Social Services in Cornwall

Trials and tribulations of dealing with Social Services!

Hi everyone,

Yet another long time since my last blog, but hope my readers are all well.

I have been busy trying to sort out care for my 20 year old son, who has Down's syndrome.
If you have, or know somebody who has a child (or adult) with a learning disability and leaving school/college/day centre soon - start your battle now!

Everybody is saying that disabled people have a right to live in the community and enjoy everything else that we all take for granted. Day centres are closing down and people are being given Direct Payments and Independent Living Fund to "buy" their own care, to enable them to do such things.

In principle that is fine - but my god, what a battle to get the funds! To get the Social Worker in the first place was one hell of a battle in our case. According to the Care Manager in our area, my son was not entitled to a Social Worker as he did not need one. Oh yeah? I don't think so "Matey" as you can't get the funding without a Social Worker!

To cut a very very long story short, 18 months before my son left the local Special School, following his annual review the school wrote to Social Services to get "things" put in place before he was to leave. Since then, my son left school and has just completed his SECOND year at College and we are only now getting things in place for him - that's just to give you an idea of the time scale I have been fighting this battle!!!

In January 2008 I had to take the steps of advising Social Services I was going to go to the Local Government Ombudsman, due to the fact we had to fight to get a Social Worker ............ that was followed by a week of Social Services bending over backwards to try and help me. How sad is that, why not just help in the first place!

On the 22nd January 2008, we had a meeting with the person in charge at Social Services and wo and behold, at the meeting we were introduced to our Social Worker. We decided not to take the case to the Ombudsman as we felt we were now getting somewhere.

Here I am today, 19th June 2009 and had a phone call today to advise me that the Direct Payments funding would be in the account next week - AT LAST!

All this time, with lies and excuses from admin staff in various departments who take us all for fools!

I would just like to mention here that the Social Worker assigned to my Son has been absolutely fantastic! So too have the people coming face to face with my son and getting together the care plans etc. I won't give their full names to protect their privacy, but Jo, Chris, Sue and Kate you are worth your weight in gold - too many bloody chiefs and not enough indians at Social Services is the problem.

My son will now be able to enjoy going out into the community (without his boring parents taking him) and enjoy a social life!

If you do know of a person who will be affected by the closure of Day Centres or leaving school soon, please tell their parent/guardian/carer NOT to be fobbed off at the first hurdle - fight, fight and keeping fighting for their childs rights. If not, there will be nothing in the community for them and they will just vegetate at home in front of the t.v.!

Sorry to bore you with the problems I have had (believe me, that is just a short abbreviation - if you only knew the rest!) but I feel people need to know.

Take care until my next blog!

Kathryn
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