Budget cuts hitting care for disabled children

ELDERLY PARENTS are struggling to care for their severely disabled children in Sheffield because of budget cuts which have devastated services.

Sheffield Mencap and Gateway has had to strip back services and that his was affecting older parents, some of who are in their 80s, and their grown-up disabled children.

The charity helps carers over the age of 55 who are looking after an adult with a learning disability or autism.

In the past five years, the charity has lost 80 per cent of its funding, has had to reduce staff from nine positions to one job share role and is struggling to help the 1,000 families it works with.

Support worker Kirsty Worstenholm said families and the charity were under immense pressure because of government and council budget cuts.

Sheffield Mencap, which is not funded by the national Mencap, has been around for 65 years.

Ms Worstenholm said: “We used to do home visits because a lot of our carers are elderly but that service had to be cut. We can only do one or two crisis care visits a month now.

“We used to be able to provide transport to support groups but that was cut.

“Because of social care budget cuts, carers are having to do a lot more. They have lost day services and respite care has also been cut so there are no places for them to go to.”

Sheffield Council said it is investing in adult social care despite Government cuts.

Coun Chris Peace, the council’s cabinet member for health and social care, said: “We have maintained and even increased the funding for adult social care in spite of these national cuts but this is not a sustainable situation.”

And he praised Sheffield Mencap, saying: “Charitable organisations in Sheffield do an amazing job and are right to highlight the increasing pressure they are under because of government policy over the last 10 years.”