Disabled children's service hit by Cornwall Council cuts
A service which provides help for parents of disabled children is to be scaled down after losing financial support from Cornwall Council.
Cornwall Face 2 Face is a free and confidential service, run by the disability charity Scope and provided by trained parent befrienders. These are parents who have experience of a disabled child with an impairment or additional need. Befrienders provide emotional support to other parents of disabled children at the time of diagnosis, at times of change or difficulty.
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Cornwall Council has decided to end their part of the funding for this service on 31 March 2013 and are consulting with families and reviewing the services they commission. However, Scope will continue to offer a smaller service from April with a grant awarded by the People's Health Trust.
Jane Jones, Cornwall Face 2 Face service manager for Scope, said:
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"It's tough to be a parent of a disabled child. But some of the best advice you can get is from people who have been through the same experience. Our Face 2 Face befriending network is based on that principle. We know it makes a huge difference to the lives of parents at a critical time.
"The service is part funded by the council, and that funding is unfortunately coming to an end. I'd like to reassure parents that we will continue to run Face 2 Face in Cornwall. But the council's decision means that we will have less money and resources to support and train parents to help other parents.
"We are doing everything we can to keep things the same, but it's inevitable that we won't be able to do everything we are currently doing."
Scope says that it has more than 60 befrienders across the county, who can offer one-to-one befriending or support through the popular OASIS groups, where parents and carers can drop in for a cup of tea and a chat. The charity also provides the opportunity for parents to train as befrienders and as trainers to help deliver training through its Association of Parent Trainers.
In addition to the core Face 2 Face befriending service, the schemes provide information and signposting to parents and professionals on a range of disability services and issues.
Scope has secured one-year funding for Face 2 Face in Cornwall through a grant from People's Health Trust, using money raised by HealthPerfect through The Health Lottery.
3 Comments
by schar
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 6:33AM
“So the council agree with councillor brewer Re: disabled children ? Is there thinking reduce services and they will move from our area? Vile, offensive and completely outrageous. Sack them all .. The council, that is.”
by josdave
Monday, February 25 2013, 11:21AM
“This is yet another example, and they are coming at us every day, of those who had nothing to do with the economic crisis shouldering the burden of the cuts while those who caused it are still living the high life at our expense. We're all in it together? Don't make me laugh Cameron.”
by toffer99
Saturday, February 23 2013, 3:00PM
“Expect no Public Services to survive the next few years. All that will remain is a couple of committees of a rump Cornwall Council deciding on planning permissions and the price of car parking.
Everything else will be gone or run by semi-corrupt or incompetent private companies, who will do as little as possible for as high a charge as they can extort from the public.
If you voted Tory, or like me, Lib Dem then you did this. Put it right next time, please.”