Carers Assesment

[fairynormal]

To cut a long story short, I approached Social Services to ask for some support for our present situation. This was an extremely humiliating thing to have to do but when you are at rock bottom you'll try anything! My son's medical team have sent of Child In Need forms to back up our need for some support/respite, especially whilst my son in not in school. SS called today to say as he is not physically disabled we don't fit the criteria for help from the disability team so our case had been passed to Children and Families.

 

The sum total of help offered?

 

1 hour a week at an after school club!

 

Taking into consideration getting him there, getting him settled then going back to pick him up, I'd be lucky to get 20 minutes respite! Needless to say I told her thanks but not thanks! I should have known better than to get my hopes up where SS are concerned.

 

Today whilst browsing, I found out about the Carers Assesment. Has anyone had one done and if so, what was the outcome?

 

I can't think where else to turn on this one. I am on anti-depressants and both my doc and the team involved with my son are insistant that we need some kind of respite both for the sake of my own mental health and it would benefit my son as he has attachment issues. There is no-one to share his care at all and after 4 weeks of no school and possibly a few months more to come, I really need some support. He gets no home tutoring from the LEA for health and safety reasons (his is aggressive and very impulsive) and is too vulnerable for an inclusion unit, leaving him with me 24/7. I work part time but cannot go to work either as I have no-one to look after him.

 

Any other ideas?

 

Thanks

 

Sam x

[Bagpuss]

Hi Sam,

 

We were referred to Social Services when our youngest was still at nursery, she's 6 now. Initially we were referred via our muscle centre (she has MD too) to try and co-ordinate all her care. The social worker was lovely. He asked us to fill out a Carers Assessment and was very supportive, and said SS could help with respite (not something we had considered TBH). I filled out the questionnaire, and the SW came back and offered either a paid place at our dd's nursery during school hols (she was only attending term time), or he said SS could provide someone to take dd out doing things she enjoyed doing, or we could apply for Direct Payments and employ someone ourselves, including family members. We chose the nursery option, and dd went to nursery for full days, a couple of times a week, during the school hols. It worked perfectly for us, and we were able to do lots of thing with our eldest two which were out of the question if youngest dd had been with us. We decided to stop the respite during the summer hols before she began school, as we felt we didn't need it anymore. The SW then signed us off, because we didn't need or want any further assistance, but was very clear that should at any point in the future we felt we did, we should not hesitate to contact them. HTH. Take care, <'>

Edited February 10, 2007 by Bagpuss

[Blue-Kat]

which SS dept were you assessed by?

we asked for referral to SS for respite, but it went to the wrong dept.

It's important to be seen by Disabled children's rather than Families & Children's dept.

 

allI can suggest is to persist, and keep asking for the care package to be increased to something useful.

 

Sheffield Carers Centre maybe able to help.

http://www.sheffieldcarers.org.uk/

 

http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/safe--sound/so...en-and-families

 

best wishes

-

[elun1]

Hi Sam

We had a carers assessment and from that I got a grant to go and have some reflexology sessions to try and deal with stress but the actual respite I get for my ds (aged 5 severe autism) came from an initial assessment by social services. We got 3hrs per fortnight which has now been upped to 6hrs per fortnight. He is also looked after in after school club by one of the workers from te autistic unit he attends all of which came about as a result of initial assessment.

You must surely be entitled to more than you're getting

Take care <'> <'> Elun xxx

[Mother in Need]

which SS dept were you assessed by?

we asked for referral to SS for respite, but it went to the wrong dept.

It's important to be seen by Disabled children's rather than Families & Children's dept.

Why the difference Blue-Kat? What is the actual difference between those two departments? First time I've heard of a Disabled Children's dept...

 

I have been asking for help for years now, and have gotten nowhere. Assessments (both for my son and myself as a carer) were started twice, but NEVER finished, nor any help ever given, despite LOTS of pushing...

[lorryw]

Can I just throw my hat into the ring here. I would urge anyone who is not happy with their local SS department to complain. Every Council has a formal complaints system and unless people complain nothing will change. Sadly everything is to do with money and every effort seems to be made NOT to spend any if at all possible.

[Blue-Kat]

totally agree lorryw, very good idea to use SS complaints procedure, a lot of people have found it surprisingly effective.

