Agenda item

The Cabinet considered the findings and recommendations as an outcome of the consultation on the future provision of overnight unit based short breaks for children with disabilities and to seek agreement of further actions to ensure that the future delivery of overnight unit-based short breaks in Worcestershire is sustainable and continues to meet the needs of families.

In the ensuing debate, the following principal points were raised:

·         The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Children and Families introduced the report. He thanked the public participants for their contribution. The Council was working towards improving outcomes for vulnerable children and young people including those with SEN and/or disability were a key priority in the CYPP. He recognised the individual needs of each family and that children and families found it difficult to engage in the process. He also recognised the need for care to continue into adulthood without any unnecessary disruption which required the involvement of Adult Services. It was important that planning was evidence-based and undertaken in consultation with parents, carers and users to provide a degree of flexibility and resilience against possible challenge. It was therefore necessary to understand present and future use. Contracts for Ludlow Road and Osborne Court were being worked on with the Health and Care Trust but he could not commit to saying there would be no changes in the future. The Council had undertaken a thorough consultation process of thinking about change when a service was valued. He recognised the value families placed on the services provided at Ludlow Road and the trust built up with providers. A new model for provision was required but this would take time. Some of the services provided at Ludlow Road could be provided at other provision. He considered that the immediate savings would not justify ending the arrangements with Ludlow Road at present. A further review of commissioning arrangements was required to provide a better use of the Council's property and resources. He aimed to provide a proper, suitable and sustainable system of respite care  

·         The Chairman of the Scrutiny Panel and task group commented that the scrutiny Task and Finish Group had raised a number of concerns including: parents awareness of respite care facilities; information of the number of children needing the service; signposting of Ludlow Road to parents; the timeline for consideration of the future of Ludlow Road; when the next stage of the consultation process would take place; what did it mean for parents going forward; the sort of variation to the contract and how it would appear to recipients of the service; the time period for implementation and negotiation; the impact of increasing the capacity at Providence Road on Ludlow Road; the age range of the co-designed service; the level of savings and timeframe for making them; the contribution of the CCGs to the service; the timeline for the next decision by the Cabinet; the details of the membership of the Families in Partnership Forum; the implications for service provision of the ADM for Children's Service; and a commitment to the on-going role for the Task Group and a request for representatives of the Group to attend as an observer at key meetings with parents

·         The Head of Legal and Democratic Services advised that the Cabinet was not being asked to start a consultation process at this meeting. A further report would be brought to Cabinet setting out the details of any future consultations as required. The other requests and suggestions from the task group would be addressed by the Director of Children, Families and Communities and the Cabinet Member outside this meeting

·         The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Children and Families welcomed the feedback from the task group and would ensure that a full response was made

·         The administration was committed to protecting vulnerable children and adults and was fully cognisant of its statutory duties to provide respite care and the responsibilities of acting in accordance with Equality legislation. The process had been proper, fair and transparent. To reflect its importance, the decision was being made by the Cabinet rather than delegated to the Cabinet Member

·         The Leader commented that the Council would continue to fulfil its statutory duties in a manner that engaged people and was tailored to the needs of the most vulnerable but within a restricted resource envelope. It was right to review services in consultation with carers, parents and users to ensure they were fit for purpose. He understood that the process was emotionally challenging for all involved

RESOLVED: that

a)    the information relating to short breaks provision for children with disabilities contained in this report be noted;

b)    the responses received to the consultation with families, professionals and wider stakeholders, including the report from the CYP Scrutiny Task Group and the CMR response, on the proposals to redesign the delivery of overnight unit-based provision and the additional information and comments received during this period as outlined in paragraphs 26 to 47 of the report be noted;

c)    adopts the response by the Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Children and Families to the Scrutiny Report "Future Provision of Overnight Unit-Based Short Breaks for Children with Disabilities" contained within the report (Appendix 1) be adopted;

d)    the continued delivery of short breaks overnight respite provision at Ludlow Road, Kidderminster during this financial year 2018/19 be agreed, subject to further review of contract arrangements and sufficiency with Worcestershire Health and Care Trust and without prejudice to any future proposals for change which may be developed and any further consultation as may be appropriate;

e)    the Director of Children, Families and Communities be authorised to work collaboratively with the Director of Adult Services to negotiate with the Worcestershire Health and Care Trust a variation of their contract, effective from 1 August 2018, for the delivery of overnight provision at Osborne Court and Ludlow Road in order to provide clarity on the service specification including cost, capacity and monitoring arrangements and to build into the contract the flexibility required for the service to adapt appropriately to future changes in demand including, where necessary, changes to the location of service delivery and/or age range of service users;

f)     the Director of Children, Families and Communities be authorised to implement the proposal within the consultation to increase the capacity at Providence Road, Bromsgrove by the flexible use of one or two additional bedrooms (subject to the necessary changes to the Ofsted registration) as required to meet the needs of families who have an assessed need for overnight respite care now or in the future without prejudice to any future consideration in relation to Ludlow Road;

g)    the Director of Children, Families and Communities be authorised in consultation with the Director of Adult Services to undertake co-design activity with parents, carers and wider stakeholders on short break/respite provision for children with disabilities, including the provision for young people, as they approach transition to adulthood, to ensure appropriate transition to adult services and/or independent living;

h)    the proposals to engage with an appropriate level and type  of advocacy and parent carer forum(s) in order to address concerns raised throughout this process in relation to pre-engagement with parent carers to support engagement and contribution to service redesign and improvement be endorsed;

i)     the intention for the Council's commissioners to work with the providers of overnight short break services to remodel the way services are provided in order to meet needs now and in the future and ensure maximum value for money, by exploring options and implementing improvements where appropriate be endorsed; and

j)     it be noted that financial savings are still required and that to the extent that any future proposals for service change require formal consultation with relevant stakeholders, a further report will be brought back to Cabinet at a future date as required to authorise consultation on such proposals.