Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]

I warmly welcome the joint announcement made by the Minister and the Minister for Care Services on Monday to launch the start of an intended transformation of short-break services to disabled children and their families. I also thank the Minister for writing to me on Monday. The financial commitment that the Government have made so that local authorities and health agencies can substantially improve short-break services for disabled children and their families over the coming years is truly significant. The additional funding provided by the Department of Health demonstrates a commitment to a joint approach that has long been needed. However, this is only the first step on a long journey. The year 2011 will be with us in the blink of an eye and there is no guarantee that this funding will continue after that date at the same level or, indeed, at all. What is certain, however, is that families with disabled children in 2012 and 2013 will have just as great a need of short-break services as families do today. At Second Reading, I referred to the legal opinion prepared on behalf of the Every Disabled Child Matters campaign that suggested that the right to short breaks already exists in law. I hope that the Minister will now be in a position to clarify the legal position. If what the opinion states is not the case, I hope that he will have reconsidered his opposition to a new legislative requirement on local authorities to provide a minimum level of service to families in the greatest need, a duty that this amendment seeks to establish. The need for short-break services does not go away once the child moves into adulthood and out of the childcare system. Parents and carers of adults with learning disabilities continue to struggle without regular support. This needs to be given priority and financial commitment. I realise that this is outside the remit of the Bill, but it is an important issue for the Government to take on board. Providing short-break services is an issue close to my heart. I first introduced the Disabled Persons and Carers (Short-term Breaks) Bill in your Lordships’ House 12 years ago. The issue has not, and will not, go away. After all this time, we are ready for change. We must fill this gap and ensure that legislation includes an entitlement to short-break provision for those children, adults and families who need it.