Hello all,
Thought some of you might be interested to know that KatieMumsnet and I met up with the people from Every Disabled Child Matters this week to talk about next steps for the respite campaign, as well as the government's [[www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/CM%208027
Green Paper on special educational needs]], which was released this week (already being discussed here and here).
EDCM told us that they've already had responses from about 50 councils on the respite campaign, and others are still coming in. We're aiming to release the results of the survey in early April. If you haven't already done so, do please email your local authority to ask what they'll be doing to fund respite care. We'd love to get a response from every local authority, but we can only do that if they all get emails!
It would also be really useful if you could use this thread to post up your own recent experiences in accessing (or trying to access) respite care. Local authority budgets are very complex, so one of the most useful things we can do is provide on-the-ground testimony from families using these services. Are you seeing improvements in your area, or are things getting worse (or just staying the same)? How is your situation compared with how it was this time last year? These questions will be particularly relevant from April onwards, as local authorities implement their new budget plans.
On the Green Paper, EDCM's response is here. Do please post here or on the other active threads letting us know what you think.
Thanks,
MNHQ x