Respite care for Caithness parents/carers moves forward with pressure group
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A Thurso mum has taken a step further with her demands for better respite care in Caithness with a new online group that parent-carers can join and share information.
Elizabeth Jones said her severely autistic son, seven-year-old Ollie, needs the care formerly in place at Thor House in Thurso which has changed its policy of providing respite assistance for struggling parents. Her daughter Phoebe has also recently been diagnosed as autistic.
“As a local mother and carer of two autistic children, I feel failed by the Highland Council,” said Mrs Jones.
“I should be able to access respite care services for a short break, but Thor House, the only provision we had in Caithness, closed down to families four years ago and has now undergone a 'change of use' from respite facility to children's residential home. This leaves local disabled children and their families with absolutely nothing.”
She says that though negotiations are underway with the council, it is “not an acceptable situation” so she will continue to campaign until a provision is created.
“I have set up a public Facebook group - 'Caithness Respite Campaign' - to not only raise awareness of my campaign, but to team up with other parent-carers in the same boat from across Caithness and Sutherland. I have even received messages asking for help from a parent in Tain.
“I have also shared my recent online petition at Change.org to the group page, to garner more signatures and awareness. This has already had an impact – on a recent trip to the shops in Thurso, a cashier told me that she had seen my online petition and had signed it. She was absolutely shocked that there is no longer any respite care within Caithness – she didn't even know until she read my petition.”
Mrs Jones said that her son’s autistic symptoms include rocking, deep breathing, bouncing quietly in one spot with his hands over his ears, or making repetitive vocal sounds. He also bites his hand, although “this is done out of frustration/anger”.
“Moving forward, I intend to demonstrate all the numbers of supporters/members/signatures to the Highland Council at our next meeting on the 29th of April.
“Evidencing a demonstrable need within the community will strengthen my campaign, and will build upon the Highland Council's own figures of circa 14 families in need of respite care across Caithness and Sutherland [the result of a carers' survey they conducted last year].”
Mrs Jones added that Caithness is not alone in the lack of council-funded respite provision but pointed out the need in Sutherland, Orkney, Skye and Inverness as well.
The Facebook group is at: www.facebook.com/groups/807637764556051/
The online petition can be found at: www.change.org/p/bring-back-respite-services-for-caithness-sutherland
Mrs Jones is also setting up a small committee to seek change in Highland Council policy on the matter after her Facebook group garnered 83 members in just two days.
“I will be the chair and Emma Campbell from Wick will be the vice chair. She is also a mother of four children, with two of them diagnosed/being diagnosed.
“Other roles have yet to be decided upon and allocated.”
