A group of parents has joined Cumbria County Council and Cumbria Primary Care Trust (PCT) to help design short break services for disabled children in the county.
The 11 parents will sit on a group that includes county council and PCT officers who provide the current services for disabled children, community nurses and members of the local NHS Trust.
They will be looking at ways that more flexible and a broader range of services can be provided alongside some of the more traditional services. This will give more choice, and enable services to better individual needs of children and families. The areas they will be looking at include:
- better use of leisure and youth service facilities - these have offered only limited services for disabled children in the past
- working closely with new services that are developing in the county, such as children's centres and extended schools, to ensure that they include disabled children in their plans and
- developing more effective use of the services that already exist.
Over the past few months, many parents have been consulted about short breaks via workshops, telephone interviews and questionnaires. Everybody who responded was invited to be part of this new group and help plan the future shape of services.
There have been two initial meetings, and in the second one the group heard about a local children's centre and how they can influence future developments to ensure that the needs of disabled children can be met. They also heard about possible new ways of providing services in the county.
As part of their role the parents on the group will act as contact points for other parents, who will be able to get in touch with them to find out what is being discussed and give their own comments, views and suggestions.
Joan Lightfoot is Cumbria County Council's Service Manager for Children with Disabilities. She said:
"Often, the easiest people for parents with disabled children to talk to are other parents in the same situation. With this in mind, as well as giving us their own views on how services should develop we believe the parents on the group have a vital role to play in collecting the views of others in their situation.
"We will ensure that we keep everyone informed about developments, and will continue to seek views throughout the process.
"One of our next steps is going to be to find out from children an young people what it is that they want."
The next meeting of the planning group will be on 18 May.
Any parent wishing to get in touch with the parent representatives on the group can call Susan Campion on (01228) 607084, email susan.campion@cumbriacc.gov.uk
Kathleen Kenyon from Barrow is one of the parents on the group. She said:
"I attended the group to be able to give my views and opinions of what we may need to help the children in local areas, to get other people's views and opinions together to be able to come to some sort of agreement that will help children with disabilities and their families."
D Raynor is a parent on the group from Whitehaven:
"I joined because I wanted to be involved in what is my child's future - and my family's future, as the respite is so important to us as a family unit. I think it's nice to know first hand what is going to happen."
Heather Young is a member of the group. She is the mother of a children with severe nursing and physical and learning difficulties and lives in the South Lakes:
"I am hoping to put my views across and be the voice of other parents so we have an input in the changes that are needed to develop a service that meets the needs of both children and their families."
Kerryanne Hunter is on the group; she lives in Eden. She said:
"I decided to become part of this process so that I could help in making facilities and information regarding services for children with disabilities and learning difficulties more widely accessible throughout Cumbria than they are at present."
ENDS
Further information from Alison Lister, Media Team, on (01228) 606335