Respite care move a 'distressing' time for parents (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Parents who use respite care in Harpenden speak out about move

4:42pm Monday 18th January 2010 in News By Manisha Mistry

PARENTS have slammed Hertfordshire County Council's plans to relocate a Harpenden respite centre which provides vital care for their children.

Nick Latham and Sue Knight, whose severely disabled children receive short-term care from staff at the Douglas Road centre, fear the move along with proposals to increase the intake could threaten the quality of care.

Currently the centre, which is run by Mencap, only takes in three children for overnight stay at one time to ensure there are enough staff for at least one-to-one care, with the same situation during the day.

The concerned parents told the Review that staff in Harpenden have a unique relationship with their children which could be jeopardised by a ratio of more children compared with the numbers of staff.

Mr Latham's 12-year-old son Freddie uses Stairways two days a month, usually on weekends, for six hours each time.

Mr Latham said plans discussed in the consultation, carried out by the county council, to possibly move the centre from Harpenden to Hemel Hempstead or Hertford would take up valuable respite time travelling to and from his home in Marshalswick.

He said: “A lot of parents have found the whole consultation period very distressing and emotional. There is such a strength of feeling among all the parents.

“All respite is a lifeline for us. It's not just about giving the parents a break it's about giving the young people a new experience and allowing them to go somewhere they can enjoy away from home.”

Leader of the Lib Dems at County Hall, Councillor Chris White, revealed to the Review last week the possibility of Mencap bidding on a new location in Redbourn.

Patrick Fisher, a trustee at Harpenden Mencap, has been involved in the consultation process which ran through October and November last year.

He and the parents who use Harpenden Stairways are urging the county council to move away from a new six-bedded unit which has been proposed.

Mr Fisher said: “I would say the county officers do not see this through the child's eye. This is a grown up solution for a grown up problem and it's wrong.

“The children are getting to know the staff better with a low number of overnight stay bedrooms.”

Sue Knight, another parent who spoke out to the Review, highlighted the stress it would cause both her and her 14-year-old son Jack if the situation does not result in their favour.

She said: “This is like a home-from-home for my son and that is terribly important to us. It has been left until the 11th hour for us to be consulted.

“You have mothers crying at the school gates at a normal school but it is much worse for us – our children can't communicate.”

The county council is unable to comment on the issue until it is discussed by the cabinet on February 15.