Disabled Children’s Partnership calls for Government to close funding gap for social care services for disabled children
Following Chancellor Philip Hammond’s recent Budget to Parliament, Stephen Kingdom, Campaign Manager for the Disabled Children’s Partnership, has responded, highlighting that it was a missed opportunity to address the crisis in health and social care services for disabled children.
Stephen said: “The Budget included welcome additional funding for social care. But it was a missed opportunity to address the crisis in social care services for disabled children.
“Our research identified a £434 million funding gap for these services. It is essential that the Government uses next year’s spending review to close this gap and to create an early intervention and family resilience fund as set out in our Five Step Plan.”
The Disabled Children’s Partnership’s Five Step Plan is part of the organisation’s Secret Life of Us campaign which aims to make the Government aware of the lack of services available for disabled children and their families. It proposes five different actions to the Government which address this issue to ensure health and social care services work for disabled children and their families.
The five steps it proposes are:
1. Make disabled children a priority
This involves: “Providing ministerial leadership to ensure a cross-departmental approach to improving outcomes for disabled children and their families.”
2. Review current funding
This means: “Reviewing funding of short breaks provision for disabled children and families.”
3. Clarify existing rights
This means: “Clarifying current rights and entitlements by co-producing with families’ guidance for local authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups on their existing statutory obligations.”
4. Create a Fund
The Disabled Children’s Partnership wants the Government: “To improve health and social care services for disabled children by providing an early intervention and family resilience fund.”
5. Change the system
This involves: “Commissioning a review of health and social care law to strengthen and clarify rights and entitlements for disabled children and their families.”
A coalition of over 60 organisations, the Disabled Children’s Partnership campaigns for improved health and social care for disabled children, young people and their families.