The 'shameful saga' of Sunderland's Grace House - clash over looming closure of 'short breaks' respite service

Grace House provides an opportunity for both disabled children, many with severe and complex needs, and their families to benefit from weekend and overnight respite breaks.

However the Sunderland service, provided on the ground floor of Grace House in partnership with Sunderland Care and Support (SCAS) and funded by Together for Children (TfC), is due to stop providing short breaks later this year.

This follows unsuccessful talks between charity Grace House and the city council over costs, with the council saying it was required to “match the cost and terms of an offer (Grace House) had from a third party for the space used in the respite service”.

It was noted this was a “substantial cost increase” and that an agreement was unable to be reached about the “terms it set out for a new lease”.

Parents received a letter from TfC in June, 2023, informing them that the facility would cease to operate at Grace House from the end of November, 2023, due to a change in the rental rate and increased utility costs.

In the letter TfC chief executive Jill Colbert also pledged to find “alternative provision”, including “trying to buy a building which we can modify to fit the range of needs of our children”.

It is understood that the search for a new building is still under way, with more than 15 properties already considered in detail.

At a meeting of Sunderland City Council on September 13, 2023, families with disabled children handed over a petition with more than 8,000 signatures urging the council to “recommence negotiations to provide this essential care”.

The petition from the ‘Give us a Break’ campaign group aimed to prevent the “lifeline” of respite care at Grace House ceasing to operate, with campaigners also filling the council chamber at City Hall to watch a debate on the matter.

This included a motion entitled ‘Sunderland City Council’s Summer of Failures’, submitted by the council’s Conservative Group, which highlighted the situation while calling for the city council’s leader to apologise to affected families.

Councillor Sam Johnston introduced the motion, which also referenced shop and cinema closures and negative headlines around the recent city triathlon , and said the council’s response to the situation around short breaks had been “totally inadequate”.

Conservative councillor Lyall Reed described the Grace House situation as a “shameful saga” and said it had caused reputational damage to the council’s children’s services.

Several Conservative councillors also referenced a recent meeting of the Children, Education and Skills Scrutiny Committee where parents attending were not able to ask questions due to procedure rules, despite protests from several councillors on the committee.

At the full council meeting on September 13, 2023, Conservative councillor Richard Dunn also made reference to written correspondence between senior figures in Together for Children and Grace House.

The correspondence, which is understood to have been provided under the same terms as a Freedom of Information request, suggested issues about the service provision’s future were known for several months before parents were informed.

Councillor Graeme Miller, Labour leader of Sunderland City Council, said he “felt a real sense of pain” from affected families in the council chamber but was “deeply disappointed with the politicisation of this issue”.

Cllr Miller, addressing the families in attendance, said: “At no stage does any council wish to harm its residents, especially those that have needs that we’re there to support.

“What annoys me most about this notice of motion is it’s not just about you, it’s being used as a rubber ball so that the Conservative Group can moan on about shops closing and the triathlon and the beach.

“That’s politicisation of residents and children and the Labour Group never agreed with doing that”.

Cllr Miller said work was ongoing to secure “alternative provision” for affected families before the end of November, 2023, and that the current situation had not been caused by the council or TfC, but Grace House.

He added the charity had accepted an offer from another business “at the last minute” to take the respite care space “for more money”.

Cllr Miller asked families to give the council and TfC “the chance to affect a positive change which is caused by a third party organisation”.

Councillors heard that future alternative provision linked to a “suitable new building” would involve feedback from parents and families.

Councillor Linda Williams, Labour cabinet member for children, learning and skills, said: “A loss of this service is just not tolerable but we’re in a situation that we now have to deal with.

“We have to look to the future, I do hope that we’re able to secure a property which we would love for you as families to be able to support us to be able to get right.

“The needs of the children who have used Grace House over many years have changed and we need a slightly different facility now.

“I hate the fact that this is being used as a political issue, this isn’t about politics.

“This is about children and what they’re actually entitled to and what they deserve, playing around with it is absolutely cruel and inhuman”.

Conservative councillor Sam Johnston, closing the debate, said the “buck stops” with the council leader and that even if the Conservative Group motion was defeated, “the families have finally had their voices heard”.

Cllr Johnston added: “Even if you can’t face it tonight, I hope that over the next few days, weeks or months, you sort this out for them.”

After being put to the vote the Conservative motion failed to win support with 21 votes in favour, 43 votes against and one abstention.

Following the debate at Wednesday’s (September 13, 2023) full council meeting, Sunderland City Council provided a statement.

A council spokesperson said: “We fully recognise the impact on parents and carers of the loss of access to overnight short breaks when the current service closes in November.

“We also remain committed to having support in place in the intervening period while work continues to secure a new building to run a new service from.

“Officers from across the council and TfC are continuing to work hard to secure this and a range of other services and we value the input of parents and carers in shaping alternative support.

“We wrote to parents at the earliest opportunity to reassure them that we were working hard to find alternatives, once it became clear that we could not reach an agreement with the charity about the terms it set out for a new lease.

“We had a statutory obligation to inform staff of Sunderland Care and Support first, who currently deliver the service from Grace House, along with the board.

“Many of the letters to parents were hand delivered by the families’ social workers where possible, and a further letter followed to invite them to an urgent meeting.

“All families have been spoken to at least once, most many more times than that with the exception [of] those families who refuse to engage in the discussion about how we might meet their child’s needs when the provision closes in November.

“Currently 42 children access SCAS provision at Grace House, of those for 2 children we have no alternative at this point in time and for 3 children, no engagement from their families to pursue alternatives as they refuse to discuss the implications of the closure of the service.

“All other children have enhanced packages of support in place, including some overnight care although we fully acknowledge it isn’t a straight replacement at this point in time.

“We are currently paying an increased rent for the time we’ve been allowed to stay in the building which comes to an end in November at the charities request.

“We have always remained open to a continuing conversation about a new agreement and are continuing to work hard to find alternative provision.”

Commenting previously on the situation, a spokesperson for Grace House said: “We understand the families’ concerns and the importance of short breaks for families.

“We support their calls for a transition to a new provision to be as smooth as possible.”

A previous statement from Grace House added: “Earlier this year we were informed that SCAS would no longer be providing that service.

“We are not a part of the planning for the future of that service, but we understand the importance of it for families.

“Recently we have met with a number of parents to discuss this change and would continue to encourage those who have been affected by this change to contact us at [email protected] to book a meeting.”