20th March 2014

• We have been asked to publish the following statement by Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust:

  “We are all aware of the severe budget challenges that Sheffield City Council has faced since 2010, and continues to face. By 2016, the Council’s funding will have been cut by 50%.

  Services for disabled children have been fully protected from the cuts that have affected other areas of the council, but as we face continued budget cuts, it is clear that children’s services can no longer be awarded the protection they have received in the past. In addition, the Government produced recommendations in the Children and Families Bill which also have implications for this service area.

  Sheffield has a broad spectrum of short break and respite services provided by the local authority and health, ranging from the Short Breaks Grant through to Residential Respite Care, and the demand for short breaks has continued to increase over the years.

  It is now time to work together to consider our current service delivery and ways to continue to deliver the services and the quality we want, whilst still meeting the forthcoming financial challenges ahead.

  As parents and carers of disabled children and young people, you are the “experts” on the services you receive, so we would like to hear your thoughts about our range of Short Break and Respite services across the city, take your views on the current model of delivery, and importantly, hear any suggestions you have about how we might do things differently to help us to continue to support families, while also meeting the financial challenges we face. To begin this consultation, we would like to invite you to one of the three events to take place at the Town Hall on:

  Friday 4th April: 10.30am–1pm (10am sign-in & refreshments)
  Saturday 5th April:  10.30am–1pm (10am sign-in & refreshments)
  Monday 7th April:  7–9.30pm (6.30pm sign-in & refreshments)

  Kind regards
  Jackie Drayton, Jayne Ludlam, Simon Morritt”

  For more information and a booking form, please visit the council website.