North Wales MS and Chair of the Senedd Cross-Party Groups on Disability and on Autism, Mark Isherwood, has written to Flintshire County Council outlining his concerns regarding the closure of Flintshire Families Disability Service (FFDS).
A letter has been sent out to families who use FFDS advising them that the service will be permanently closing with effect from March 31st 2026, as Flintshire County Council are “restructuring their services”.
It further states: “At this stage, we have not received any information about how the new service will be delivered or what the transition arrangements will look like".
The FFDS is operated by the charity Action Children and works to protect and support children, young people and families by providing practical and emotional care and support, ensuring all voices are heard.
In his letter to Flintshire County Council, Mr Isherwood emphasises how important the service is for families and calls for information on what a new service will deliver.
His letter states:
“As you know, I regularly write to you on behalf of disabled adults and children in Flintshire, and adults and children in Flintshire with neurodevelopmental conditions, regarding their care, support and educational rights and needs.
“I receive correspondence from constituents regarding this on an almost daily basis, with, for example, correspondence considered today, sent on behalf of several affected mothers, which began:
‘Within Flintshire and the Wrexham area, there is a real challenge to access the needed support to enable better parenting, when the mothers themselves or the child has a neurodevelopmental condition.
‘Children’s social workers in several cases, have shown to lack knowledge on neurodevelopmental conditions, which leads mothers feeling discriminated. Mothers are being blamed for fabricating the child’s illness, when they are begging and fighting to get the child support. This is seen as a problem from children services across Flintshire and Wrexham’.
“As you are aware, I am the longstanding Chair of the Cross-Party Groups on Autism and on Disability, where these issues have been raised repeatedly.
“In this context, I am therefore very concerned to have been copied on the attached correspondence from Flintshire Families Disability Service, stating that the service will be permanently closing with effect from 31st March 2026 and that, at this stage, they have not received any information about how the new service will be delivered or what the transition arrangements will look like.
“I would therefore be grateful if you could give this your attention and confirm your intended course of action.”
Mr Isherwood added:
“Flintshire Families Disability Service is a lifeline for many families throughout the County and its closure will result in parents and children losing critical support.
“Flintshire County Council need to act urgently to provide continuity of support, working with the families to ensure that none are left to face these challenges alone.”
