DEVON County Council (DCC) have been engaging with parents, children and young people to help improve its short breaks offer.

Short breaks provide opportunities for parents to have a break from their caring roles, and a chance for young people to enjoy supported activities, either one-to-one or with other young people.

This can be universal, targeted or more specialist activities or clubs.

The council’s teams have been engaging with young people and families about how they could improve short break opportunities in future.

They’ve been holding ‘Family Fun Days’ as a way of engaging with families and giving further fun opportunities having held two in Devon so far, with more planned for September and November.

The first fun day was held at Dartmoor Activity Centre at Haytor, and around 170 people attended, enjoying harnessed tree climbing, bush craft, orienteering, spiderwebbing, plant creation, Super 1s Cricket, and Dartmoor Ranger’s rive run and education.

A spokesperson for DCC said: ‘It was a brilliant day for everyone, but it also provided a great opportunity to hear from parents and young people about their experiences.

‘One parent talked about how difficult it is sometimes to find more active groups for their daughter, because she really enjoys open spaces and challenges.

‘Another parent spoke of a lack of holiday or weekend clubs for children with SEND, or that where they are available, they’re limited or too expensive, or not SEN-friendly.

‘The second fun day, in Croyde, was equally enjoyable and provided more valuable feedback from parents and young people about the sorts of short break activities they enjoy or would like to see more of’.

The team now is pulling all that learning together to help improve short break opportunities in future.

Contracts with activity providers are periodically re-tendered, so feedback from young people and their parents about their experiences, likes and dislikes, all helps the council put together a short breaks offer that families value.