21 short break pathfinder areas announced
Education and Care Services Ministers Andrew Adonis and Ivan Lewis, today announced the start of a three-year transformation in short break services for disabled children. Twenty-one local areas will launch the first wave of a £370m investment for local authorities that will extend to all of England from 2009.
The 21 pathfinder authorities are:
Bradford, Bolton, Bournemouth-Dorset-Poole (joint pathfinder), Brighton,
Dudley, Derbyshire, Enfield, Gloucestershire,
Gateshead, Halton, Kent, North Yorkshire, North Tyneside, Nottinghamshire,
Norfolk, Sutton, Sunderland, Telford & Wrekin.
This major funding investment from Government will provide many more disabled children with enjoyable and valuable experiences away from their parents and carers. In turn parents and carers will have the well earned chance to take a break from caring.
To meet the needs of families the short breaks will vary in length from just a few hours to a weekend or week, with disabled children and young people being cared for in their own home or given opportunities to access activities and places in the wider community.
Evidence for the 'Aiming High for Disabled Children' review found that short breaks are seen as the highest priority service for families with disabled children. 'Aiming High' will deliver a total of £430 million plus to local authorities in new investment in disabled children's services during 2008-11 and additional funds to PCTs.
In the first year the majority of funding will be allocated to the 21 pathfinder areas with all other local authorities receiving an average of £50,000 to help them prepare to transform their short break services from 2009. In addition to this funding for local authorities, the Department of Health has also provided significant funding to PCTs to improve services for disabled children with complex health needs and those with life limiting conditions which require palliative care, over the same period and has identified short break services as a local priority for NHS services from 2008.
Christine Lenehan, Director of the Council for Disabled Children and Member of the Ministerial Implementation Group for Aiming High for Disabled Children, said: "These are truly significant sums of money which will give local authorities and their NHS partners every opportunity to provide the support that disabled children and their families need. It is essential that the funding is used to provide high quality breaks that give disabled children access to positive activities, as well as giving their families a break from caring."