social worker help needed

Replies

By debzsanderson

Re: social worker help needed
Sun 23 Mar 2008 16:48

hello Eagle

My partner has just been awarded Direct Payments which means we have full control of the money - including the carers who we can employ and therefor have a say when they come etc. I am sure this might help solve your problem - my neighbour has carers who come in around 10am!!

Good luck

Debz xx

By debzsanderson

Re: social worker help needed
Sun 23 Mar 2008 16:50

oopss!! I am sorry I just re read your post and saw the bit about Direct Payments - I would contest that decision and definately ask for a second opinion!!

Debz xx

By moonstar

Re: social worker help needed
Sun 23 Mar 2008 16:56

Hi. Sorry to hear about problems you are having with your Social Worker - sounds useless

Can the hospital help with Social Worker? I have only just got one for my 11 year old and that was through one of the Consultants he saw who was so disgusted that he didn't have anyone that she got her hospital Social Worker on the case. I am in different health authority to the hospital but she did a referral to local Disability Team .

Have only met her 3 times and she's only met my son once for 15 minutes last week and not sure she's going to be able to help but at least she comes to house to see us!!

I wonder if you have any contact with the original social worker who got you the carer in the first place? Could they help?

I think that you have grounds to complain to the Senior Social Worker at least - they have a duty of care, and your social worker is definitely failing in that.

Have you spoken to your GP? This situation is not only bad for you and your health but is having a detrimental effect on your son's wellbeing.

You are entitled to a Carers Assessment and they have a duty to carry it out.

I live in Northern Ireland, and so some of our systems are different to England, but I'm sure that there are similarities.

When I had problems with my son's benefits, I got in touch with Town Councillors, at my MP's local office, and they were a great help.

I think you should contact your Health Authority covering the Social Services office which you are assigned and asking them what course of action you can take - they should also be able to give you full details of complaints procedures.

I don't know if any of this has helped.

Hang on in there, and know that you are doing your best for your son - I know it feels like you are banging against a brick wall!

Take care

 

By Tricia

Re: social worker help needed
Sun 23 Mar 2008 17:37

Is your son statemented for his education?

If yes then he should of had a transition plan for when he leaves the education setting which he is and this should of started when he was in year 9 which would of been monitored through his yearly educational reviews.

What I do when I am trying to get anything in place for my son is to keep regluar contact asking for updates on the progress of how things are going. That way your name is kept in their minds and they know that you mean business when it comes to your child

Take care
tricia

By loopy

Re: social worker help needed
Sun 23 Mar 2008 18:10

your social worker sounds like a complete waste of space. I dont know if your son is statemented or not, but my daughter is and i still had to battle to get her a social worker. It seemed that social services forgot that she exists. I cannot believe that you have been offered no respite. I am truly shocked at their total incompetance. I have eventually got my daughter a social worker but she has had social workers in the past and they just seem to come and go at will. No one told me that and consequently we had to go through a right rigmarol when they changed. I too went through the worry of what would happen to my daughter once she had left school. No one seemed to want to tell me anything and i was made quite ill over the whole thing. But i kept on at them and eventually they listened. I hope you find the peace and help that you are looking for.
Lisa

By Eagle

Re: social worker help needed
Tue 25 Mar 2008 22:56

Moon star im in n.ireland too! home first trust.

Thankyou everyone for your support.

my son is statemented as for transistion my son was not at school most of 3rd year as he was hospitalised but i recieved a strange letter last year from the education board mentioning transition plan which i had never heard off! Now that i think of it i cant remember the last time he had the yearly meeting to check his statement. My son has had a lot of school abscence the last 3 years.

I will try and get something sorted again after easter.

By moonstar

Re: social worker help needed
Wed 26 Mar 2008 00:51

Im in Southern Health Board.

If you havent been getting his annual reviews you need to contact the school and also the Education and Library Board and they should be able to tell you what is going on with his reviews. Also, I would think that his Statement would need some revision as his needs are obviously changing.

I used to get my son's in January/February but because he moves to secondary school this September his review was done in November last year. ( and I think most Boards do their reviews around Jan/Feb)

My son is in a Moderate Learning Difficulties Unit attached to a mainstream school, and his teachers in the Unit are very supportive - more so than the teacher when he was in mainstream. Have you discussed the situation with the Special Needs Co-ordinator at school?

I also agree with Tricia that the only way to get people to take notice is to keep phoning and asking what is happening about you and your son's situation.

I hope that you get this situation sorted out soon.

Best of luck - let us know how you get on.

Take care

By jojo08

Re: social worker help needed
Sun 11 May 2008 16:57

I dont know if this will help now you have every right to ask for a new social worker you have the right as you would to change your gp. Nothing you have said surprises me calls for morning runs usually start at 7am and can finish upto 11.30 12 it all depends on where the carers can fit a client onto the run. You can ask for a reassessment you can also get 7days a week care rather than 5days. Has a proper care plan be put in place? Although Homefirst carers are from the board there are other companies out there working in homefisrt areas.

By lorryw

Re: social worker help needed
Sun 11 May 2008 17:19

Please make a formal complaint. We put up with a similar situation for several years. I always worried that it would make things worse, it didnt, it made them sit up and take notice.
Your local authority website will have details of how to complain and I urge you and anyone who has similar problems to do so.

By Eagle

Re: social worker help needed
Sun 11 May 2008 18:00

Just an up date and another cancelled appointment an hour before.

She did manage to get out for another visit to do her assessment but said she still had more questions and arranged another appointment 2 weeks later which is the one that was mentioned above.

I finally told her I wanted another social worker as i felt she did not think my son was very important she said she was cancelling as she hadnt typed the last report so had nothing for me to read/sign.

I reminded her she said she had more questions to ask but she decided she had enough info from the last meeting,she hadnt reaised the complexities of his disability or that we had no support from any family. So she is asking for 10hrs a week direct payments for personal and social outings. Says her boss will be shocked she is asking for so much?????

Said she would def have report typed and would be in touch the week after as she wants it to go to june panel. She didnt make an appointment and surprise surprise not heard a dickie bird.

my son finished school last wednesday just going in for his exams now.

feeling down and trapped!