Closure of Parfields Children's Home

Liberal Democrat Councillors voted unanimously at last week’s County Council meeting to close Parfields Children’s Home in Yeovil.

Parfields provides care and accommodation for 8 children and young people between the ages of 7 and 18 who have severe learning and physical disabilities. The home provides both respite care for parents and longer term care.

Just 5 months ago in November 2007 Parfields underwent an Ofsted inspection upon the care and services it provided. The home was rated as good, which is the second highest mark obtainable. The high quality of care and service provided was not enough however to prevent the home from being axed to save an anticipated £291,000 a year.

The Council meeting was attended by several young people with disabilities and their parents who made an impassioned plea to keep Parfields open. The parents complained of the lack of consultation undertaken by the Liberal Democrat County Council and the failure to provide any information on alternative provision for their children.

John Osman, Deputy Leader of the Conservative group of county councillors ,speaking at the meeting said: ”I cannot understand why a home providing high quality care to disabled children and young people is being closed. It is irresponsible of the Council not to have put forward alternative care provision for the residents prior to the meeting. In any event, the alterative care will come at a cost and as the care will no longer be centralised in one home and now potentially delivered in 8 different locations, one for each resident, I doubt that Council will be making a saving at all”

Cllr Osman continued “The County Council recently received a record pay-out from the government this year to help it with its spending plans - an inflation-busting 9% increase on its annual funding of £750 million. Despite this huge increase in funding it is regretable that the funds were not found to keep Parfields open.”