Council seeks views on Oak Farm Day Opportunities service

Shropshire Council is inviting those with an interest in Oak Farm Day Opportunities in Ditton Priors to have their say on the future of the service.  

Oak Farm which is commissioned by Shropshire Council and delivered by Bethphage, a charity that provides support to adults with learning and physical disabilities. The landowner of the site is the Ditton Priors Community Land Trust. 

Those who attend Oak Farm along with their families, carers, partners and the wider community are being invited to give their views on how they feel the service could run in the future.  

Bethphage has been working on its vision for future service provision over recent years and has established a strong vision to purchase their own site for future service provision in a new location. This means that there is now a need to review the current service and commissioning arrangements.  

An important part of this consultation is obtaining feedback from service users and their families, stakeholders, and the wider community.  The service is currently used by approximately 30 individuals. 

Consultation 

The consultation aims to explore three options for the future of Oak Farm and gather feedback from members of the public and stakeholders to inform future decision making. The options 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, Sutton, Chelmarsh, WV16 6BQ. 

The consultation will run for 7 weeks, opening on 15 July 2024 and closing on 2 Sept 2024.  

People can share their views by completing an online survey, emailing, or posting their comments to the council. The consultation also includes an Equality and Social Inclusion Health Impact Assessment and a Frequently Asked Questions document to provide more information and address any concerns. 

 Councillor 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.” 

How to get involved

For more information about the consultation and to take part, please visit https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/oak-farm-consultation/  where you can find the survey, an easy read version, FAQs and other relevant documents. 

Alternatively, you can email your comments to TellUs@shropshire.gov.uk with the subject line ‘Oak Farm consultation’ or post them to Feedback and Insight Team, Shropshire Council, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shropshire SY2 6ND. 

If you need the survey in an alternative format, please email TellUs@shropshire.gov.uk or call 0345 678 9000 and explain any support you need to allow you to respond. 

These changes at Oak Farm are due to the provider relocating to a new site and are not linked to the wider changes the council is undertaking to meet its financial challenges.