Agendas, Meetings and Minutes - Agenda item

Agenda item

Future Provision Of Overnight Unit-Based Short Breaks For Children With Disabilities

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Children and Families, the Director of Children, Families and Communities and the Assistant Director for Early Help and Commissioningwere invited to the meeting to update the Panel on next steps following the Cabinet decision on 12 July 2018 relating to the future provision of overnight unit-based short breaks for children with disabilities.

 

Members were reminded that there had been a consultation on proposals for the re-design of overnight unit-based short breaks for children with disabilities between 8 January 2018 and 19 February 2018 and a Scrutiny exercise about this.

 

A slide detailing the next steps of the process was circulated to the Panel.  The Assistant Director advised that a Project Team had been established to take forward the recommendations from 12 July Cabinet Report which would cover the co-design activity, contractual matters, democratic process and research and intelligence to inform future decision making. It was noted that there were clear links between this work and the Worcestershire Local Area Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Action Plan.

 

Discussion Points

 

·       The Director of Children, Families and Communities  was working  collaboratively with the Director of Adult Services to negotiate with the Worcestershire NHS Health and Care Trust a variation to their contract, effective from 1 August 2018 for the delivery of overnight provision at Osborne Court and Ludlow Road.

·       It was confirmed that the next Report to Cabinet was likely to be December 2018.

·       To inform the co-design process, there would be some further research during the autumn to look into the joint strategic needs and likely future demand for the overnight short break service.  The research would take into account  wider demographic changes and including trends in birth rates, data on numbers of children with disabilities in Worcestershire and nationally and trends in the number of young people transitioning to adult services.

·       The numbers of children currently coming in and out of the system suggested that Worcestershire had a higher number of children accessing overnight unit-based short breaks in comparison to other local authorities, but in determining the future service offered, the Council needed to consider the changing nature of disability and the type of service required.

·       Concern was expressed that it was still unclear what the future service demand was, especially as medical advances meant that there was likely to be more children surviving with disabilities and requiring ongoing care needs.  It was confirmed that service demand information would be available by the autumn and would cover a 5 year period.

·       A member asked about how the service was future proofing itself, given that demand was likely to grow and there were a number of families who weren’t aware of the support available but might become aware and might request it. The Panel was advised the SEND Action Plan (the next Agenda item) identified that there needed to be a graduated response to care needs to address this.

·       It was confirmed that the Clinical Commissioning Group's (CCG) contribution to the Service in respect of those children with ongoing health needs was being looked at as part of the SEND Improvement Plan.

·       The co-design activity with parents, carers and wider stakeholders on the would include the provision for young people approaching the age of 18, to ensure that there was appropriate transition to adult services and/or independent living.

·       No further cost savings for this service were envisaged, but it was noted that there was a shortfall in funding for the existing service which needed to be taken into account.

·       The allocation of respite care was on a County-wide service not based on geographical demand.

·       Ludlow Road and Osborne Court were NHS provision and currently registered with the CQC but applying for Ofsted registration and Moule Close and Providence Road were the County Council provision and Ofsted registered.

 

The Panel requested further updates in due course on the

Ø  engagement process with the advocacy and parent carer forum(s)

Ø  work with the providers of overnight short break services on the remodelling of the Service

Ø  financial savings required.

 

In addition, it was confirmed that Members from the Future Provision of Overnight Unit-Based Short Breaks for Children with Disabilities Scrutiny Task Group would be invited to observe future meeting with parents about the ongoing process.

 

Supporting documents: