Peter's support

We are involved with great support group called Unique.
Some of the members have become good friends, who help support us - you all know who you are and your names will come out in time!!
They along with some friends who have known me for years and put up with me are great!

But a time came in Peter's life where Peter did need more support thet as a family we couldn't always give him. He needed to be able to work on independance and not be with US all the time.
So started our journey.

We politely pointed out that Peter needed the support and could we please have some.
No came the reply from the council - and don't you forget it.
Next came the letters to the  councillors.
One of them has been great - has backed us in our quest and has been a source of support and help since. At 1st he wondered why we needed the support, but once he got to know us, he understood. Well - a full scale interogation of what you know about thomas the tank and disney films and your holidays does tend to wear you down.

Eventually, Self directed support was suggested.
Mmmm - we thought. We'd spent months being told that the council had NO money and with cut back, well, they'd have even less. DIdn't we know that the recession was hitting???

But i was persuaded to at least try. Luckily, the person dealing with SDS we had known for a few years and she took us through the application. What was the worst they could do? Give us the budget they already held for Peter's respite and let us decide what to do.

So off she went, armedwith our forms and pled a case. Now, quite what she said i'm not sure and neither do i really care! It was honest and legal (so she says and i believe her!!! ).
She phoned me to tell me that we had been allocated a budget well in excess of what the respite cost, Now we had to get on with the planning.

All this took about 2 years - from the time Peter left school and the child and family services and moved into adult services. I was a bit worried that i'd fall flat on my face with the planning, but at our 1st meeting, we came up with a few good ideas ranging from how Peter could be supported to get to college to how we could organize respite for him.
No Blackpool (as was suggested!) or Caravan (another suggestion we've heard!!) But when you've been as far afield as London and California, with Braemar thrown in, heck, Blackpool, a caravan.....................It is just NOT going to cut it with my boy!!

SO - we now have support to college. Nikki, Ryan and Kelly are just beginning to realize what we are like. The support started on the 4th of october, then we hit the mid term holiday, which hapily wsa our 1st lot of new respite. (will post more later!!)
We've had a couple of glitches, but nothing major so far.
i should be wary of those words - SO FAR!!
They may well (i hope not!) haunt me!!!