PARENTS who saved a respite centre for severely disabled children from closure remain concerned for its future.
Families who, along with 4,000 petitioners, rescued Beeches bungalow in Reigate are now fighting for the abolition of a "discriminatory" Surrey County Council principle not to provide overnight respite to children under ten.
After repeated freedom of information requests over the past six months, Paul Placitelli, the parent leading the campaign, has discovered the council did not carry out a consultation or impact assessment into barring younger children from the service apart from in exceptional circumstances – despite, he says, previously telling him they had consulted. The council has said it did not consult because it is not a firm "policy".
"My concern is still there," said Mr Placitelli, from Horley, whose disabled son James began staying at the Oak Road facility when he was five – before the under-ten rule came in. "Not just for Beeches, but for parents as well who are not able to access it because their disabled child is under ten.
"If the council had said 'we have had a proper consultation, these are our findings' and produced the evidence, we would say fair enough. But they hadn't done that, and to say they had was underhand."
Campaigners argue respite provides a crucial break to allow them to function, and younger children should not be excluded. They also believe the under-ten principal was a key reason why service provider NHS Surrey decided to axe Beeches last year, citing the fact the centre is underused. Beeches was saved at the 11th hour last year after an investigation by parents revealed the NHS had failed in its duty to consult them, and a campaign petition was signed by more than 4,000 people. However, families fear Surrey County Council – which is responsible for referring children to the service – may still engineer its closure and claim desperate parents are still not being offered respite for their children at Beeches.
The council has now promised a full review, together with the NHS, into the provision of short break care.
"We have not gone away," said Mr Placitelli. "We want to see if they live up to their promise of proper consultation.
"They have said they want all the names of the parents who want this form of respite so we hope they live up to their word, and make sure they abolish this under-ten policy."
