MP sponsors Bill to help disabled children and their families
Mike Hancock, MP (Lib Dem – Portsmouth South) has sponsored a Bill in Parliament that if passed would place a new duty on local authorities to assess disabled children and provide short breaks. The “ten minute rule” bill proposed by Ed Balls, MP for Normanton was co-sponsored by Mike Hancock and would give disabled children and their families better services, including short breaks.
Ten Minute Rule Bills do not normally become law but they are an opportunity for MPs to raise issues of concern.
The Bill would make it clear in law for the first time that local authorities must assess disabled children and provide them with a range of services including short breaks/respite care where these are assessed as necessary.
Mike Hancock said: “I was pleased to support this Bill. I hope the Government will now take on board the issues raised in it and give it Government support and Parliamentary time. Equally important is increased funding for local authorities to meet the needs of families of disabled children. Thousands of parents care for their disabled children with great love and devotion, but we owe it to them to ensure that respite care is available to them so that they can take a break and recharge their batteries. Without respite care, they can unfortunately reach breaking point due to the stresses and strain caring for a disabled child brings. Such legislation was a manifesto commitment by the Labour Government so many people will now be looking for them to implement it and I will be pushing them to do so.”
Jo Williams, Chief Executive of Mencap said: “Without short breaks, many families of children with severe or profound learning disabilities face crisis. This Bill supports Mencap’s Breaking Point campaign and could make a real difference.”
Francis Bates, Chief Executive of Contact a Family said: “This radical Bill would encourage parents to ask for assessments to get the services and support they so badly need. It is great that MPs across the parties are backing the Bill.”
Notes:
In the absence of regular short-term breaks (“respite care”), parents’ relationships can come under intense strain. Eight out of ten families are at breaking point according to Mencap (2003 survey of the families of severely disabled children). Six out of ten of those with the greatest need were getting no or very few breaks. Of those who managed to get on a waiting list, a further six out of ten had been waiting at least six months. There are currently 3,000 children on waiting lists for family based short breaks/respite care and 91% of Shared Care Schemes now have a waiting list. Three out of ten children wait more than a year.
Of British children, 770,000 (7%) have disability or limiting long-standing illness, while the number of those with profound disabilities is rising as more children who would have died early in life are saved by medical advances. Since 1975 there has been a 62% increase in the numbers of disabled children.
The main reason why disabled children and their families lack support and services is their lack of entitlement in law, and the piecemeal development of such legislation as exists. For example, standard 8 of the National Service Framework, which sets out how disabled children and their families should have their needs assessed and met, is not mandatory. No resources flow from it and the Department of Health has not issued directions to Primary Care Trusts that the needs of disabled children must be met. Equally community care, disability and children’s legislation have developed on a piecemeal basis over the last 50 years and this has led to anomalies with regard to disabled children.
The Bill would make three radical changes to the current situation: 1) Give disabled children the right to a local authority assessment and to receive services. 2) Give disabled children and their families a right to short breaks/respite care accommodation. 3) Require NHS bodies to work co-operatively with local authorities to promote health and welfare of disabled children.
