Dear Parent/Carer

Re: SHORT BREAKS REVIEW

You may be aware that a review of the Short Break services for disabled children and young people has recently been undertaken.

The local authority has to ensure that there is a range of high quality short break opportunities, providing positive life experiences for disabled children and young people, as well as providing a break for their parents and carers and we would therefore like to share the proposals in this report with you which reflect our intentions in this respect. The report is attached for your information. You will note from the summary that the proposed direction for Short Breaks services going forward is :-

·  To focus Specialist Short Breaks on those in greatest need,

·  To offer Personal Budgets to enable greater choice and control for parents/ carers and service users

·  To improve support and training for mainstream provision, ensuring a good quality Short Break option where appropriate

Bromley’s processes require that Council Members are informed of the recommendations contained within the review and, when they have had an opportunity to comment, those proposals may then go out to formal consultation with interested parties.

However, before the review is presented to Members we do wish to offer you the opportunity to comment on the general principles as noted above and we have arranged a number of meeting dates, times and venues to enable you to give feedback as follows:-

Riverside School, Beckenham / Tuesday / 9 July / 11.30am – 1.00pm
Marjorie McClure School / Thursday / 11 July / 9.00am – 10.00am
Hawes Down Centre, West Wickham / Thursday / 11 July / 12.00 midday – 2.00pm
The Link Youth Centre, Orpington / Thursday / 11 July / 4.15pm – 6.00pm
The Link Youth Centre, Orpington / Thursday / 11 July / 6.30 – 8.00pm
The Link Youth Centre, Orpington / Friday / 12 July / 6.30pm – 8.00pm
Hawes Down Centre, West Wickham / Monday / 15 July / 9.30am – 11.00am
Riverside School, Orpington / Wednesday / 17 July / 12.00midday– 1.30pm

NB. Dates and times at the Link Youth Centre coincide with CASPA sessions at the same venue

There is no parking on the school site at Riverside, Orpington for this meeting time

If you would like to attend any of these meetings we would be grateful if you would let us know, via e mail to at your earliest convenience.

If you wish to provide written comments please send these to the same e mail address:-

Advocacy for All is preparing an ‘easy read’ version of the review which will be available shortly and we have invited Bromley’s Young Advisors to also give their views on these proposals prior to reporting to Members.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Hilary Rogers Mark Smith

Service Manager (Joint Commissioning) Service Manager (Disabled Children’s

Team)

Kay Moore

Parent Participation Officer