27 | March | 2014 | mydaftlife

Spoke to two people this week who separately told me this story.

As part of a project team under the Winterbourne View Joint Improvement Programme, they were tasked with finding good practice in assessment and treatment centres. Through examining paperwork they identified five places to visit. They went to one area, hooked up with a local commissioner and spoke to managers who confirmed that the provision was good. They then spoke to families and some dudes who told them a different story. They went to visit the unit and were shocked at what they saw. They were told by patients that they didn’t like the place, that the kitchen and laundry were kept locked, they were given the wrong clothes back and couldn’t have a cup of tea when they wanted. The team was shown round the unit and it was awful. At the end of the visit, the commissioner, who was visibly shocked, said it just goes to show how important it is to go and actually visit places.

The two people who told me this story said they assumed that the commissioner would act on this.

The unit was STATT. The visit took place in January 2013.

Thought I’d start to share a few of the stories we have been told recently about provision for the dudes ‘in the community’. I know this blog is used in social care teaching and thought they may provide some useful fodder for discussion. Names are removed and I ain’t commenting. Just retelling.

So here’s the gig.

Dude Dean (DD) is ‘independently supported’ to live in a shared house. His support needs are judged to be such that he has a limited amount of support. He shares the house with Dude Lenny who is judged to have high support needs and 24 hour support. Their house is connected through a lobby to a second house which has three dudes all with 24 hour support packages.

Now most Saturdays, Dude Lenny goes back to his parent’s house which leaves DD home alone. In House 2, the dudes are put to bed early (I ain’t commenting, just retelling) and the three support workers watch the TV. DD often nipped through to House 2 to watch the TV with them until the care manager found out and said he was breaching the privacy of the three dudes whose house it was.

DD wasn’t happy. A young man in his twenties, he didn’t want to spend Saturday night on his own. His mum asked if one of the three support workers from House 2 could come through and hang out with him, as they were only watching TV. No, she was told. They were supporting the three dudes in House 2. Not DD.

So what does DD do? Phone his mum of a Saturday night, upset and lonely.

The end.