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8 in 10 people who care for loved ones with a learning disability have told Mencap that they are at breaking point.
progress news Short break crisis 8 in 10 people who care for loved ones with a learning disability have told Mencap that they are at breaking point. They feel they can no longer go on caring, because they are exhausted and don’t get the short breaks or respite support they need. While the Government has invested £1.2 billion in short breaks for carers, the use of this money was not ring-fenced. Mencap’s latest research shows that it was not spent on the services that families desperately need, in fact councils across England have cut short breaks services. The Short Breaks report, launched by Mencap, reveals the devastating impact that not having a short break can have on families.
FR EE respite holidays
Charity Papworth Trust is offering free respite (short break) holidays to disabled people and their families thanks to £2 million of Lottery cash. Typical respite is where the disabled person goes away while their family stays at hom e. The Trust’s respite holidays offer a chance for the whole family to go together and have a supported break, without the pressures of everyday life. Kerry Farm is set in the Welsh countryside is currently bein g renovated. You will be able to apply for one week resp ite breaks although applications for breaks in autumn 201 3 have closed. For more information, or to find out how to apply for a break, visit www.papworth.org.uk /kerryfarm.
Mencap found: • More than 8 in 10 families of adults with a learning disability did not receive any short breaks whatsoever this year. • Over 50% of councils have cut spending on short breaks for families. • 9 in 10 family carers reported high levels of stress. • Over half of family carers have given up, or are considering giving up, work. • 8 out of 10 family carers claim that a lack of short breaks has had a negative impact on their family life. • 9 in 10 families say it has left them isolated from friends and support networks. The findings outlined in Mencap’s report show that the availability of short breaks services has remained at a critically poor level over the past decade, with no improvement since Mencap launched its Breaking Point campaign in 2003. Mencap is urging the government to ring-fence the money intended for short breaks, so it is actually spent on these services. They are also calling on councils to intervene early to ensure that no family carer is left to reach breaking point due to a lack of short breaks. www.mencap.org.uk/breakingpoint
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Birmingham is leading the way in providing extra support to get disabled people into mainstream work. Disability Employment Support Birmingham is leading the way in providing extra support to get disabled people into mainstream work. Britain’s second largest city tops the list of where disabled entrepreneurs and businesses receive the most support under the Government’s specialist disability employment scheme. The scheme, Access to Work, pays for specialised equipment, support workers and travel costs. Last year 700 people from Birmingham received support to get or stay in work, with 550 from Leeds and 400 from Glasgow. Access to Work has previously been called ‘the Government’s best kept secret’, and the Government has expanded the marketing campaign to raise awareness of the changes and target young disabled people and people with mental health conditions. Anyone interested in applying for this support, can search ‘Access to Work’ at www.gov.uk to find out details of contact centres.