Why not the same outrage at the NAS care home abuse story as at Oxfam?

[sickofsocalledexperts]

Just that really. There was terrible abuse of vulnerable autistic and learning disabled adults at the National Autistic Society's Mendip House in Somerset. They were ridden round like horses, fed chillies, slapped and thrown in the swimming pool - all "for a laugh" and by NAS staff in a residential home that they had themselves accredited. The NAS first tried to "bury the bad news' by unveiling it via a new Twitter account with only 21 followers last Friday (marking a new low in PR strategies). And then, when that strategy backfired in spectacular fashion with a huge online backlash, they earnestly promised to be totally transparent and produce a full timeline about who knew what when . This, almost amazingly , they also tried to sneak out on Wednesday with little fanfare and using the same link (it's still up on Facebook, so if you weren't looking, you wouldn't know a new statement has been issued). Jeez, who's doing their PR?

Now sh*t happens, and bad apples turn up in institutions, but it's how quickly and how transparently you deal with them that says whether your organisation prioritises a) making damn sure this kind of abuse never happens again by shining a bright light on what went wrong or b) covering their arses.

As mum to a boy who is autistic and learning disabled, and could never tell me if someone was being nasty to him behind closed doors, I"m appalled not just by what happened at Mendip House but also how they've handled it. It's both dumb and cynical.

Also think the new statement contradicts their earlier PR positioning - that action was immediate once head office were informed of the abuse, but that sadly there were two years before that when "local management" didn't report the abuse upwards. The new timeline is playing some very silly games with wording, which gives me even less confidence that this is in fact true.

Were these poor people left at the mercy of abusive practice for 2 years because the NAS is basically a shower of shi*e?

Two things are for sure: 1) they've damaged their brand even more with this sneaky PR strategy and 2) my beloved boy will set not one foot over the door of an NAS-run school or home.

www.facebook.com/NationalAutisticSociety/

There’s no excuse for that though is there, them being behind I mean. If my LA can do it, (and they are large and have a very high proportion of vulnerable adults compared with the rest of the county), then others should be able to as well.

So wrong :(

@sickofsocalledexperts - thank you so much for drawing our attention to this. That's made my blood run cold. I also have an autistic son and the idea that people in need are abused by those who are specifically trained to help them makes me want to vomit. This is horrific news and has been very well hidden.

If there is any doubt about how people with learning disabilities are treated as ‘less than’ just imagine half of the incidents in that report happening in a primary school.

How would that go down in the media ?

Quite Capri.

Please ask MN to add a trigger warning to this thread. It has made me cry.

I honestly don’t think it needs a trigger warning - people need io know this stuff goes on again and again and again. And nothing happens and no-one is ever accountable

The club's in the title cista. People can choose not to click.......in all honesty I think people should be triggered and outraged by this. Pointless hiding it

And I write as someone whose son was assaulted by care staff. It needs shouting out. People need to let the govt and CQC know that it’s unacceptable that it keep LD happening.

Blog here from KCL about how useless the CQC is:

blogs.kcl.ac.uk/socialcareworkforce/2018/02/15/not-good-enough-cqc/

Thanks for high lighting the story. It never goes in Disabled people’s way. If large chains of day nursery’s treated children how some elderly people are they be uproar. Elderly or disabled it’s on dear and carry on.

Agree with so many of your comments. I think learning disability is the last taboo really: people are a bit more "autism aware" nowadays but not of the kind of autism plus learning disability as per my son - which is 50% of the spectrum, by the way, but you would not know it from all the TV, social media, NAS campaigns etc re the higher cognitively functioning end of the autistic spectrum. Adults with autism plus learning disability die 30 years younger than other adults*.

Yes, 30.

I am a bit sick of the autism charities, tbh, which seem to suck up shamelessly to only one half of the spectrum and tuck away from sight kids like my own boy, or us mums caring for our more severe but much beloved kids. Mencap seems to do good work though and currently has a campaign about helping learning disabled adults coping with hospital visits.

(*Autistica figures)

I just think parents should be supported more when their kids become adults to keep them home.

I've made it very clear that when ds becomes an adult I'd be happy having him at home with the correct support. My dream would be that we'd employ that would work with us in our home and the community (( with us supporting, my son needs 2/1 care )) those staff would eventually take over my sons care needs full time.

As it goes due to finances and the fact my oh has already had to drop hours at work to help me care for d's (( we only get 8 hours a week respite and no overnights )) then the likelihood is d's will have to go into residential care earlier than I want him to because I'll need to work ! He won't be entitled to housing benefit etc if he stayed at home, so he'll end up in possibly substatial care at a cost of at least 250k per year. Which is ridiculous.

Provide families decent support and financial aid, it would save the state billions and improve the quality of care for many, disabled people

And yes, I know we shouldn't be reliant on the state. I hate it too, but the reality is. We Are, it's what a civilised society is all about.

This is very sad and I'm glad it's been highlighted as I've nothing in the news regarding this. I do find nowadays though that more shocking news coverage is pushed aside for news that will pull in better ratings coverage. Very upsetting.

I've heard nothing in the news*

Yes but what happens to your child when you are too old or infirm ?
They need to be prepared for when that happens.Most parents would rather their children lived with them forever, that's fine if we lived forever.
We need plans put in place before the crisis, rather like the emergency services who have to know what to do in a serious incident BEFORE it happens.

My Dad is 62 and Step Mum nearly 60 and in ill health and they have fostered a lad with Autism since he was 5 and had a special agreement for him to stay with them after 18 till 21 (he's now 20). They wouldn't be able to keep him with them without the payments from SS. He'll never work or live independently.

Since Winterbourne View they've been terrified about what might happen to him after he leaves them to go into residential care and they'll be so frightened and distressed by this.

i know councils are cash strapped but the government really need to think of longterm strategies for helping and putting in place safeguards so each SEN child/adult has a lifeplan.
I know things change, but i rather like that village where there are adults with autism living in a community, with targeted help. I have a poor memory, so can't remember where its located, but it was on TV a few years back.
In any case each young adult and therefore their family should have a trial without each other, so when/if it fails we are still around to put things right. The time to do that is not the point when a crisis is reached.

Yes sorry disabled adults.And yes they should go into care volantarily for a few months.So they can see what things will be like , and then come back. This will not happen as there is no money.

TBH a good start would be if families weren’t routinely sidelined at adulthood. Because we’re still in the process of applying for ds1’s health and welfare deputyship (which costs £££’s and is in no way guaranteed) his current decision maker is a social worker who has met him once.

His previous providers, once taken over, did their best to cut us out. It was like stepping back 20 years and as of Transforming Care had never been heard of.