Cuts hit service for disabled children (From Falmouth Packet)

Cuts hit service for disabled children

9:18am Monday 25th February 2013 in News

A charity which provides emotional support to parents of disabled children be forced to run a reduced service from April due to cuts.

Cornwall Face 2 Face is a free and confidential service, provided by trained parent befrienders, who themselves have experience of parenting a disabled child with a impairment or additional need. Befrienders provide emotional support to other parents of disabled children at the time of diagnosis, at times of change or difficulty.

The charity has heard that Cornwall Council will stop funding the service on March 31 and are consulting with families and reviewing the services they commission.

The chatrity will offer a smaller service after April thanks to a grant awarded by the People’s Health Trust.

Jane Jones, Cornwall Face 2 Face service manager for the disability charity Scope, said: “It’s tough to be a parent of a disabled child. But some of the best advice you can get is from people who have been through the same experience. Our Face 2 Face befriending network is based on that principle. We know it makes a huge difference to the lives of parents at a critical time.

“The service is part funded by the council, and that funding is unfortunately coming to an end. I’d like to reassure parents that we will continue to run Face 2 Face in Cornwall. But the council’s decision means that we will have less money and resources to support and train parents to help other parents.

"We are doing everything we can to keep things the same, but it’s inevitable that we won’t be able to do everything we are currently doing.”

In addition to the befriending service, they provide information on a range of disability services and issues and offer support to parents bereaved of a child.