Parents concerned as support service goes out to tender

Jul 2 2009 by Debbie Spalding, West Lothian Courier

FAMILIES struggling to cope with a child who has special needs fear they may lose a vital lifeline.

West Lothian Council is putting the Parent to Parent scheme out to tender and is “looking more closely at resources” for its Support and Advocacy Worker position.

Parent to Parent supports families with children who have additional support needs, along with youngsters who are seriously or terminally ill.

The service offers a wide range of help for families with children who have physical, learning, emotional, medical or behavioural problems, including organising support meetings and providing the opportunity to speak to parents in the same situation.

Support workers also offer advice on how to deal with behavioural problems and offer bereavement support.

One parent who uses the service said it was “crucial” and would be a terrible loss to many families.

She said: “Parent to Parent has been an invaluable source of support for many families, including my own, at times when it seems that all other sources have failed or disappeared into a black hole.

“They provide a listening post for concerns and issues that our families encounter on a day-to-day basis. The families would struggle to cope without the guidance and support from experienced knowledgeable people who care.

“This is not the type of service I expect from a public body, es pecially when dealing with a concerned parent who is worried that a crucial support service has ben taken away leaving nothing in its place.”

Council bosses said this week they are confident they will still be able to meets the needs of families as before and the service was simply being put out to tender.

A council spokesman said: “The council’s contract with Parent to Parent is coming to an end and we are currently seeking tenders to provide West Lothian with a Mediation Service as required by the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004,” he said.

“Parent to Parent will be able to tender for this contract along with other providers.

“With regard to the Support and Advocacy Service provided by Parent to Parent, we are looking more closely at resources within the council to provide this service.

“Members of our Additional Learning Needs Team plan to meet with representatives from Parent to Parent to identify the current needs of parents currently supported by them, to ensure that we continue to meet these needs within West Lothian.

“We are confident that, with effective arrangements in place for mediation, and with judicious management of existing council resources for support and advocacy, we can ensure that all parents in West Lothian can continue to play a pivotal role in the education of their children.”