CS001 - Review of Residential Short Breaks Provision for Children with Disabilities

Overview

Outline of Proposal

Bridgefold Lodge offers short breaks to children with disabilities and their families.  However, demand for this service is reducing; thereby increasing the running costs.  It is proposed to reduce the allocated budget and develop a short break offer that is responsive to the needs of children with disabilities and their families within the level of resources available and offers value for money. 

This would be the development of a delivery model that meets the council’s statutory short break offer and is based on exploring the following options;

Work in partnership with another local authority to offer a combined short break service across both local authority boundaries with revised staffing arrangements; 

Retain the service in its current form, reviewing levels of opening, staffing ratios and shift patterns to respond to current levels of need and achieve required level of savings.

Work in partnership with parents/carers to develop the ‘local private and voluntary sector market’ to maximise the use of personal budgets; with a view to providing an alternative short break service offer that is flexible and responsive.

These options would need a full options appraisal and consultation with all stakeholders and service users.

General Impact

The impact from this proposal is a risk that the full cost reduction may not be achieved in 15/16 due to the need to follow due process and explore all possible options

Impact on Service Users

It is not expected there will be a detrimental impact on service users, who will be fully engaged in the process of the review. This proposal does not influence decision making which are made in the best interests of individual children/young people.

There may be positive impacts for children and young people if they are able to remain supported in their families and prevented from entering the care system.

Savings Total:  
£150,000 on-going saving in 2015/16
£50,000 on-going saving in 2016/17

The Council is assessing the potential equality impact which the proposals may have and are undertaking full Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) where this is appropriate.The EIAs are draft working documents which are to be developed over time.

This means that as further detail becomes available through the consultation process the EIAs will be updated and finalised before a final decision is reached.

You can find the full proposal document, which includes the Equality Impact Assessment, below in the related documents section.