Published: Wednesday, 21st May, 2008 12:00
Suicide-bid mum blasts ‘negligent’ social services
By Hamish Hutchinson
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A MOTHER has hit out at Clackmannanshire Council’s social services claiming they are putting her children at risk by not providing extra care and assistance.
Miss C feels the department are not listening to her cries for help – even after she attempted suicide last year.
Now the single mother-of-four has contacted a solicitor and is considering taking legal action against social services for their “negligence”.
The problems began for Miss C (39) when she was diagnosed with clinical depression 12 years ago and placed on medication.
Still unable to return to work, she currently receives incapacity benefits.
Her life was further complicated when her first child, a son, was diagnosed as having a form of autism.
She said, “At three to four years old, I started noticing problems with his development.
“For a person to suffer from depression and then find out her first child is going to have learning difficulties is very hard to deal with.”
As well as having to care for her autistic child, now aged 10, she also has another son (3), who is due to be assessed by doctors, and twin daughters, aged two.
Miss C says her close family are unable to help due to their own health difficulties and, because of the children’s father’s extensive working hours, he can’t provide daily care.
Her present council care package includes two hours of care in the mornings and four hours for two of her children on Sundays.
However, she feels that the package does not take account of respite care for herself – only two and a half hours a week.
“I’ve got to give care now around the clock,” she went on.
“I don’t get a break and no family members are in a fit state to help me as they have severe illnesses.
“A senior social worker told me one time just to put the eldest one out to play in the park nearby, saying he’ll be fine. I never believed a social worker would put a child at risk.
“How could a senior social worker say to put a child with special needs in a park alone, put a child out at risk to save putting more care in place?”
A few weeks later her 10-year-old was shot in the eye with a pellet gun when he was allowed out of the house for less than five minutes.
She claims she was unable to take him to the regular follow-up hospital appointments as the current care package would not allow her the time.
The stress of juggling the welfare of her four children without any respite care finally took its toll in October last year when she attempted suicide.
She said, “I felt at core social work meetings they spoke over me or cut me off when I was trying to speak. I found it hard to talk about it without crying. If you’re going to care meetings and are crying it’s obvious that you can’t cope.
“They were not interested in how ill I was getting. I didn’t want to live anymore because I didn’t want anything happening to the kids as I couldn’t supervise them all the time.”
Now the Alloa mum is seeking legal advice after social services rejected her own suggestions for a care package.
She says the social workers just laugh at her plight in meetings when she explains that she has to leave two children home alone when she collects her twins from the nursery minibus.
She added, “At one of the last core meetings I received nothing but praise as a mother, saying my children were immaculate and I was the best mother a child could have. Does it mean that you have to have an abusive family or have parents on drugs or drink before you get any help?”
A council spokesperson said, “Social Work Services have a intensive care and support package in place for Miss C.
“This is reviewed regularly and adjusted according to need.”
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