Budget Proposals 2025/26: Cease providing the Adult Respite (ARC) in the Community Service
Help us balance our budget.
Consultation status Open - 31 days left
Background
West Berkshire Council's Adult Social Care Service currently provides an Adult Respite in the Community Service (ARC).
This service was originally set up to provide a short-term respite service but is being used as a regular service for 11 clients that could be supported differently using alternative services.
Legislative and Statutory Requirements
The Care Act 2014 governs what services the council should provide as part of an individual's care package, what services the council does not need to provide and how the council can charge for these services.
What we are proposing
To cease providing the Adult Respite (ARC) in the Community Service and offer the existing 11 clients alternative provision to meet their needs.
This proposal will save the council £28,300 per year.
What we think the impact will be
The 11 clients will be offered alternative services that could also meet their needs.
Please refer to the Equity Impact Assessment to see what has already been identified [264KB] .
What else we have considered before arriving at our proposal
The other option we considered, but discounted, is to continue to provide the service, but we would have to find alternative savings from other services which would impact more individuals.
Why we want your views
We'd like to know what you think of our proposal, how it might affect you and the wider community, and any suggestions you may have on how we could minimise any potential negative effects, should we proceed. We'll also ask you a little bit about yourself, for example, if you're a service user or how old you are, but you cannot be identified from your answers.
How to take part
Please note that you will not be able to access our survey on Saturday, 23 November for approximately 4 hours from 3pm to 7pm, due to scheduled maintenance by our survey software provider.
If you'd like to comment on our proposal, please complete our survey by midnight on Monday, 23 December 2024. It should take about 10 minutes.
If you have any questions about the consultation, please email asc.consultations@westberks.gov.uk
For general enquiries about Adult Social Care Services please visit our webpage.
What happens next
All feedback will be analysed by the service, and a recommendation made to elected Members as part of the budget papers for 2025/26 at the Executive meeting on Thursday, 13 February 2025. A final decision whether to proceed with the proposal will then be made by elected Members at the meeting of Full Council on Thursday, 27 February 2025.
The recommendations will also be reviewed and discussed by members of the Scrutiny Commission on Tuesday, 11 February 2025.
Shortly after the Full Council meeting, a summary of the responses we received and the decisions taken will be published on this page.
If the decision is made to proceed with the proposal, the change will be implemented from April 2025.
All meetings will be open to the public, and residents can attend either in person at the Market Street Offices or online. If you'd like to ask a West Berkshire Councillor a question at a public meeting, find out what can and can't be asked, and how to submit your question here.
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