Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that short break services commissioned by local authorities provide adequate (a) support and (b) flexibility for parents with a seriously ill child.

We recognise that short breaks services for disabled children are vital and we very much recognise the need for this provision. Section 17(11) of the Children Act 1989 sets out the meaning of “disabled” and includes children who are “substantially and permanently handicapped by illness” which can include life threatening or terminal illnesses.

The government made local authority provision of short breaks compulsory in 2011. In performing their duty under paragraph 6(1)(c) of Schedule 2 to the Children Act 1989, a local authority must provide, so far as is reasonably practicable, a range of services which is sufficient to assist carers to continue to provide care or to do so more effectively. The published guidance ‘Short Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children’ provides local authorities with information on their duties. This guidance is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/245580/Short_Breaks_for_Carers_of_Disabled_Children.pdf.

Between 2011-2015 the government provided over £800 million to help local authorities implement the 2011 Short Breaks duties. Ongoing funding now rests with local authorities, and it is right that they have the freedom to make decisions based on the needs of their local area which allows them to prioritise the most vulnerable. This is deliberately flexible to enable local authorities to meet the needs of parents and carers.

The government has confirmed an additional £1 billion grant for adult and children’s social care for every year of this parliament. This is in addition to the continuation of existing social care grants.