A human rights group has urged the United Nations (UN) to fight for better support for families struggling with disabled children.
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) asked the UN to recommend families get more short breaks and respite.
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has urged the United Nations to push for better respite services for families of disabled children
A BBC Spotlight documentary has highlighted gaps in services for families of disabled children in Northern Ireland.
Mum left child at school
Mum Rita Orr told the documentary she left her 15-year-old son Callum at school so he would be put into emergency care.
Orr said she made the decision after years of pleading in vain for extra help with her learning-disabled and autistic son.
Callum struggles with self-harm, she told the programme.
Commission asks for UN support
In a statement, a spokesperson for the NIHRC said it had “raised the issue directly with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child”.
The NIHRC made the recommendation as part of a submission to the UN in December 2022.
“We suggested there should be a recommendation for effective measures to provide a range of short break services and facilities across NI (Northern Ireland),” the statement added.
Respite and short breaks under pressure
The documentary highlighted how respite and short breaks have come under pressure.
This was because growing numbers of disabled children have been placed in care, cutting down the number of available places.
The programme revealed that 44 disabled children have gone into care over the past four years.
A spokesperson for the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust released a statement. It said the trust “does all it possibly can to provide support and resources to children with severe autism”.
This support included access to direct payments, daycare support, after-school support and summer schemes.
The trust said it also had an agreement with the charity Autism Initiatives to provide short-break day support for families.
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Published: 7 October 2024
