Parents wait years for care of disabled youngsters
GARETH ROSE grose@edinburghnews.com
PARENTS with disabled children are being forced to wait for years for respite care because of a shortage of services in the Capital.
Council care workers have warned the city council is regularly failing to meet its legal duty in providing support for such families.
Campaigners warned families were facing growing problems getting the support they need in the city and demanded action.
But the council said it was struggling to recruit enough foster carers and was having to give priority to children deemed to be at risk.
One parent Ping Lang told how she waited four years to get her son into the Seaview Centre, in Portobello, which provides respite care for under-16-year-olds.
Stephen Lang, 13, who has cerebral palsy, now goes to the centre every five weeks for a long weekend or a Monday to Friday stay.
Mrs Lang, 40, who lives in the Gyle, said: "If you are looking after someone like that you need to be able to take a break at times and recharge your batteries.
"Every five weeks is not enough - I'm too tired to do anything else, including spend time with my other two children. When he was younger we waited four years for respite care. I have friends who are still waiting."
A report to councillors by care manager Kirstie Maclean warned the council was failing to meet its legal obligations to some families. "We have statutory duties towards children with disabilities that, as a department, we often fail to fulfil," her report states.
"Waiting lists are long for children with disabilities requiring respite. Many of these cases are unallocated in practice teams, precedence being given to child protection," it adds.
The council has 36 families of disabled children on a waiting list for respite care.
However, Sheena Smith, carer support and advice officer at Voice Of Carers Across Lothian, said she believed a lot more families were in need of similar help and not receiving it. She said:
"The waiting lists are getting bigger. There are simply not enough services for disabled children in Edinburgh.
"The council is responsible. They know they are failing, but if they know they're failing they should do something about it. The council needs to put a lot more money into respite care - these children should be priorities."
The council's children and families department said it was doing all it could for the families of disabled children with the resources it had available.
A department spokesman said: "We are unable to recruit as many carers as needed and increased demand for full time placements has probably cut across our ability to provide respite placements.
"There are also some children with very complex disabilities receiving considerable amounts of respite following the national move for more care in the community as opposed to hospital care.
"It is unclear whether demand for respite has increased but we think this is likely.
"More children are in single parent families and there is less extended family support available.
"There have also been significant increases in the incidence of some conditions such as autism.
"We provide a wide range of services for such children of which respite care is an important element. We strive within available resources to meet the range of needs presented."
This article: http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1168262006
How bloody attrocous and appauling in 2006 that these urgent services are not treated as a priority disgusting I feel Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr:(
Maria
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