 

Mother in need:

as far as I understand the remit of Children's and families seems to be geared to at risk, abuse, emergency intervention, short term support etc.

 

Long term respite breaks to enable carers to go on caring are different type of need.

[loulou]

Hi,

 

"Childrens Schools And Families" (CSF) is the general name that the LEA and SS comes under (in our area anyway). The Disabled Children's Team is part of CSF.

 

Fairynormal, what they have said to you about your son not fitting the criteria as he is not physically disabled could well be a load of rubbish. Have a look on their website, because their criteria should be on there (or ask them for a copy). I had similar trouble with my SS dept too, but it's only because i work with Social Workers (i'm a midwife) that i found out they were telling me fibs.

 

I was offered 4hours a week respite through something called "shared care", but i turned it down as Kai now boards at school.

 

I think you have to keep on calling them and really tell them how difficult things are getting. From my own experience, if you don't keep ON and ON and ON at them, they'll just "forget" about you. Maybe i'm very cynical, but that's my own experience of SS . When i was finally assigned a Social Worker, all she kept saying was what a good job i was doing, when i was on anti-depressants and my child had tried to kill himself . I know there ARE good social workers out there though (somewhere).

 

Loulou xx

[fairynormal]

My experience is SS is appalling. In all my life I have never asked for anything from them. About 18 months ago I called them in desperation as my son was very ill, talking to himself, saying he wanted to die etc and physically attacking me. It took 2 month before I heard anything and that was only after I called and threatened to make an official complaint. I was fobbed off with excuses about staff illness and holidays! Someone eventually came and did an assesment and I was assigned a Sure Start Support worker. She came 3 times, brought me some leaflets about ADHD then was made redundant. I was then signed off their books.

 

This time round, the medical team involved with my son called them as things were really bad and they were worried about us both. He has been very ill again and hadn't slept for almost a month. I was finding it hard to function and was becoming physically ill as well as depressed. Coupled with him being excluded from school it's really hard going. I had a phone call to see if we were ok as they were worried he may harm himself. There advice was for me to call the out of hours GP service and ask them to bring him a sleeping tablet!!??*** Can you belive that? What planet are these people on? After the initial phone call there was no follow up at all.

 

About 3 weeks ago I was at breaking point, he'd been permanently excluded from school, smashed my house phone up, attacked me with a pair of scissors and the doc had prescribed me anti-depressants. It took a lot of courage but I took us both off to the local SS dept and in tears, begged them to help us. I felt humiliated and degraded and a complete failure. They took all the details and promised to call the next day. It took 3 days before anyone called. They arranged the assesment visit which was then double booked and cancelled till the next day. In the mean time, someone else called me and said as he receives DLA and is statemented, our case would be dealt with by the disability team and I was sure to get some proper help this time.

 

When the SS came to do the assesment, my son was his usual self. He hit her on her head, legs and stomach, said she was scruffy, stank of fags and had manky teeth, he pinched her phone out of her bag, threw things at her and almost pushed her down the stairs! Just before she left she turned to me and said "I really don't know how you cope." and promised our case would be a priority and they wouldn't let us down this time.

 

Yeah right!

 

She is insitant that as he is not physically disabled he does not fit the criteria for the disability team only children and families. She admitted that there is little they can suggest or do other than I am doing already as I am doing such a good job. What a cop out! If I have to go back down there and refuse to move until they do something I am more than prepared to do it. I am a great believer in direct action and if that's what it takes then so be it.

 

And can you belive this, last time I asked for some help I was told I smile too much, am obviously intelligent and articulate and my son is clean and well looked after so we are obviously coping ok! That maybe the case, but just because he isn't neglected, it doesn't mean we aren't in crisis.

 

Grrrrrrrr!!!

 

Sorry to rant

[Bagpuss]

Sam, you are being badly let down, and its appalling Please PM if ever you want to, you need to know your not alone, and we are all here to listen. I take my hat off to you, you have done so much, and you are crying out for help, which should be given.....you should not have to beg. How bad do things have to get before anyone takes any notice....utterly disgraceful. Thinking of you and wish I could do/say more <'> <'> <'>

[Mother in Need]

Every Council has a formal complaints system and unless people complain nothing will change. Sadly everything is to do with money and every effort seems to be made NOT to spend any if at all possible.

