Mother’s plea for county council to reconsider integrated disability service cut

Rebecca Page’s daughter Aleisha, aged ten, has severe non-verbal autism and requires full-time care.

The Priors Marston resident is gravely concerned about Warwickshire County Council’s plans to cut £1.7 million from its integrated disability service budget, which she says will reduce the vital short break services provided to her daughter.

Mrs Page has written to the council’s leader Cllr Izzy Seccombe asking what she can do to “mitigate an on-going nightmare for families” in the same situation. She said: “Up until now the assessment and services Aleisha has received have allowed us to continue caring for her in her home and, while her short break service has been minimal, it has helped us function as a family - albeit a family under siege.

“Like many others in the county, our daughter suffers from the kind of disability that requires everything to revolve around her needs.

“In essence her disability is our disability and our finances, physical, mental and emotional health are all negatively impacted.

“Naturally this in turn impacts on our ability to meet the daily and hourly challenge of protecting her and ourselves from her aggressive behaviour - providing one to one and sometimes two to one attention and stimulation to minimise her frustration while helping her to painfully learn new skills and develop some independence that will make her easier to care for as a full-grown adult.”

Aleisha can currently attend 11 play scheme days per year, 24 Saturday clubs annually and some overnight short breaks for which she is on the waiting list.

All of this amounts to 140 hours at a cost of £15 per hour, or £2,100 annually.

Using the proposed eligibility criteria, Mrs Page has calculated that under the proposed cuts these hours will be reduced by 44 to 96.

She has also provided a case study which outlines the extent of Aleisha’s disability and the financial, physical and emotional burden it has on the whole family.

A council spokesman has said: “Proposals to redesign the social care and short break parts of the service were subject to public consultation earlier this year and further consultation into the revised eligibility criteria has just concluded.

“These proposals put forward a framework to better assess the needs of children and families so the appropriate level of support can be provided and those in greatest need can be prioritised.

“The council has a duty to provide short breaks and these will continue to be offered based on assessed requirements. No changes will be made to services currently provided until all individual circumstances have been reviewed.”

No decision will be made on the proposals until December 12.

Cllr Seccombe will personally respond to Mrs Page’s letter.