‘Serious concerns’ raised over children’s respite services in Newry
SDLP South Down MLA Sinead Bradley has expressed serious concerns that children’s respite services at Carrickore have all but stopped for many children and families in need.
Speaking to Newry Times, Bradley said, “Following a meeting with the Southern Health Trust it has been confirmed that the facilities at Carrickore are under pressure.
“The difficulty appears to arise when the routine short term temporary respite services offered to many young people are withdrawn to accommodate a limited number of children who temporarily require exclusive use of the facility. The two offerings cannot be accommodated simultaneously.”
Article continues below:
The SDLP representative continued, “The recognised needs of all children must be catered for by the Trust. If it has been established that the flow of service does not function under such circumstances, then the problem must be addressed. It is simply not good enough to conclude that some children and families will not receive the assistance they need.”
Bradley, who has liaised with families in need, said, “When speaking to families who are dependent on Carrickore for respite services it quickly becomes apparent just how reliant these children and families are on the strong need for daily and weekly routine. I am aware that in some cases parents are receiving as little as 24 hours notice that respite care is available.
“Parents have rightly expressed their concern that the uncertainty and instability of service adds to the challenges they face on a daily basis and such short notice significantly reduces the value of the offering as families cannot rely on it for planning purposes.”
Article continues below:
Bradley added, “Following discussion with the Trust I am satisfied that some efforts are being made to deal with short term family needs. I will continue to work with the Trust to establish a way forward that will safeguard services for all children in need.”
Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=60664
Posted by Newry Times News
on Jun 23 2017. Filed under Community, Politics.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
