Have your say on Services for Children with Disabilities in Lambeth

Purpose / Background

The purpose of this consultation is to help us better understand what it is like for families caring for a child or children with disabilities in Lambeth, post-pandemic and to ensure fairness and openness when deciding who will access our specialist Children with Disabilities Service.  In order to do this, the consultation asks questions about your experience as a parent / carer of a child(ren) with disabilities. This consultation will also help us to make better decisions about the providers we commission to deliver the support that families need. 

We are proposing to review short breaks, home care, direct payments, continuing care and the support offered during transition to adulthoods, and how we deliver these to ensure they are still fit to meet the needs of children and families in Lambeth. 

The last time we consulted on the levels of need and on short breaks was before the Covid pandemic.  Lockdown impacted on all of our families in Lambeth and we know that we need to reshape our services to meet their needs. 

Lambeth Children’s Social Care uses the Pan London Continuum of Need and Continuum of Need Matrix to decide who needs a service from them. However, this does not help to decide whether or not children with disabilities need the help of the specialist Children with Disabilities Service (CWD). A document is being drafted and we would like you to help us develop it.  

'What do we mean by a child with disabilities?'

The law says this: 

The Children Act 1989 (Section 17) states the local authority should recognise a child in need if:  

a) s/he is unlikely to achieve or maintain, or have the opportunity of achieving or maintaining, a  reasonable standard of health or development without the provision of services by a local authority under this Part;  

b) her/his health or development is likely to be significantly impaired, or, further impaired, without the provision of such services; 

c) s/he is disabled  

The Equalities Act 2010 says that a person has a disability if: ‘They have a physical or mental impairment and the impact has a substantial and long term adverse effect on their ability to perform normal day to day activities. ‘  

When the consultation ends

After the consultation closes, we will summarise all the findings and tell you what we will do next and how this may affect you and your family.

Useful information links:

• Children with Disabilities short breaks for SEND children
• Children with Disabilities Service
• https://www.lambeth.gov.uk/lambeths-send-local-offer/im-parent-or-carer/health-social-care/cwd-short-breaks-send-children

For parents and carers of disabilities there are some independent peer support forums and carers’ hub: 

• Lambeth Parent Forum
• Contact Lambeth
• Carers Hub