Victory for local pressure groups seeking respite care in Caithness
Caithness pressure groups heaved a sigh of relief as Highland Council announced today that local respite care will be reinstated for disabled children.
Respite care for children with additional needs was provided at a specially designed unit at Thor House in Thurso until the outbreak of the Covid pandemic. A review was then to be undertaken but when Avonlea children's home was shut in Wick the youngsters there were transferred to Thor House.
Until today’s announcement, Highland Council had said there was no need for a respite unit at the Thurso facility. Avonlea is now earmarked to change from a children's unit to an educational facility.
Earlier this afternoon (September 13), a council press release with the headline ‘Future of Thor House’ was issued stating: “Following a process of review, including extensive stakeholder engagement, the Highland Council has completed an options appraisal on the future of Thor House in Thurso.
“The council can now confirm that it intends to reinstate the property as a short break house for children with disabilities. The process and procedures around this will take time – including registration with the Care Inspectorate.
“As this will take time to conclude, a timeline is difficult to predict. Regular updates on progress will be provided to relevant stakeholders.”
Dan Mackay, group adviser for Encompass Caithness, said that the pressure group is “delighted to learn of the forthcoming reinstatement of Thor as a respite facility”.
He continued: “We are so glad our campaigning and close working with Highland Council leader, Cllr Raymond Bremner, and his officials has paid off.
“We thank those who took part in our survey – all 115 respondents – which has demonstrated the real need for this vital support service to be restored. We believe in people power and are glad the council has listened to us. We feel our campaign has been vindicated. It is excellent news.”
Mr Mackay finished by saying that Encompass was also very grateful for the support of local councillors “who rallied to our cause”.
Meanwhile, the chair of Caithness and Sutherland Respite Campaign, Elizabeth Jones, said that though she welcomed the decision she has some reservations.
"Having fought since November 2022 for the reinstatement of respite care at Thor House, I welcome today's statement from the Highland Council with open arms,” she said.
“However, I am very cautious to take this as a cut-and-dried matter because actions speak louder than words. Far louder. I note that Highland Council is not committing to any timescales whatsoever for the proposed change of use of Thor House; this is disappointing, although hardly surprising considering their track record of secrecy and obfuscation.
“It is still my firm belief that those senior officers who were responsible for the closure of respite at Thor House more than three years ago really have no intention of reinstating the service.
“I believe that it is only the enormous pressure and public scrutiny they have come under that has backed them into a corner, so now they must at least pretend to act. Of course, time will tell if their statement today really does come to fruition, but in the meantime, I will continue to campaign for all disabled children across Caithness and Sutherland who are in need of overnight respite care.
“Let it not be forgotten, that some families have really struggled to hold everything together for over three years now, with zero support from our local authority.
“How much longer are we expected to wait for some basic help? I know of one family whose severely autistic son used to attend Thor House on a monthly basis so that he and his family could benefit from some overnight respite care.
“When this service was unceremoniously scrapped in 2021, this particular lad was at the difficult teenage stage of his life. Yet, he was not old enough to attend adult respite services, so he and his family were stuck in limbo for years until he became old enough to access respite further south. What a disgrace for Highland Council.
“Other families, including my own, are still in the predicament of having not a single night off from very challenging, stressful, and sometimes disturbing, behaviour. I implore Highland Council, yet again, to do the right thing by serving and supporting the most vulnerable members of our society.”
