Actually - The PA never left the job - I said if they did not take an Uber the Pa would cost more ( paid by the hour) and it’s cheaper. But also it’s stressful having someone refuse a bus or panic over ordering a taxi. It is a requirement of their role as required by the payer - social services.
1 you had no idea about the costing for that trip you created the sum of £100 from thin air. We pay the cinema tickets the Pa cinema ticket is free but yet there are PA expenses as you would get with any job.
2 You had no idea of background. The needs based assessment led by social services want my son out in the community or using his social fund to go out as well as do activities at home but the actual wording is to ‘access community ‘ The assessments in future will be how well he is accessing community etc He does a variety of things with the PA day and night depending on time of year / term time/ holiday time. Cinema trips or trips to cafes are exactly what he should be doing and indeed the Pa costs in that regard are costed as DRE - disability related expenses - which ultimately have been the subject of much debate with Ombudsmen etc so reduce his social care bill. But hey you just speak without understanding the needs of my son or the full facts.
3 My job is to organise the PA which is quite a lot of work and you have no idea how to recruit it is. I have to organise the various forays into community which I might add and you might hate this going to the pub or to a cafe - it’s all part of his social care plan needs. It’s all required by his social care plan.
4 Cinema is slightly more accessible as he has a topic to talk to ( his SLi is severely impaired - especially receptive - source Great Ormond Street) and it makes it an evening where he does some talking, has something to talk about but he does not have to panic and intensely think about what to say. It means frankly he can stay out a bit longer and it usually makes him feel that he has had a success which is critical to his well being. Generally non cinema or trips to the pub are more fraught with anxiety etc.
5 My son is assessed by so many trained experts -
6 In actual fact I am in trouble for not doing enough of this stuff as frankly it’s easier to keep him home with a PA and plan nothing. I have not spent several thousands of PA cover and there have been meeting about that. But part the issue is recruiting PA as we use students and they do suddenly have exams or holidays and generally a life.
7 He has to get out in the community even for instance at night and do activities - it’s required training. His PA are paid by the local authority to do that. I’m being attacked for actually doing what is required by social services so the whole thing is bemusing. Also I have to ensure the safety of the PA but bus training is all part of their role and indeed Uber . But if my son is being challenging he can’t be forced onto a bus and so they will use and uber and again using an uber for him is life skills. So transition team also spent time trying to coax him to use an Uber,.
You are criticising me for for what I am required to do to the extent that I would be neglectful if I did not get him out to did not get him trained to use an Uber or get a bus.
8 I have only ever caught an Uber once with my son and it was me that paid not the tax payer! I tend to leave that to PA. Instead I try to push the bus training through gentle persuasion but we fail at times - I get wet or walk or get a life from hubby.
9 You have not read my son’s medical records, his care plan, his EHcP and have no idea of his needs. I tried to explain eg re the CAMHS suicidal risk assessment, the ongoing counselling and generally the fact that he in life skills etc
10 In some ways the PA’s likes these trips as it makes the job more enjoyable which helps with recruitment. But the Uber thing was stressful as my son and indeed the PA struggled to do it. My husband ended up
picking them up.
11 There is only a certain number of times he can go out with the Pa and walk the dog and frankly it does not expose him to the general public of crowded places. So we will also have to send him to McDonalds or the shopping centre to go clothes shopping or to a restaurant,
These are similar things to his life skills course and they do a variety of things eg go to gym and learn about the body, go to cafe and order a lunch - you could have a go at all these experienced experts at all these colleges as well or leave them to do their job.
when someone is in fear of going out and would prefer to stay home and positively hates holidays etc it’s a different type of person to someone who plans a social life and wants to be out. It’s an issue because they are not engaging and that can progress to being a hermit and the care needs expand. An example is that over Covid things worsened and all my work with bus travel was lost. My son also become more intolerant to the city centre.
I’m really pleased with the progress as as I said I hope to look at independent shortly but with a team of Pa or a Pa package or maybe supported - the social worker is not sure how it will go as we are not there yet, it’s being discussed in general terms. But every cinema trip is a success and I’m actually pretty pleased if they do well. They sometimes have not gone well - the small cafe where they were going to pick up a felafel was closed he could not cope with the change and had a meltdown in the adjoining burger bar - this is exactly the learning he needs. This is what life is all about. You don’t get that in a room.
I also do everything I can to help the PA stay as recruitment is expensive eg invite them for family meals and act as a home from home - they are not well paid. Also we buy nice gifts to say ‘thanks’ etc