Agenda item

Gillian Taylor addressed the Panel on the subject of Special Educational Needs, a summary of her statement is set out below.

She informed them that she was a mum of two children with SEN and wished to share her experiences regarding both of her children. She stated that she felt that SEN was in a national crisis and hoped that by telling her story some simple improvements could be made within B&NES.

She explained that her son was born with a metabolic condition called PKU and that he was now 19. She said that they were made aware from 8 days old that their son may have cognitive learning difficulties. She said that he struggled a lot in school and that they tried to get support and a diagnosis with little help.

She said that she was told that her son was ‘lazy’ and that she was an ‘anxious parent’. She added that after five years of seeking help and eventually winning a tribunal it was revealed that her son had severe processing problems – how had this been missed?

She stated that they had made an official complaint to B&NES and were promised that things would change in the future.

She informed the Panel that her son required CAMHs support due to the treatment at school and damage to his self-esteem. She added that this was despite multiple enquiries and refusals to be assessed.

She explained that her daughter, following another five year battle with the Local Authority and a tribunal, had finally been diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD at the age of 15. She added that again they won this tribunal.

She said that her son required 1:1 support in school, her daughter only needed the diagnosis and work printed on blue paper to support her learning – a simple remedy.

She stated that both her children’s reports were not passed on from schools to their respective colleges. She asked why B&NES would assess a child and then not share those findings. She added that this was surely a simple improvement that should be made.

She said that improvements need to be made to save time, money and stress on all sides and that more importantly it leads to better outcomes for those children with SEN.

She said that she felt that the attitude to SEN in B&NES’s schools was not good and neither was the communication. She added that had she been listened to, the cost of the tribunals (2 x £30,000) could have been avoided.

She said that she hoped her comments would give the Panel some ideas to work on and to improve things for the future.

Councillor Liz Hardman asked what were any immediate actions that she felt the Council could take.

Gillian Taylor replied that the thing that must improve is the communication and the sharing of reports with other relevant bodies. She added that so much money and time has been wasted.

Councillor Joanna Wright asked if she was aware of other parents that have had similar experiences.

Gillian Taylor replied that she knew of at least eight.

Councillor Wright asked if having a readily available information sheet would be helpful and could the Community & Wellbeing Hub have a role to play.

Gillian Taylor replied that this would help in terms of any general concerns or enquiries and that having information at the Hub could be of help. She added that the four teams within the Council need to work together more.

The Chair thanked her for her statement and asked that the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services be informed of it.

Wendy Lucas addressed the Panel on the subject of Newton House, a summary of her statement is set out below.

She said that over the past 28 years she had taken on many roles for her child as well as being a mother; Occupational Therapist, Carer, Teacher and Social Worker and had fought the system relentlessly. She added that her husband has also acted as a carer for their daughter for many years.

She explained to the Panel that her daughter has attended Newton House three times a week, every week, for the past ten years and said that the removal of this service would collapse their whole support plan.

She said that Newton House was the only short-term respite facility within B&NES, that the option of a facility in Minehead has been mentioned, but this would not work for them.

She said that one of the reasons that has been given for the potential closure is that the site is not meeting its costs, however we understand that it is only being utilised at 60% of its capacity and therefore could be used more to make up that deficit.

She stated that if Newton House were to close their family would not be able to continue their lives as they do now.

She said that it feels like the Adult Social Care system is broken and that families need good local care in place so that they can be safe, well and happy.

Councillor Hardman asked if an assessment of their daughter’s needs had been carried out and had any alternative provision yet been offered locally.

Wendy Lucas replied that a Duty Social Worker had visited them, but no local provision had yet been offered. She added that they had been asked to consider whether Shared Lives would be an option but said that they felt that this would be too complex. She said they had also been offered a Personal Assistant, but was not sure how this would work in reality.

Councillor Hardman asked if she could briefly explain what she believed would be provided by a Personal Assistant or as part of the Shared Lives programme.

Wendy Lucas replied that Shared Lives do take young people into a family setting and provide some respite, but said that the needs of most people that attend Newton House, like her daughter, have complex medical needs and physical disabilities. She added that a Personal Assistant would normally look after somebody during the day, possibly take them out for a trip.

She explained that they have a three-bedroom house, all of which are occupied so there would be nowhere for the Personal Assistant to sleep if that were to be considered an option.

She stated that she believed that numerous families have been told that short-term respite is not available in B&NES yet Newton House has some spare capacity. She called for the Council to work harder to keep it open.

Councillor Lesley Mansell asked who pays for the service that they receive and has there been any consultation regarding its potential closure.

Wendy Lucas replied that the service is paid for by B&NES. She said that there had been no consultation with service users and that she had found out via a post on Facebook as the letter sent to her had never arrived. She added that she was so welcome for the efforts of another parent, Richard Franklin in raising the awareness of the situation.

She said that she understands that Dimensions cannot run the service at a loss, but said that the Council should be working to maintain the service in place as it will surely cost them more if it is taken away.

Councillor Joanna Wright asked if the Council has to provide respite care as part of its statutory duties.

Wendy Lucas replied that she believed that it was a statutory duty that our needs should be assessed and that as a result of that this would now be a service that could not be provided within the boundaries of B&NES. She added that more local respite is required, not less. She said that if they ever did decide to use a respite facility in another Local Authority and then somebody within that authority needed to use the service their booking could be bounced.

The Chair asked if she knew whether Dimensions only provided care for people that live within B&NES.

Wendy Lucas replied that she believed this to be the case and reiterated that it was being underutilised by 40%.

The Chair asked if they were to choose an alternative provision would B&NES pay for it.

Wendy Lucas replied that they had not received an answer to that question. She added that she has visited other Local Authorities but was yet to find anything suitable.

The Chair thanked her for her statement.

Derek Greenman addressed the Panel on the subject of Newton House, a summary of his statement is set out below.

He explained to them that his stepson has complex needs and that support for him was being lost bit by bit. He stated that he was completely stunned by the news of the potential closure.

He said that it was becoming harder to look after his stepson as he and his wife get older. He added that the respite that they access currently enables them to at least have a bit of a break.

Councillor Hardman asked if an assessment of his stepson’s needs had been carried out.

Derek Greenman replied that they have had a phone conversation with a Social Worker and were waiting to hear more information. He added that they have not always felt fully supported, especially during the pandemic. He said that they were pretty much locked into their home during this time and had to pay for Personal Assistants from his stepson’s allocated budget.

The Chair thanked him for his statement

Councillor Robin Moss addressed the Panel. He explained that the process of setting the Council’s budget for 2025/26 was underway and that he holds the position of Chair of the Corporate Policy & Development Scrutiny Panel.

He said that Social Care accounts for the majority of the budget for B&NES and that from looking at the current proposals there was a lot of similarity to the previous year.

He stated that he would like an assurance that there would not be any overspend during the coming year.

He informed the meeting that the Corporate Panel would be hosting an all Panel’s budget discussion on 28^th January ahead of the Cabinet meeting regarding the budget on 13^th February.

He said that it was upsetting to hear the stories from the members of the public and asked how we got to this position.

He said that he understood that Dimensions was a not-for-profit social enterprise.

He stated that he would welcome seeing a timeline of the correspondence between the Council and Dimensions as to how this situation was allowed to occur.

The Chair thanked Councillor Moss for his comments.