Mrs Doreen Smyth
110 Greenhill Road
Glasgow
G62 4DW
Dear Mrs Smyth,
Further to our recent telephone call, I am writing to you in regards to the information discussed. Firstly the local Authorities & Central government have a responsibility to help you as a family with a disabled family member. This could be in the first instance benefits from the government for both you and Gordon. These benefits from the social fund may include Personal Independent Payment which can range from £21.80 to £139.75 per week depending on how the individual’s condition affects them. This is broke down into 2 components, daily living & Motability component. The daily living helps with things like washing preparing food & managing medicine etc. The mobility part is to help to get out & about & if you are entitled to the high rate you could use this to get a car that maybe be adapted for wheel chair use if this is needed. As Gordon’s carer you could also be entitled to carers’ allowance which could be up to £62.10 per week. There is also attendance allowance to help with personal care which is either £55.10 or £82.30. You may also be entitled to employment support allowance which starts at £73.10 during assessment period going up to potentially £109.30.
The local authority has a responsibility to provide Gordon with a social worker, who can work on his behalf to get the care that your family are entitled to. This support will be paid for by benefits either paid to yourselves using self-directed support act 2013 which give you as a family more control on how you support is provided & budget set out for this. Self-direct support offers a range of options on how you can use this, you could receive a direct payment to a range you own care& support, you could allow the local council to provide the service for you, or you could use a mix of the both services. The support can be used for support within your own home, help with cooking, personal care dressing bathing etc. as well as providing funding to attend a range of activities including day care centre, assistance to swimming or maybe college, or short breaks to respite. This could also be used to make adaptions or provide equipment within the home, this is something that would be done through referral to Occupational Therapy this can be done through G.P surgery or Local council (social worker).
The central government have a duty of care this is provided by the NHS & social services (funded from taxes paid by income tax & national insurance through employment earnings). There are also laws set out to ensure this happens the law is the NHS & Community Care Scotland Act 1990 – this law is in place to ensure that adults over 18, who are eligible & require services from the local authority have the right to a full assessment of their needs& that the needs should be tailored to their individual needs. This main that they should be involved in assessing their needs fully & that everyone being assessed has the right to expect the services to meet their needs. This main that if your circumstances change then you are entitled to be reassessed to ensure you are receiving the correct service. Also that your circumstances are assessed on a yearly basis.
Also the Community care & Health Act brought in the change that create rights for yourself as an unpaid carer, to provide satisfactory support services to ensure that care in the community can continue. It also creates the right to a carer’s assessment which assesses you needs as a carer, this could be support, advice & training.
The E.U has set standards of how people should be treated with regards to health & safety, employment & welfare Benefits. The uk had a history of opting out of certain polices but the E.U enforced measures to stop this happening. The E.u also influenced the Human rights act 1998 to become law in the UK. The Human rights Act 1998 are basic rights 7 freedoms that everyone has throughout the world. These include the right to life, your life is as important & the rest. Right to respect for a private & family life (living in your own home as a family for as long as possible). Thee right to be treated with dignity & being part of a community meaning that you are entitled to the help & support you need to have a good life.
There are 4 main social care sectors these are;
Private Sector- are readily available services to those who need them but have to pay a fee for these services. These services may include, respite, day care centres & personal assistant to activities like swimming, college etc or hospitals. This fee can be from the social funding (self-direct Support). These services are private organisations owned by business so therefore are wanting to make money. Money made in these companies go towards paying for staff & left over profits go to the owners.
Statutory Sector – are council & local authority services including housing, NHS, Schools library, again these are readily available services but you have to meet the criteria to receive these services. They are not always free services, but can be taken into consideration depending on individual circumstances & you may have to contribute a towards the cost. This means any money that they make get put back into the public sector. These services are in place as they are legally required to exist. This sector is funded by a budget set by the government within financial periods each year & distributed to different areas & should be managed fittingly to ensure it last for the time needed.
Voluntary Sector- these are non-profit organisations who rely on fund raising, charity shops, public donations & grants from government. The voluntary sector can apply for grants from organisations like the Big Lottery Fund, which from money spent on lottery tickets provides funding for grants to local & national charities. This money goes towards meeting the costs of staff & improving the service.
