Future of Oak Farm hangs in the balance
The council is inviting attendees of a south Shropshire day service to have their say on the future of the service.
Commissioned by Shropshire Council, services at Oak Farm Opportunities in Ditton Priors are delivered by Bethpage, a charity that provides support to adults with learning and physical disabilities.
However, Shropshire Council has revealed that the charity has established plans to purchase their own site and deliver their services in a new location, meaning that the council needs to review the current service and commissioning arrangements.
The council is inviting those who attend Oak Farm, alongside their families, carers, partners and the wider community, to give their views on how they feel the service could be run in the future. The council says that service is currently being used by approximately 30 individuals.
Shropshire Council is looking to obtain feedback from service users and their families, stakeholders and wider community on three options for the future of Oak Farm to help inform future decision making.
Options for the future are:
Option 1: Oak Farm Day Opportunities run by Bethphage ceases and appropriate alternative support is identified for each individual.
Option 2: A new Day Opportunities provider is secured to deliver a service from Oak Farm - this would be subject to the lease arrangements with landowner, the demand for services and the ability to get another provider within the appropriate timeframe.
Option 3: Support continues through an agreed move to the new farm location, which is Lower Sutton Farm in Sutton, Chelmarsh.
The consultation will run for a seven week period until Monday, September 2 after opening on July 15.
People can share their views by completing an online survey, or by emailing or posting their comments to the council.
Cecilia Motley, cabinet member for adult social care and public health, said: "We understand how important Oak Farm is to those who attend as well as their families, interested parties and the wider community. This is why we want to ensure that any decision that is made on the future of the farm is based on their feedback and views as well as all the available evidence we can gather.
"We encourage everyone who has an interest in this service to take part in the consultation and help us shape the future of our day opportunities offer in Shropshire."
