Issue - meetings

·        That the Joint Strategic Review of Short Breaks for children and young people with disabilities be endorsed.

·        That the options for consultation be approved.

Reason for decisions

To enable recommendations to be considered by Cabinet on 27 May 2014 based on a comprehensive consultation process in February and March 2014.]

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Children and Education Select Committee]

The Joint Strategic Review of Short Breaks is a joint project between Surrey County Council and NHS Guildford and Waverley Clinical Commissioning Group on behalf of Surrey Clinical Commissioning Groups. The scope of the Review was to look at the provision of short breaks for children and young people with disabilities in Surrey, including;

·        Funding and provision of short breaks for Children and young people with disabilities  in Surrey:

·        Residential services at the Beeches and Applewood;

·        Other  residential services in Surrey and out of county;

·        Community based services;

·        Value for money from services commissioned in all settings.

The Review had focused on options for the future use and funding of Applewood (Surrey County Council) and Beeches (NHS) as other areas of residential short break services had been found to be working well.

The Cabinet Associate for Children, Schools and Families drew attention to the Equalities Impact Assessment which had been completed and set out those groups that might be affected and what this impact might be. Surrey County Council’s Children’s Services spent over £8million every year on short breaks in fulfilment of its statutory duty and Surrey Clinical Commissioning Groups spent £1.3million a year. Surrey invests significantly more in short break provision than many other local authorities and was committed to its priority in this area. Stakeholders had been in touch, including the Chair of Surrey Mencap, and the points raised would be addressed as part of the consultation and responded to.

RESOLVED:

1.         That the Joint Strategic Review of Short Breaks for children and young people with disabilities be endorsed.

2.         That the options for consultation be approved.

Reason for decisions

To enable recommendations to be considered by Cabinet on 27 May 2014 based on a comprehensive consultation process in February and March 2014.