At the heart of the recently launched Treasury and Department for Education and Skills report Aiming High for Disabled Children: Better Support for Families are proposals to support short breaks to give families a respite from care duties and to let children experience new relationships, activities and environments.

Advocated within the National Service Framework for Children, YoungPeople and Maternity Services, and backed by parents of disabledchildren themselves as the most important factor in helping theirrelationships and families, short breaks can encompass sitting schemes,befriending schemes and residential services.

A total of 280m has been pledged over the lifetime of theGovernment's Comprehensive Spending Review for 2008 to 2011, whichshould deliver a change in the provision of short breaks through theDfES. The Every Disabled Child Matters campaign is calling on theDepartment of Health to deliver on its commitment to match this amountin its spending review settlement.

There is little doubt that short breaks can have an enormous impact onthe health and wellbeing of parents and children.

Parents of disabled children often face high levels of stress, which canresult in family breakdown. Disabled children, too, often benefit fromnew friendships and leisure activities, tackling the social isolation somany face.

Cheviots Children's Disability Service in Enfield, London, is one of theestimated 188 short-break schemes in the UK.

Established in the 1980s, Cheviots grew from a recognition that manychildren living in residential settings would be able to be cared for athome if there were more opportunities for short breaks.

Developed in consultation with parents, carers and other partners, theservice provides a wide range of support, from play schemes, home careand home sitting to overnight breaks, direct payments and support forcarers.

This array of services aims to provide a 24-hour service to respond toparents, many of whom could be isolated without it.

The Government's commitment for supporting short breaks offers hope forthousands of families of disabled children. According to the Shared CareNetwork, 90 per cent of current schemes have waiting lists, withfamilies commonly waiting for up to a year for support.

A change in short breaks will require a growth in strategicunderstanding and planning, also in the infrastructure of such schemes,and the workforce to support it.

For many families that support cannot come too soon.