Sadly I went via the official complaints procedure, and once again got nowhere. Apparently yes they legally have to START an assessment, but they do not legally have to FINISH this, NOR do they have to supply for the needs that they have indentified, NOR do they need to follow up on their own action plans........

 

the amount of letters that have been sent on my behalf by professionals must bem aking his file pretty heavy, but to date we still have NO named social worker, nor any help whatsoever.

[stressedmumto2]

I would urge you to go down the complaints route.

 

From 2000 I asked for help but was only offered a couple of hours a week for a month then it would stop.

 

In 2006 I asked fo a carers assessmnet done of me and my children, a core assessment. I started to get respite but it still wasn't enough.

 

My son like your son got excluded from school, he was terrible at home and everyone who entered the house also witnessed it, he was very angry one day when the social worker was around and she did get a bit of a brunt of it. I called every day when he was going into one in the evenings as I couldn't cope with his behaviour, his outbursts were lasting about 4 hours and with noone to talk to I wanted to walk. Eventually with the complaint going through we were given 3 hours respite 3 days a week with two support workers to ensure their safety and probably his incase they needed to restrain (joke isn't it) now he only has one worker and get they get along fairly well most of the time.

 

It was a very difficult time, going through the complaint process, being labelled ###### mum and still having to look after my son. Things are easier now in some ways even though he's not at school and when he goes with his sessional worker I get to spend some quality time with my daughter.

 

I really think you should pursue it and that willmean keeping on and on at them.

 

My son was seen by children and families team and they will not put him on disability team as they say we are accessing all services anyway we are now dealt with just by family support but we have a social worker who visits fortnightly to see how things are.

 

Could you ask for a multi agency meeting to be held, that will ensure that all agencies pull together to support you incluidng that of education and s/s.

 

On many of the letters I wrote to s/s I c/c'd everyone in to them so that all other agencies could see we were not being supported.

 

Best of luck with things, btw how long is your son excluded for?

[fairynormal]

Thanks.

 

I called SS today .......... what a complete farce!!

 

The woman dealing with our case wasn't in today so the guy who answered the phone said he'd try to deal with it. I had two basic requests, nothing too hard to understand really, or so I thought! Firstly, I wanted to be sent a paper copy of the criteria for accessing help and support from the Childrens Disability Team. The guy on the phone had a very poor grasp of the english language (and I don't mean that in any offensive way, merely stating a fact) and just repeated back to me everything I had just said. He asked me if we were receiving hel from the disability team and I said no and explained our situation all over again. he kept putting me on hold them coming back and saying they didn't have that information. Eventually I managed to get the phone number for the disability team and they are going to send it out to me. The conversation continued. Over the weekend I had downloaded from the Rethink website, the relevant legislation about requesting a Carers Assesment. I read this out to him on the phone and said I wanted to request a Carers Assessment. He put me on hold again. He then came back and said they didn't have a copy of that legislation and then suggested I go to my local library and ask for a copy! I must have told him 5 times that I didn't want a copy, that I was requesting a Carers Assessment! I kept asking to speak to someone else but he refused to let me. He just kept going on and on about going to my library until, in the end I got fed up and hung up.

 

The person I spoke to at the disability team was really helpful. She said I should call back and ask to speak to our case officers line manager which I did. The same bloke answered the phone ..... great! He was really rude and I could hear him saying to people in the office "It's her again" I could hear someone saying take her name and number and he said " I know just who SHE is. It's her who phoned before" He said someone would phone me back but as usual by 4:55 no-one had. I then called them again and within 10 minutes the deputy manager called me back. I said I had a simple request which was for a Carers Assesment. "what's one of those?" was her response! I ended up having to turn on the PC and read the relevant legislation to her as she didn't have a clue. She even asked me who was supposed to undertake it. I replied Social Services and she then asked me what department? The woman was asking me her own job! She says she will look into it and call me back in a day or two (which in real terms means a few months or never or am I just being cynical?!) She also said that as far as she was aware, Isaac was soon to be going to a residential school which is completely untrue. Where do they get their information from?

 

I asked if she felt that 1 hour a week short term support was adequate or did they treat all families with extreme needs in the same penny pinching way? She said that Isaac's needs are so complex that they have to look if they can offer the right kind of support if any at all and didn't CAHMS offer us any respite? As far as I am aware, CAHMS don't do that. They offer assesment and support on a medical level but nothing else.

