Fighting for a Legal Right to Short Break Care for Families with Disabled Children

ASBAH is backing the Every Disabled Child Matters campaign for the introduction of a Bill that would introduce a specific duty on local authorities to provide appropriate short breaks for families with disabled children who provide a high level of care. The Disabled Children (Family Support) Bill 2007 applies to England and Wales.

The need for legislation
Regular, reliable and appropriate short breaks are the key service priority for families with disabled children. The report from the Parliamentary Hearings on services for disabled children states that ‘the lack of short breaks was the biggest single cause of unhappiness with service provision’ in submissions from parents to the hearings.

Short breaks are an essential service. They can be provided in a variety of ways, within the family home, through accessing community facilities or by the child staying overnight with another family or in a residential setting. Families who get breaks describe them as essential in helping them to continue caring.

The Disabled Children (Family Support) Bill 2007 remedies this gap in the legal framework for families with disabled children. Following an assessment under the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000, it imposes a specific duty on local authorities to provide short breaks for families who provide a substantial level of care on a regular basis.

Every Disabled Child Matters campaign, run by four national organisations working with disabled children – Contact a Family, the Council for Disabled Children, Mencap and the Special Education Consortium. ASBAH is a member of the Council for Disabled Children and the Special Education Consortium.

To help this campaign you can email your MP directly from the Every Disabled Child Matters website to ask for their support for the Bill www.edcm.org.uk/righttobreaks