Short breaks legal resource for parent carers launched

Short breaks are a fundamental support service to families with disabled children, helping them to lead ordinary lives.

However, after successive years of cuts to local authority budgets the 2015/16 financial year is likely to see cuts to children’s services generally and short break services for disabled children in particular. Every Disabled Child Matters have launched a legal resource for parent carers of disabled children with input from Alex Rook, partner at Irwin Mitchell solicitors, and Steve Broach, Barrister at Monckton Chambers. This resource will help you challenge cuts to short break services in your area.

This resource is intended to:

• Explain what short break provision families with disabled children should expect to be available in their area

• Explain the legal framework around short break services

• Provide template letters to families with disabled children to help challenge decisions by local authorities

• Signpost families to sources of legal support

You can download the resource here.

Local authorities are consulting on their budgets for the year 2015/16 now and must finalise their budget in February 2015. There is still (just) time to lobby Councillors if they are proposing cuts to short break services.

If you are not sure what is happening in your area but want to get involved, we recommend getting in touch with your local Parent Carer Forum http://www.nnpcf.org.uk