 

I ended the converstation with the promise that I am going to make a complete nusance of myself. I am going to phone them every day, several times if need be, until they actually do something.

 

Stressed mum, my son was initially excluded for a fixed period of 2 weeks, this was then extended until 19th feb and will continue to be extended until a new school placement is found for him. School don't want him back and I refuse to send him back to that particular class teacher. His worker for his statement has apparently refused to work with him anymore so they won't have him back without support. His statement is only for 9 hours and has been advertised twice but had no applicants. His case goes to panel again on 22nd but the schools I have visited have either been innapropriate or have said they cannot cope with someone who has such complex needs (mainly mental health issues) so I have no idea what will happen. One thing I am adamant on is they are not shoving him away into some residential school miles away so he can be out of sight out of mind and no-one has to bother anymore.

[lorryw]

Im so sorry to hear you are having a rough time.

My own experiences of finding help from my local SS is so ridiculous it is almost unbelievable. I wont describe what has happened over the years but it is a long tale of unprofessionalism, lack of knowledge, ignorance of the law and the overriding desire to save funding. Its a good job I have an overdeveloped sense of humour, sometimes I felt I was in some kind of 70s sitcom.

I think these people actually forget that they are employed and paid (through our taxes) to provide a service. They hope that you will give up and quietly disappear. Sadly. as in most things it is those who scream loudest and longest who get the help.

Take care and carry on "screaming"

Lorainex

[bid]

Please don't view the idea of residential schools in this way

 

You may find that a 24 hour curriculum is the one thing that can offer your son the help and support he needs.

 

It certainly isn't 'out of sight out of mind'...I would never have let my son be treated like that, and he went to a residential school because of his complex needs due to his multiple dx.

 

I hope you get the support you both need as soon as possible <'> <'>

 

Bid

[fairynormal]

The plot thickens lol!!

 

Last week was my sons's regular case conference at the specialist hospital he is under for his care. Two Social workers came and basically said that we don't fit the criteria for any help from $$ . As he's not neglected or at risk Children and Families won't help us and the Childrens Disability Team are insistant that they can't help either.

 

I was so fed up by the end of the meeting that I went home and drafted a 4 page letter to my local MP and copied it to the service manager of the CDT and all my local councillors. I included bits of legislation from the Disability Discrimination Act and the Childrens Act etc to strengten my argument. I also submitted a formal complaint to $$. I dropped the letter off at the MP's office on Wednesday.

 

Friday morning I got a letter from $$ saying who my complaint had been passed on to. My MP called to say she thought it was disgraceful and was waiting for $$ to call her back but they hadn't bothered.

 

My MP called me today, twice, firstly to tell me that S S finally called her late on friday. The woman dealing with it said she needed the minutes from saac's case conference before she could comment and the MP gave her till wednesday to get the info and call her back. We had a good chat and she said she felt they were being unreasonable and that Isaac should fit the criteria for the Children's Disability Team. She also asked about school and how the panel meeting went. I never asked her to help with this but she has assured me that she will do all in her power to make sure he gets a place in the school I think is best for him. She agrees that the N.A.S school would be perfect for him and she would fight for a place if they turn him down!

 

About an hour later she phoned again to say they ($$) had called her back and they'd ended up having an arguament! They told her that as I had submitted a formal complaint, they would not release any information to her even though I had asked her to investigate and they know that. They said she had to submit a formal request in writing and then they'd decide. She thinks the reasoning behind this is that they are running scared because I said I would go to the media and the Disability Rights Commission! They are making sure they cover their backs at every turn so to avoid embarrasment and make sure everything is covered. The MP has gone mad and promises that if they are just being unnecessarily beaurocratic she will kick up a huge fuss. She left me to go and phone the Director of Childrens Services for the council to tell him what was going on and tell him to sort it out!! She was all guns blazing and the $$ had accused her of being aggressive lol!

 

I can't believe how great she is being. I have to admit to having little faith in politicians on general but I can't fault her at all.

 

It's all good stuff!

[lorryw]

Im pleased you have an on the ball MP and lets hope she gets thing moving. My MP tried to help but was not very forceful and I have had to take my complaint to the Ombudsman.

It is disgusting that everything has to be fought for and goodness knows how many parents dont have the energy and support to fight on.

Good luck and keep us posted.