FAMILIES who send their children to an under-threat respite home for youngsters with learning difficulties fear the axe is set to fall on the facility after a ten-year fight.
Essex County Council first launched a review of the respite care it offers to families of disabled children in 2013, with the authority threatening to close Lavender House, in Stanway, in a cost-cutting measure.
The facility was given a three-year reprieve in 2019, with the council bidding to use Lavender House as emergency accommodation for children with disabilities in 2021.
Lavender House, which opened in August 2001, cares for children aged five to 18.
Concerns remain 'overnight short breaks' offered at the centre could be permanently reduced.
Gary Knowles, 50, whose son Ashley, 16, attends Lavender House for 60 nights per year, said parents had been consulted over plans to send their children to another council-run centre in Harlow.
He branded the move “unacceptable”, saying the parents of children with learning difficulties in north-east Essex are “screaming out for help”.
A meeting is set to be held at Lavender House on March 9 to reveal the results of the consultation.
Mr Knowles, a kitchen-fitter from Great Holland, said: “They are proposing to close the Colchester home and at the moment keep the one in Harlow, proposing children this side of Essex make the journey – which is just ridiculous.
“In this day and age no one is going to drive their child that far, for us it is a two-hour round trip if we’re lucky.
“In the past they have said they are not seeing enough demand for that centre in Colchester, but that’s because they stopped any fresh referrals.
“This closure has been building up for years, it’s something they’ve wanted for a long time.”
Mr Knowles said the activities and care offered at Lavender House had been “fantastic”, insisting the service had led to remarkable behavioural changes in his son.
He said: “If it wasn’t for Lavender House, I don’t think he would have been able to stay living with us. They are brilliant.
“We fully endorse the service they provide, the staff are like a family to him.”
Mr Knowles said the council is exploring the option of offering a taxi service to take Ashley to the Harlow centre, but argued the transport would be unsuitable for his autistic son.
“My son will not sit in a taxi for an hour or more,” he said.
“They won’t know how to deal with it if he has a tantrum, it’s not really an option. Parents know their children better than anyone.”
Mum Lorraine Woodhouse, 56, whose 17-year-old son Adrian has long attended Lavender House, said the council “is trying to sell us something we know won’t work”.
“A consultation over this finished in January,” she said.
“Adrian has been going there for probably ten years, the place is our lifeline, our support network.
“I can’t stress how important it is.”
Ms Woodhouse, from Wormingford, said taxi transport offered by the council had previously proved “unreliable”, adding her son would be forced to travel for respite care in Harlow alongside his daily journey to Chatten Free School, in Witham.
'We are offering an improvement to overnight short breaks offer'
Beverley Egan, Essex county councillor responsible for children's services, said a final decision would be made at the authority's cabinet meeting in March.
She said: “We published our Short Breaks Strategy in 2022 in which we set out our plans to review our short breaks offer.
"This review included the overnight short breaks offer, of which Lavender is one of several options available for families.
“We have engaged and consulted with parents throughout the review process.
"We know there is anxiety being felt by a few parents about the recommendations, however, these changes are being proposed in the best interests of providing a good quality sustainable offer into the future for many more families.
“The recommendations being made for the future of Lavender House will be considered in March, at which point, if agreed we will continue to work closely with any families affected by any such decision to ensure there is tailored support to help them through this transitional period and minimise any impacts.
“The proposed improvements to the overnight short breaks offer means there would be a more flexible offer including the option for weekend stays at the council’s provision in Harlow, the Maples.
"If the recommendations are agreed, this will not be the only option available, and we will be working on a range of other offers that will appeal to families now and into the future.”
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