NCB Now: The future of short breaks

For a long time families with disabled children have highlighted the benefits that short breaks can bring to their lives. In December 2010, Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM), a consortium of four organisations including the Council for Disabled Children, which is part of NCB, welcomed the announcement of £800m across four years; the highest ever investment in short breaks for disabled children and their families.

However, this investment has been allocated to local authorities as part of the Early Intervention Grant and is not ringfenced. Families and service providers are worried that with the inevitable cutbacks, funds allocated for short breaks will be diverted elsewhere, which would have a severe impact on families with disabled children. Additionally, due to the focus on short breaks there is concern about the loss of funding for transition support, parent participation and accessible childcare developed through the Disabled Children's Access to Childcare programme.

As one parent of a disabled child told EDCM: "To lose this service would be another blow for us in coping with the stress that families deal with on a day-to-day basis."

Cuts to vital services

EDCM has responded to these concerns, asking supporters to contact their local authority to find out how much money they plan to spend on disabled children's services in 2011/12. Initial responses from local authorities have shown a strong commitment to continuing investment in disabled children's services coupled with concern over the level of cuts that may have to occur.

So, what other levers can be used to sustain services for disabled children?

One lever is the statutory duty that comes into force in April, which requires local authorities to provide short breaks for disabled children. Accompanying guidance and regulations will ensure that local authorities are legally obliged to make needs-based, transparent decisions about local provision of short breaks. They will also strengthen the rights of disabled children and their families by increasing their access to information and cement parents' involvement in designing services in law.

Legal challenge to decisions about local cuts is another possible option. As the recent Building Schools for the Future case against Education Secretary Michael Gove demonstrates, courts take failure to consider the impact on disabled people when cutting services very seriously.

For further information, visit www.ncb.org.uk/edcm/law.pdf.

Lara Stanley, campaign assistant, EDCM

ABOUT EDCM

Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) is a campaign to get rights and justice for every disabled child. To find out more about our work, sign up as a supporter and get involved in our latest action, please visit www.edcm.org.uk, email info@edcm.org.uk or phone 020 7843 6082.

CASE STUDY

How short breaks in North Lincolnshire have changed the lives of families

Short breaks are additional services provided to disabled children and young people to enable them to gain new experiences away from their families and to provide their families with a break from caring.

Isabel Wallis, advisor at North Lincolnshire Council, shares some positive experiences of short breaks from parents with disabled children.

"The benefits of Aiming High for Disabled Children short breaks are really starting to make a huge difference to families. At a recent celebration conference, a parent talked about The Cygnets, which is a small short breaks unit, saying: 'When my son is away, we get the chance to relax and catch up on sleep, and the best thing is that he loves going there as well. For him it's like going on a sleepover.'

"North Lincolnshire has developed a wide range of short breaks in partnership with parents. A key area of development has been locality-based activities. One parent said: 'It's fantastic, it's something for him to look forward to, and he has developed friends, which is not something he has really had in the past so it's been a really positive experience.'

"Feedback from parents highlights that the development of short breaks has been life changing in some circumstances. 'Without short breaks, we probably would have fragmented, disintegrated and shattered,' said one of the parents. Another said: 'It has given him independence from both of us (parents) and the chance to try new things with support when needed.'"

Isabel Wallis, strategic co-ordinator and advisor, North Lincolnshire Council