Massive cuts to day centres in Oxfordshire will leave people with learning difficulties and autism marginalised. That’s the view of the vice-chair of a special needs family support group.
Jan Roast, of the Oxfordshire Family Support Network, spoke out as her local authority ponders moves to close 22 day centres. These facilities provide services for people with learning disabilities and older people.
Speaking out against day centre cuts: Jan Roast, pictured with daughter Gemma
The plan would see the centres replaced with either four or eight new buildings around Oxfordshire.
The authority wants to either use four buildings as bases from which people go out into the community, or eight catering for a variety of groups under one roof. These groups would include people with learning disabilities and dementia.
Mrs Roast, 69, from Woodstock, Oxfordshire, insists neither option is viable.
Structure and equipment
She has a 37-year-old daughter, Gemma, who has profound and complex learning difficulties. Mrs Roast said Gemma needs the structure and equipment offered by a base.
“Someone like my daughter would definitely need a base because of things like changing facilities,” she said.
Mrs Roast also said it would be inappropriate for her daughter to attend sessions with the elderly. She added: “Their needs will be very different.”
The Family Support Network said both options are under-resourced, but they preferred to retain eight centres.
The authority insisted there is a thriving daytime support network run by community groups. Around three-quarters of these, it argued, get no council funding.
Oxfordshire ‘facing 75 per cent cut’
Reports suggest that the authority plans to cut annual funding of £992,000 for those groups that do get grants to £250,000. This would amount to a reduction of £742,000, or almost 75 per cent.
A spokesperson for Oxfordshire said: “Under the two proposals being consulted upon, everyone with assessed eligible care need is guaranteed to be provided with a service, including people whose autism has led to them being assessed as having such a need.”
Published: 19 December 2016
