Short Breaks Team Update

28th February 2024

Cheshire East Parent Carer Forum have been asked to share the following update from the Short Breaks Team at Cheshire East and their upcoming merge into the Family Hubs.

"Following consultation, a decision has been made to merge the short breaks family support team into the family hubs family help structure. The short breaks team currently pick up the early help support for all children with disabilities. The volume of requests for assessment and support for children with disabilities and their families has increased over time leading to large caseloads and delays in the timeliness of annual reviews. Merging the teams together will not only increase the capacity to assess and review early help support for children with disabilities, ensuring families are getting the right help at the right time but also ensure we have an inclusive offer for all children being supported at this early help level.

The merge will embed the family hub principle of inclusion being the golden thread throughout all services, utilising the skills of all family help workers and managers across the local authority in supporting all children and families including children with disabilities to get the right support at the right time within their local community and reduce duplication.

The short breaks team will become family help workers with a disability specialism within the family help service, providing training and case work support to the wider workforce.

The merge will happen on the 1st April and families currently case managed by the short breaks team will be kept informed over the next few weeks and supported through the transition.

We have also initiated a review of the whole offer around children with disabilities and will be factoring the consultation feedback regarding EHIPs into this. This is being led by the Programme lead for Strong Start, adults, health and integration."

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