'Zero' respite provision for young people with disabilities

There is currently “zero” respite provision for children and young people with disabilities in the Western Health and Social Care Trust’s northern sector.

Parents and guardians were informed of the situation at a private meeting with the Trust’s Children’s Disability Managers held in Derry’s Destined Centre last Wednesday morning.

The lack of respite provision - short break services - in the Derry / Limavady and Cityside / Strabane areas has been caused by the closure of Rosebud Cottage, a six-bed, short-term respite centre situated in the Racecourse Road area of the city, according to an attendee.

Speaking to The Derry News, the person who wished to remain anonymous said there had been “a lot of frustrated, very angry parents and tension in the room”.

They added: “The Trust’s head of service for children with disabilities, who was also at the meeting, was asked directly how many respite beds were free within the Western Trust right now for families, for children with disabilities and he said, ‘zero. There are no beds available within the Western Trust for any child with a disability right now for respite’.

“He was then asked if he realised the impact this was going to have on the 60 families of children with disabilities directly affected by the lack of respite provision. We didn’t get a response.

“If we can’t cope, what is the Trust going to do? It is going to have a bigger problem. Families are in crisis. There were parents in the room who were crying, actually begging for their allocated respite provision hours not to be removed.

“If I was speaking to the chairperson of the Trust or the Health Minister, I would tell them my family is in crisis right now.

“I am on my knees begging here for a facility that should be there for my child. It is so unfair.

“The money is there, why are they not putting it into a respite facility? Why is Rosebud Cottage, a six-bed facility, closed? Why are families having to face a full summer with no respite?”

The person added that the meeting failed to provide any clarity regarding the future of Butterfly Lodge at Altnagelvin, which provides care and support for children with complex healthcare needs.

Butterfly Lodge is a unit within the hospital that offers services including respite care and assistance with care packages.

In response to a Derry News enquiry, a spokesperson for the Trust said it provided regular updates to parents via meetings regarding short break provision for children and young people with disabilities.

The spokesperson added: “The short break provision for children and young people’s disability service at the four-bedded Rosebud Cottage (Northern Sector) was temporarily postponed at the end of May 2025 to support a medium term placement. It is anticipated Rosebud will reopen to provide short break provision for young people across the Trust geography shortly.

“Avalon House (Southern Sector) [Omagh and Fermanagh] continues to provide medium/long term care for a number of children.

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“Social work staff continue to work with all our families to provide alternative short break arrangements through Self Directed Support.

“The Western Trust is working closely with the Department of Health to identify any immediate opportunities that can be implemented to improve access to short breaks across the Trust and also contribute to the strategic planning to ensure the needs of families are better met in the longer term.

“The Trust continues to provide respite through self-directed support arrangements and is based on an individual assessment for each family. The assessed need of any family can change over time and regular reviews are built into the process.”