CYP Now - Policy & Practice: Policy into practice - Respite breaks cannotarrive quickly enough

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.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included