increase access to rope activities for children with mobility needs.

The funding benefits children and young people ages 8 and upwards with a disability.

Rochford

Purchase of equipment to enable children with SEND to be more involved at events e.g. vibrating vests and ear defenders

The funding will enable the organisation to install a portacabin or modular building, providing additional indoor space. This will allow the expansion of services and enable year-round clubs and activities for children, young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The new building will offer a safe, warm, and accessible environment for indoor activities, especially during colder months.

The funding benefits children, young people and adults up to age 25 with a disability.

The funding was used to purchase a 9-seater minibus. This minibus will enable the organisation to increase the respite aspect of their provision by collecting children directly from school, providing longer breaks for parents and reducing anxiety for children who are reluctant to attend clubs and activities. It will also help transport children who otherwise could not attend due to lack of access to a car or challenges with public transport.

The funding benefits children and young people ages 8-18 with a disability.

Funding to purchase and install a sensory integration room at the organisations clubhouse. The sensory room is more accessible to children and young people with high sensoty needs. The plan for equipment for the room included a swing frame with attachments to suit various ages and physical abilities.

Children, young people and adults up to age 25 with a disability.

Tendring

  • The Holiday Club, £3,154.36, 2024/2025

The funding will be used to enable access to the clubs existing mainstream school holiday activities for children and young people with SEND. Funding will be used to equip a sensory area with various sensory items as a quiet area for children who do not cope well with noise and hiring a SEND leader who is qualified to work with children with SEND. This will enable children and young people with SEND to participate in activities such as sports, music, dance, games, cooking and arts and crafts alongside their peers.

The funding benefits primary school aged children and young people with a disability.

To fund a new accessible programme that will engage young people in specialised, low impact, sports-based activities and life skills sessions such as healthy food preparation to educate and provide intervention and prevention support for young people with mild to severe levels of SEND.  The funding will be used for a sports coach/ mentor, a food technician, food ingredients, educational materials and venue hire outside of school hours.

The funding benefits children and young people ages 10-18 with a disability.

The organisation delivers a range of activities including fitness and life skills for children and young people. The funding will be used to match fund a  classroom/ safe space for children who would like a quiet space away from holiday clubs and SEND specific activities. The organisation will also introduce a SEND specific youth club for 1-25 year olds. SEND training for staff, a SEND facilitator and  adaptive aids.

The funding benefits disabled children and young people of all ages.

Funding towards resurfacing the playground to make it safer and more accessible for children and young people with disabilities.

Funding benefits children, young people and adults up to age 25.