Asked by: Baroness Bertin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the 2011 report by Together for Disabled Children on the impact of short break programmes for disabled children.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The 2011 report by ‘Together for Disabled Children’ was published under the previous coalition government. The findings from the report, and response at the time, are publicly available and attached.
In 2011, the findings of the report supported the introduction of a local authority duty to provide a range of short break services. Between April 2011 and March 2015, £800 million was made available via grants to support local authorities in meeting these new duties. In addition, £80 million of capital funding to support new projects.
The government maintains that short breaks provide opportunities for disabled children and young people to have an enjoyable experience, which help them become more independent and form friendships outside their family. They give parents and carers time to do normal activities that other families take for granted, like doing the shopping or going for a run.
Since 2011, under the statutory duty, local authorities are required to provide a range of short breaks services. This shows the available services and how they can be accessed, including any eligibility criteria. Local authorities must also demonstrate how they are responding to the needs of local carers.
Local authorities must consider the needs of local parents and carers when preparing their statements, reviewing them on a regular basis, as well as monitoring the impact of funding decisions from year to year.
While responsibility for funding short breaks rests with local authorities, the department has offered support to help ensure statutory requirements are met. We have funded innovative grants that promote best practice for delivering services and continue to consider how we can best support local authorities who are working to deliver sustainable short breaks provision.
Asked by: Baroness Bertin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the estimate by the Local Government Association that there will be a £2 billion funding gap in children’s social care by 2019–20.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Local authorities increased spending on children and young people’s services to £9.2 billion in 2016-17. The government provides funding annually for children’s services through the general, ‘Local Government Finance Settlement’ approved by Parliament. Children’s services funding is not ring-fenced within the wider settlement.
The Local Government Association’s analysis is based on changes to elements of local government funding that can be spent on children’s services (including core council tax, locally retained business rates, the Revenue Support Grant and the Education Services Grant). It also includes a potential increase in demand for services arising from population trends and inflation.
The government recognises the role that councils play in providing services such as children’s social care. Local authorities in England will have access to more than £200 billion to deliver these services between 2015-16 and 2019-20. This year’s finance settlement for local government will see a real term increase in resources available to councils, from £44.3 billion in 2017-18 to £45.6 billion in 2019-20. Local authorities will have two years of real term increases in resources.
To help the children’s social care sector innovate and re-design service delivery to achieve higher quality and better value for money, the department has invested £200 million since 2014 in our ‘Innovation Programme’ and ‘Partners in Practice Programme’. As part of this, the department has committed £20 million to provide additional support to local authorities where the risk of service failure is highest.
Asked by: Baroness Bertin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the 2014 report published by the British Healthcare Trades Association on the economic benefits of improved provision of equipment for disabled and terminally ill children.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The report by the British Healthcare Trades Association concluded that the costs of medical care would be significantly reduced through more effective provision of equipment, and the National Health Service is continually seeking to improve equipment provision and use. NHS England is leading work to improve wheelchair commissioning and posture services through the development and dissemination of its wheelchair service specification and by working with commissioners to eliminate 18 week waits for wheelchairs by the end of 2018/19. Since 2016, the Department has funded sports activity prostheses for children who have suffered limb loss or congenital limb deficiency.
Asked by: Baroness Bertin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that local authorities are transparent when setting and implementing eligibility criteria for providing short breaks for families with disabled children.
Answered by Lord Nash
Since 2011, local authorities have been under a duty to provide a range of short breaks services and to publish a local Short Breaks Duty Statement showing what services are available, how they are responding to the needs of local parents and carers, and how short breaks can be accessed, including any eligibility criteria. Local authorities are required to consult with local parents and carers while producing this statement. Local authorities are responsible for funding this short breaks provision.
60% of local authorities who responded to a survey on the implementation of the SEND reforms in May 2016 said they planned to spend the same on short breaks provision in 2016-17 as they did in 2015-16, with 11% planning on spending more. 73% said they had consulted families on any planned changes to short breaks services. The Government is able to oversee how much local authorities have spent on short breaks provision through authorities’ annual section 251 returns. This information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/section-251-2016-to-2017
The Department offers support and challenge to local authorities to help make sure they meet all of their statutory requirements on SEND, and that quality of provision continues to improve. There are also opportunities through the new Ofsted/Care Quality Commission SEND inspections framework for local areas to consider how well they are providing for the education, health and care needs of those with SEND, including their need for short breaks services.
Between April 2015 and March 2016, we awarded £250,555 to the Short Breaks Partnership (a consortium made up of Contact a Family, the Council for Disabled Children, Action for Children, and KIDS) to provide information and advice to those involved in designing, commissioning, providing, and taking up short breaks for disabled children.
Asked by: Baroness Bertin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the obligations set out in the Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2011 are currently being met by local authorities; and if not, what action they plan to take.
Answered by Lord Nash
Since 2011, local authorities have been under a duty to provide a range of short breaks services and to publish a local Short Breaks Duty Statement showing what services are available, how they are responding to the needs of local parents and carers, and how short breaks can be accessed, including any eligibility criteria. Local authorities are required to consult with local parents and carers while producing this statement. Local authorities are responsible for funding this short breaks provision.
60% of local authorities who responded to a survey on the implementation of the SEND reforms in May 2016 said they planned to spend the same on short breaks provision in 2016-17 as they did in 2015-16, with 11% planning on spending more. 73% said they had consulted families on any planned changes to short breaks services. The Government is able to oversee how much local authorities have spent on short breaks provision through authorities’ annual section 251 returns. This information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/section-251-2016-to-2017
The Department offers support and challenge to local authorities to help make sure they meet all of their statutory requirements on SEND, and that quality of provision continues to improve. There are also opportunities through the new Ofsted/Care Quality Commission SEND inspections framework for local areas to consider how well they are providing for the education, health and care needs of those with SEND, including their need for short breaks services.
Between April 2015 and March 2016, we awarded £250,555 to the Short Breaks Partnership (a consortium made up of Contact a Family, the Council for Disabled Children, Action for Children, and KIDS) to provide information and advice to those involved in designing, commissioning, providing, and taking up short breaks for disabled children.
Asked by: Baroness Bertin (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to support the provision by children's services of short breaks for families with disabled children.
Answered by Lord Nash
Since 2011, local authorities have been under a duty to provide a range of short breaks services and to publish a local Short Breaks Duty Statement showing what services are available, how they are responding to the needs of local parents and carers, and how short breaks can be accessed, including any eligibility criteria. Local authorities are required to consult with local parents and carers while producing this statement. Local authorities are responsible for funding this short breaks provision.
60% of local authorities who responded to a survey on the implementation of the SEND reforms in May 2016 said they planned to spend the same on short breaks provision in 2016-17 as they did in 2015-16, with 11% planning on spending more. 73% said they had consulted families on any planned changes to short breaks services. The Government is able to oversee how much local authorities have spent on short breaks provision through authorities’ annual section 251 returns. This information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/section-251-2016-to-2017
The Department offers support and challenge to local authorities to help make sure they meet all of their statutory requirements on SEND, and that quality of provision continues to improve. There are also opportunities through the new Ofsted/Care Quality Commission SEND inspections framework for local areas to consider how well they are providing for the education, health and care needs of those with SEND, including their need for short breaks services.
Between April 2015 and March 2016, we awarded £250,555 to the Short Breaks Partnership (a consortium made up of Contact a Family, the Council for Disabled Children, Action for Children, and KIDS) to provide information and advice to those involved in designing, commissioning, providing, and taking up short breaks for disabled children.