GOLDSWORTHY CALLS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS SERVICES TO BE SAFEGUARDED (Julia Goldsworthy)

Julia Goldsworthy <info@juliagoldsworthy.org>

GOLDSWORTHY CALLS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS SERVICES TO BE SAFEGUARDED

June 29, 2009 12:00 PM

MP Julia Goldsworthy and local Lib Dem councillors Joyce Duffin and Chris Pascoe have urged Cornwall Council to go beyond "bureaucratic box-ticking" when considering the future of services for people with learning disabilities.

They met council officers last week to discuss plans to close Trevithick Murdoch Centre in Redruth by 2011. Cornwall Council is planning to close the day centre as part of its plan to modernise services for people with learning disabilities, but many carers and users are concerned that the changes will make services worse, not better.

At a public meeting a fortnight ago, many families likely to be affected also expressed fears that the process was being driven by plans to make savings from cheaper services, and to generate funds from the sale of the Murdoch Trevithick site.

Commenting, Julia Goldsworthy said:

"Cornwall Council needs to do the job properly if it is serious about improving services for the learning disabled. This means guaranteeing that any savings from changes are ploughed back into the service, and also ensuring that every single affected individual has a reassessment of their needs.

"If people are to have confidence that changes will be for the better, they need to guarantee that no decisions will be made behind closed doors. Instead users and carers should have the biggest say on how their services can be improved. This is about much more than box-ticking and bog standard 'consultation' processes, it's about allowing people to design the services that suit them best."

Three further meetings are planned to provide further information to councillors on July 10th, 14th and 24th.

Councillors Duffin and Pascoe are encouraging people to contact them before these dates so that they can ensure their views are raised.

Joyce Duffin, Councillor for Portreath, Porthtowan and Mount Hawke added:

"It isn't enough to have an official consultation process. Local people want to have a choice in their options, so more needs to be done to give them a say. They don't feel that anybody is listening to them. If the council doesn't tell people what their options, how do they know they are providing the right thing?"

Chris Pascoe, Councillor for Threemilestone, said:

"The important thing is to make sure that parents and carers have a proper input in the consultation. Offices should act upon the advice they get from carers and parents, and make sure that if the centre is closed, that the equivalent is provided locally."