Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet has approved the launch of an eight-week consultation, on a proposed improved model for respite care for adults with learning disabilities. The model, known as My Stay, My Way, has been co-produced with adults with learning disabilities, their families, carers, and key partners, ensuring that people’s voices remain central to shaping the future of respite services.
My Stay, My Way aims to modernise respite care by introducing a broader range of flexible, person-centred options that can better support individual choice and need, while promoting independence, dignity, and wellbeing. The model will introduce three levels of support, including:
- Community-based Respite Options: Including Shared Lives, Direct Payments, and access to local clubs, promoting independence and community integration.
- Support for Complex Needs: Structured respite settings offering therapeutic and recreational opportunities to enhance wellbeing for individuals who require more intensive support.
- Integrated Health and Social Care: For those with significant health needs, ensuring holistic and person-centred care through joint working between health and social care services.
The model has been shaped through engagement with people with learning disabilities, their families, unpaid carers, and other stakeholders and has included surveys, drop-in sessions, and workshops with organisations like People First, the Grapevine, Shared Lives, and others. Feedback from these sessions highlighted the importance of trusted staff, consistent care, and more flexible, person-centred, and enriching respite experiences.
The consultation will begin on June 30, 2025, and forms part of the Council’s Learning Disability Transformation Programme, which has already seen significant progress through initiatives such as My Day, My Way and My Home, My Way, both of which have paved the way for co-production as a framework for supporting service change.
Service users, their unpaid carers, families and supporters are invited to participate in the consultation, as well as respite and care staff, local providers, and other key stakeholders. People with learning disabilities, and their unpaid carers and families, will be supported to engage with the consultation process which will include:
- The distribution of information pack setting out the proposed model in a clear, and accessible format.
- The opportunity to attend face-to-face consultation sessions to hear more about the proposed model,
Councillor Gareth Caple, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, said: “The Council remains committed to collaboratively shaping the future of respite care in Rhondda Cynon Taf, by involving individuals who rely on these services. This is not about reducing support, it’s about transforming services to provide greater choice, dignity, and flexibility for those who rely on them.
“By moving away from a one-size-fits-all model, we can ensure people receive the type of respite care that best suits their diverse needs and aspirations, while ensuring the development of alternative services that provide sustainable and community-based options.
“The eight-week consultation, which will begin on June 30, will allow people with learning disabilities, including their carers and families, to fully engage with the proposed improvements. This ensures that the voices of those receiving respite care are fully considered.
“By engaging with the community, we can ensure that services continually improve to best serve those who need them most. I encourage everyone who uses these services to participate in the consultation process. Your input is vital to shaping the future of respite care.”
For more details on how to participate in the consultation, residents can visit the RCT Let’s Talk Website. The Council will widely promote the consultation to key stakeholders, and more widely to the public, including through its social media channels.
To find out more about respite care in Rhondda Cynon Taf, please visit: https://www.rctcbc.gov.uk/EN/Resident/AdultsandOlderPeople/Caringforotherpeople/Supportforcarers/Respitecare.aspx
Posted on 18/06/2025