Unpaid/informal cares – this is anyone you helps look after an individual’s with care needs this could be you as Gordon’s wife, neighbours, family & friends, who do not get paid to do so. This is likely to be someone who the individual who requires care as they are trust worthy. This is funded by the social by giving carers or the person needing care benefits to pay for this help as stated above. This is again set by a budget from the Scottish executive & also allows for periods of respite care for the person requiring care.
The voluntary sector perhaps able to help you as they have various organisations set up to fit in with your situation, this could be various events that could be helpful for advice, training or information purposes. One of these organisations that could be very helpful is Carers Scotland. This organisation can give the advice, information & support you require as a carers, even connect you to other carers in your local area so you don’t feel alone. As this can be a very lonely and demanding time which can be hard on you & your family as people may not understand what you are going through or how difficult it can be to be looking after someone 24/7. So getting in touch with other carers, even just enjoying a cuppa can help to off load you anxieties & fears at this time.
The public sector may be able to help you as you state that Gordon may require surgery in the near future, with the public waiting list on the NHS this can be a long painful wait for yourself & Gordon, and this operation could may be put on the private health care sector to bring the waiting time down. Although this could be financially costly.
There are several influences on social policy that can influence changes to legislation, changes in the law happen when private issues become public issues, this is when several cases of the same problem get portrayed in the public eye, causing it to become a bigger issue. Pressure groups, media campaigns, perceived threats to society & politicians could all influence changes to legislations. The law can be changed when there is critical failings within the laws & legislations already in place, this is done through inquiries into those failing which then leads to reports which look at the area of concern. Before legislation becomes law it must be placed through several processes this includes, green paper – the first stage which outlines options to be considered & brought forward for discussion within the government then there is the white paper- this is the second stage in which the green paper gets amended & a more in-depth version of the green paper is put forward. After this The Bill- is the legislative process, when considerations have been made this is then passed through parliament who then decide whether it should be passed or not.
One example of this could be the inquiry in the murder of Victoria Climbie when Lord Laming established that despite Victoria being known to various social services, homeless person’s units, housing authorities & child protection agencies within metropolitan Police services, there were 12 key occasions in which they failed to protect Victoria leading to her death from months of mental & physical abuse from her aunt & her partner. This lead to Victoria Climbie, every child matters green paper published from the government & passed the Children Act 2004 this law let to changes in the way the child protection agencies worked by creating an Integrated Children’s Computer (ICS).
Examples of how social influences can change people’s opinions & maybe lead to law changes could be Media, the media play a massive influences on today’s society, this can images, internet sites, tv and radio, this could be a great way the MSPs/ MPS could pass on information regarding disabilities & unfair dismissal form employment.
Another influence could be public opinion these concerns & opinions of the public also have a great influence on legislation for politicians to wins vote and remain in power, the government must address public issues that people want fixed. This could be helpful if like Gordon there a more & more people bring their case to like it would then become a public issues requiring dealt with.
There are also democratic changes which could influence changes an example of this could be the rise in people living longer thus requiring elderly help. Again this ties in with the community care & health (Scotland) act 2003 which provides free personal care for older adults.
There are local organisation in your area,
Greater Easterhouse Supporting Hands (GESH) provides training, social & recreational services to adults & young people with physical disabilities & learning difficulties they offer different activities including pool clubs, bingo, arts & crafts, community training & discos.
Spinal Injury Scotland is a national voluntary organisation set up to help people with spinal injuries, their concern is people with injuries, their relatives and friends, this also involves those involved with the management and care of the injured person.
References
Bingham et al – HNC Social Care book – Pages 43- 61
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-victoria-climbie-inquiry-report-of-an-inquiry-by-lord-laming accessed – 28/10/15
http://www.sisonline.org/?page_id=11968 27/10/2015
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2005/03/15/child-protection-3/ 27/10/15
http://www.gesh.co/about.html 27/10/15
http://www.carersuk.org/scotland/about-us 27/10/15