Lilo

Lilo

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Back in the world of the grown ups - again!!

Yeah - me got to be mostly grown up yesterday and I really enjoyed it!


Remember the posts about Peter's Self Directed Support and Enable, who help support Peter (and the rest of us)? 


Well, they are involved in a series of conferences about Self Directed Support. There were some brief updates on the process and we had the Assistant Director of Social Care Services in Glasgow along to tell about how things are going in Glasgow.


Now - my thoughts were
1) When the heck did Social Work Department change to Social Care Services??? (while i was asleep one day maybe?!?!


and


2) Did this guy REALLY know i was in the building and how much danger money was he being paid, lest i chinned him about things?!?!?!


More of No 2 later!!!


The people who came along were from a wide range of groups - Enable (obviously) and Crossreach - both provide support for People with Learning disabilities. Crossreach also do support for older people. Some Mental Health groups, people who are homeless were also represented. Some individuals who are wanting to find out more about SDS were there - carers. And People who are supported by various agencies were there, so it was a fairly good mix.


There were 4 Workshops. Now, much as the other workshops i'm sure were great, i'm just going to tell you about the one that Peter and i did with Jenn, who is one of the Development Workers with Enable.


Our session was called "SDS and the Family".


We had to do it 4 times. I was conned - Jenn had told me we would do it twice!!!!!! Love you Jenn, but 4 times was (i thought!) going to be HARD going!!!!


Jenn did a lot of prep work for it - we used the filming we did last year for the Naidex exhibition and a slideshow of photos of Peter and what he'd been up to and of us as a family was shown as we talked after the film.


Luckily, the groups weren't too big. In the morning sessions, we watched the film, then Jenn asked Peter and Me some questions about our journey to SDS, how we found it, how easy/hard it was and what we might say to others thinking about going along the same road.
The groups seemed to be quite receptive and one or 2 things were asked. 
And to be honest, i was thinking of things on the hoof - like we're pretty unique , in that we are getting support for Peter, AND that Louise has worked as a SW while at Uni. It gave us a good insight into how the workers felt and how we felt we should be treating the workers who help support Peter. (they're not skivvies, they are human, often with their own stories of WHY they are doing this job).


We had a tea stop between the sessions and you could hear people talk. I passed someone who was talking about how hard things got for families when they didn't get good support - i just had to stop and agree!! (i don't usually butt into other conversations, but i just wanted the woman and the folk she was with to know they were not alone!!)


I did ask if this Deputy guy was about - but he had gone, Oh, damn - rumbled!!!
I should have said that Jenn, Ashleigh, Peter and I sat up the back with Geraldine (Scary Woman in a suit, who is actually very nice!! Woman who went to St Ambrose High in Coatbrige can be bred STRONG and take no nonsense!!!).
I joked that we could be a bit like the Hecklers from the Muppets!!!
Mmmmmm - i had to sit on my hands to stop myself from jumping up and down and shouting FFFOOOUUUUUULLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at one or two comments he made.


Lunch time came and we headed off for food. We thought our sessions had gone really well. At least - nobody had told us otherwise, or threatened to shove us oot a window and in the way of the traffic! Poor Ashleigh tho - she felt all her work had been for not much. She was talking about the process for providers and from what i heard her say, some were a bit iffy. I know that she would have prepared hard and i felt for her.


Peter loved the food mind you. He had some Pizza and some ratatouille - and went back for more pizza. He was a bit miffed there was no ice cream! But i couldn't resist the sticky toffee pudding!!!


After lunch, we chatted to a couple of people (2 lovely ladies from Crossreach) - they know the Unit Manager from the Mallard - the respite Peter went to when he was at school and one of them works at the unit which is situated in  Tollcross Park.


Then back to work!!
We decide to alter the presentation a bit. Instead of Jenn asking the questions, we asked the group is they wanted to ask anything. It was interesting what they did ask - could we bank hours? What about receipts and expenses? Why did we go for a structured approach and did Peter do anything of an evening? 
Managed to reply fairly well and i hope give some info and insight.


