Abingdon Barnardo's club closure: Disabled children lose 'lifeline'

Karen Sharman's son has been going to the club for about eight years

Families of disabled children fear they will be left without vital respite support following news that an Oxfordshire holiday club is to stop.

Barnardo's, which runs Star Breaks at Kingfisher School in Abingdon, chose not to renew its contract with the council due to "rising costs".

Some parents called the provision, which will end from 1 April, a "crucial lifeline".

Oxfordshire County Council said it was trying to find another provider.

The after-school and holiday service is used by young people with severe, complex or profound needs and is in place to allow parents and carers time off.

'Upside down'

Families said the loss of the service would lead to them "scrabbling" to cover care during the Easter holidays and around existing work commitments.

One parent, Rosie Steptoe, said other privately-run holiday clubs in the county were not accessible for her 17-year-old daughter.

She has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and needs full-time support - but Ms Steptoe is concerned alternative providers sought by the council may not meet her needs.

"There are no other clubs that would work for [her] other than Barnardo's - as the other ones are not trained for PEG [percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy] feeding or seizures," she said.

Another mum, Karen Sharman, said her 15-year-old son had been attending an after-school club since the age of seven, and news of the closure had turned her world "upside down".

"Bringing up a disabled child is a constant fight for appropriate education, getting the right support and seeking opportunities for them," she said.

"You are their voice when they don't have one and, once again, we aren't being heard and my son, and so many more, are being let down."

Kingfisher School caters for children aged between two and 19 with special educational needs

The service has been run by children's charity Barnardo's, on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council, for more than a decade.

Emma Bowman, the charity's director of Children's Services for south-east England, said Barnardo's had chosen not to submit a bid to run the club when the county council put the contract up for retender."As with all charities, we have to make difficult decisions based on the money available to us, and given rising costs this was sadly no longer sustainable on an ongoing basis," she said.

Ms Bowman added she was "extremely concerned" about the current state of council funding."We need to ensure that across the sector, the specialist support that children and young people need receives adequate and sustainable government funding," she said.

In a statement, Oxfordshire County Council told the BBC it was working to find a provider willing to run other local activities for children and young people in the town, but was unable to confirm details.

"It is entirely Barnardo's decision if they decide to retender for any new work or contracts," the council added.

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