ACCESS TO SHORT BREAKS

Motion Text

That this House believes that children who have multiple disabilities and complex health needs and their families have a need for short breaks either in the family home or in specialist residential settings; recognises the intense pressure placed on so many families who provide 24 hour care to children and young people with multiple disabilities; urges local authorities to ensure that such breaks are in adequate supply to meet the needs of the thousands of families and children who require such support; applauds the aims of the awareness campaign, Give us a Break!, set up by the Children's Trust, Tadworth, to highlight the need for short breaks in the UK; is encouraged by the reference to the need for short breaks in the recent National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services; and calls on the Government to fully consider how such breaks should be funded in the future.