And, it had to happen didn't it. A parent of a child that Lou supported came over to talk to us!!! I had been careful not to mention who she had worked for or what her degree was in, or where she worked now. It took me a few seconds to actually work out which family it was. 
I had to rack my brain to make sure i hadn't said anything untoward!! I had made a comment about encouraging Peter to ask his support if they wanted a drink if he was going to get one - more out of politeness and not letting them feel left out. (i rarely leave anyone who comes into our house without the  offer of a drink of something, or if we are eating, the offer of at least a biccie or a sandwich)
Sadly, Lou wasn't even asked in this house if she would like a drink of water.


We had another tea stop before our Q&A session. Oh, man - the goodies they left out - choccie muffins. Scones with jam and cream. Bars of chocolate. Yummy!!!
I was chatting with Peter and this voice said "oh, Hello Mrs Johnston, nice to meet you"


It was the Social work/care guy!!! He;d come back!!


Maybe - for once - my reputation had by passed him.


Maybe he had heard and thought he'd come back to see if it was true!!


Maybe he was a glutton for punishment!!!!


Now - as we all know - i am not one to let a good opperchancity to pass me by!
Remember my visit to Mr Speaker's House and giving the Shadow Chancellor a message for the Chancellor and the Prime Minister.


No chances unturned or passed by could be my new motto!!!


So i asked him what the departments policy was on Social Work finding out how things are getting on ion a family where there is a Guardianship order in place.
Now - I KNOW what the office of the Public Guardian say, but i wanted to know what his Departmet would say.


Off hand, he said, he didn't know, but he would find out and get back to me.
Ok.


So then i told him that the reality of living in the world i do,  is that we do not have a named Social Worker or care manager. We have been in contact and been told that we do not need one. (Duh - wrong!! They are meant to be in contact because of the above order).
I told him i was not prepared to be fobbed off with "duty worker" who doesn't know us. ANd anyway - if someone did phone us claiming to be from SW and wanting to know things about the order (and i didn't know their name) I Would most likely hang up on them. 


D'ya blame me???
These are details that i don't really want bandied about outwith the people who NEED to know!!


I also told of the trouble we have had recently, being told of meetings, then told it wasn't in the diary. 
Of being told that "someone" would phone back and no one did. 
Of being told that if we really wanted a worker, we'd have to write and request one but most likely would not be allocated.


THis iis what is going on.


Luckily - for him(!!) Theresa came to the rescue!! 


Sorry T!!! I left you to pick up the pieces of a broken man!!!! 
(she did well to patch him up again!!! )


The Q& A was good, and all too quickly the day was over!


I WANNA DO IT ALL AGAIN!!!!


Oh wait - i DO get to do it all again!!


Couple of weeks time in Aberdeen, then in Irvine.


Goodie!!!!


Now - the day couldn't go buy without the mention of Donna and her shoes!!


Yes - Donna - wearer of the read high heels that were almost at tall as the Blackpool tower. (I kid you not - ginormouse they were!!)


Well - maybe not that big, but big enough to make my knees groan and my left ankle to scream in agony!!


This time, slightly less high, but comfy (she assured me) black pair.
Did you hear the groans and screams from me????




One thing i did say at the workshops was that Enable and our support team have become like an extended family to us. I have said this all along and i know it's not just us that they treat in this way. Some of the people they help support maybe don't have family now. They need to help support people in many different ways.


And it's not just Peter they support - it's us a family. 
I'm not saying everything is perfect - if it was, we wouldn't need the support. But it is sooooo good to have someone that you can phone if there is a problem and they can try to sort it. If finance are dragging out paying back expenses, someone can rattle them.
And sometimes. life gets a bit shitty and i end up in tears and just need to dump.


They don't get paid enough, but they keep coming back to join in our journey, so i'm glad about that.
One comment i made yesterday was that if you get paid peanuts, you get monkeys. And you may not feel supported.
But our experience has been that our support mostly feels well supported by both Enable and us. Yes- we've made changes, but that's life - change.


The last thing i'd like to say is something that my friend Linda posted on her facebook today. (yes, THAT Linda - partner is choc eating and southern comfort drinking crime.




Here's to the nights that turn into mornings.
The friends that turn into family.
The dreams that turn into reality.
And the likes that turn into loves.



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