The end of the postcode lottery for disabled children could be in sight as services within local authorities and primary care trusts are given minimum standards to abide by.
The National Core Offer has been launched as part of Aiming High for Disabled Children, which has been described by the government as a "transformation plan for disabled children's services".
It sets out service standards that families with disabled children in England can expect and is made up of five elements the government wants to see in every local area. These are information, transparency, assessment, participation and feedback.
Challenge to deliver
The core offer builds on the standards in the children's national service framework and covers education, social care and health services as well as early years, youth services, housing, leisure and transport.
Jo Webber, deputy policy director for the NHS Confederation, believes it will be very beneficial for disabled children. However, she also warns "it will be a challenge for organisations to deliver the core offer".
In terms of the transparency element, she says: "If a child is getting a mix of services, it will be complicated to get that transparency as it will be a challenge for organisations to work together to provide a budget allocation. But it will force service providers to work together more closely and help them to focus more on what they are offering."
Steve Broach, campaign manager for Every Disabled Child Matters, believes the core offer is "absolutely fundamental to Aiming High for Disabled Children". He says it will be instrumental in doing away with the postcode lottery that currently affects disabled children and their families.
"We need basic minimum standards to prevent situations where you have a family on one side of a road accessing services and a family on the other side who are unable to because they live in a different borough," he says.
One of the most important elements of the offer is transparency, says Broach. "The idea of publishing eligibility criteria strikes fear into some local authorities. But it will make all the difference to families who often have no idea why they are not eligible for a particular service."
Breaking point
Currently, families with disabled children report high levels of dissatisfaction with social care, health and education services, and eight out of 10 families with severely disabled children surveyed by Mencap would describe themselves as being at breaking point, according to Every Disabled Child Matters.
One of the key things, according to Karen McLean, head of service development for Contact a Family, is that the core offer recognises the importance of information for families.
"We are really pleased to see this acknowledged," she says. McLean also hopes it will herald the end to "the postcode lottery and the different eligibility criteria and the lack of clarity around it".
Clare Tickell, chief executive of children's charity NCH, says it is a welcome initiative: "The needs of families with disabled children are wide-ranging and complex, and the intended changes will give local authorities a suitable framework for delivering appropriate services."
"Providing transparent information will remove confusion and create an inclusive environment where both practical and emotional needs will be met. To guarantee true effectiveness, continuous engagement with disabled children and young people must happen to ensure services are tailored to specific needs," she adds.
The views of disabled children and their families are expected to influence the make-up of the core offer for each region. Once it has been drawn up, it will be published and made accessible to people in the local community.
And then the pressure will be on local authorities and health trusts to deliver, since the core offer will form the basis of government performance assessments for services for disabled children.
THE CORE OFFER
- Service users must have easy access to information
- Decisions on commissioning services must be open and fair
- Assessment of children should involve a range of agencies
- Service users should be involved in decisions
- www.cypnow.co.uk/doc
