About two weeks ago, my eldest son (21) moved from the residential accommodation where he has lived for over three years. I have been involved in some of the planning and understood that he would move to supported flats, run by the same care company that supplied his residential accommodation, and he would receive visits from support staff twice a day (morning and evening) and would be able to access the groups that he has found therapeutic which were run at his old residential home.
However, he has told me that he sees a support worker perhaps two or three times a week, and never at weekends and that he is not allowed back to his old accommodation for groups he found useful due to Coronavirus restrictions (I assume he is now classed as a separate household or something). He has also had no financial assessment, so it is unclear how his support is being financed. I opted to pay the component he was required to pay during his residential placement, but I have contacted the LA to inform them of his move and this is when I learnt that the financial assessment has not been undertaken.
My son has had help to fill in housing benefit forms and with the initial move. However, I have had to negotiate a request to repair a faulty window frame. I still have not seen the flat into which he has moved, and my son has told me that visitors are discouraged due to Corona restrictions. However, I am going to visit this week.
There is a review arranged via Skype in early November and I have contact details for the manager of the supported living and my son’s social worker. I do not know whether it is too early to raise concerns, or if, indeed, my concerns about the reduction in support can be explained by the necessary restrictions of the pandemic. However, I am very uneasy.
I had been happy with my son’s care in his residential placement, but now it seems like he has been left with very little support and very very little to occupy himself during the day.
Should I start raising concerns now (perhaps after I have seen the flat) or should I wait until the formal review in November?
My son moved out of residential care in 2006, against my wishes. All sorts of problems ever since, that’s 14 years!!! Complain loudly, immediately. There should have been no move until there was a new Care Plan, financial assessment etc etc. Does the provider begin with R by any chance???
Thank you for the prompt reply. I will be complaining assertively this week. I want to have a look at his flat first and assess the extent to which he is looking after himself.
The care providers do not begin with an ‘R’, but they are a private company who, whilst generally providing a good service (in the past) are definitely profit based. It may be the case that now my son is not drawing in the £1,000 + a week for residential accommodation and support, he is not a high priority, or perhaps this is me being cynical.
I will wait until I have seen the place, so I can add any concerns about how he is coping to the other concerns.
If he had a £1,000 a week care package before moving out, then that should be the level of care he is receiving UNTIL a new Needs Assessment and Care Package proves that he does not need it any more.
Have a look at the 2014 Care Act Regulations Statutory Guidance.
I printed it off in the end, suggest you do the same.
Arm yourself with post it notes, a highligher pen and a coffee and gradually work through it.
What is the nature of your son’s disability?
This is very helpful. I am certain he is not receiving anything like the level of support he had in residential care. He has a support worker who visits him 2 or three times a week; no activities; no therapies and so on. In fact, he was saying how much he missed some of the groups, when we talked.
Everything is supposed to be sorted in advance, especially how much care the council think he needs.
Look at the council’s website tomorrow and look for “Adult Social Care Complaints” and say that you believe your son is at serious risk as a result of their failures.
Be sure to ask for a copy of their last Needs Assessment and Care Plan for your son to be emailed to you immediately.
When did you last have a Carers Assessment from SSD?
That should have been updated too.
You might want to copy it to the Director of Social Services too. That usually makes people perk up and do their jobs properly as they see their promotions in jeopardy!!
You gotta make sure everything is sorted in advance as it can be a headache later down the road eh. There are needs and assessments, care plans you can look into too!