Short Break

Hampshire County Council would like your views on proposals for Short Break Activities Programme changes

Hampshire County Council has opened a 12-week consultation, seeking people’s views on some proposed changes to its Short Break Activities Programme for children and young people with disabilities.

Councillor Patricia Stallard, Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services and Young People, commented:

The views of all Hampshire residents are important to us. We most especially want to make sure that those who could be directly affected by the proposed changes – children and young people with disabilities, those who care for them and Short Break Activity providers – are aware of this consultation and the opportunity to have their say.

Through the Short Break Activities Programme, parents and carers of children and young people with disabilities can take part in education, training courses and leisure pursuits; or take the chance to catch up on day-to-day tasks or other activities to meet the needs of other children in the family. Breaks are provided in the evenings, at weekends and during school holidays.

Residents’ feedback is being invited on a range of proposals for how the Short Break Activities Programme could operate after 31 March 2021. Some of the proposals could help The County Council’s Children’s Services Department to make annual savings of up to £696,000. Others are aimed at improving the Programme, while making the best use of available funding.

The proposals include:

• Reducing the overall grant for providing Short Break Activities;
• Only accepting funding applications that meet the core Short Break Activity priorities;
• Introducing a two-tier Gateway Card scheme
• Commissioning Short Break Activities through an external grant-giving body;
• And, redesigning the Community Buddy Scheme.

Specialist services provided for children with assessed social care needs are not included in this consultation.

Anyone who would like to take part in the consultation will have until 11:59 pm on Sunday 31 May 2020 to make their views known.
Before completing the response form, people are strongly encouraged to read the information pack which provides the background to, and details of, the proposals. Both the information pack and response form can be found online at www.hants.gov.uk/shortbreakconsultation

A number of information and drop-in events will be held across the Hampshire local authority area during the consultation period, and there will be two virtual sessions on Facebook Live. Dates, times and venues can be found on pages 6 and 7 of the consultation information pack and on the consultation web pages.


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