Empowering Young Lives Through Sport, Giving Parents the Break They Deserve at Oakwell

Short breaks for reds

Short breaks can provide time for a child or young person with a disability to attend an activity they might not have an option to do otherwise. At Barnsley FC Community Trust we provide football / multi-sport coaching sessions and Holiday Camps. Children and young people with disabilities have fun, develop new skills, and spend time away from their main carer.

A short break can give the rest of the family time to do other things. This could be supporting other family members, household tasks, or just having a rest.

You can find more advice and how to apply for short breaks by contacting the Families Information Service.

Case Study : Ethan

One of our young men at Short Breaks continues to progress and be our success story. Ethan started Short Breaks as a very shy young man that had very little confidence. He had issues communicating his needs and had anxiety when asked to join in with the group. Ethan also needed regular breaks and would need lots of reassurance to stay for the full session.

Ethan now participates in Short Breaks every week and continues his progress getting more confident, enhancing his social skills and his ability is increasing week by week. This is due to Ethans hard work and exposure to new sessions, we are very proud of how he has responded to our sessions and he has made some friends for life in this group.

Ethan was recently invited to a Premier League Kicks tournament at Doncaster Rovers Football Stadium. Ethan engaged in the tournament, conversed with new people he had met on the day and created relationships within the group and had an excellent rapport with staff. Ethan has autism and learning difficulties. To be present with so many people, meeting new people and participating in the tournament is a huge success. Ethan scored 3 goals and Barnsley got all the way to the final. Ethan said it was “amazing”

For one of our Short Breaks attendees to start as a shy young man with very little confidence and blossom into a participant that now plays for a mainstream team in Barnsley Premier League Kicks is an incredible achievement and we are all very proud of his progress. Well done Ethan.