Would really appreciate opinions on this situation please...

[MrsGerrard]

I take dd and ds to swimming at the sn session. Along with children adults with learning difficulties also go along too.
A lot of the adults that go have severe learning difficulties and have carers with them. The thing that bugs me is that the carers just let the adults wander around and they so obviously need 1:1. A friend of my son's who is profoundly deaf was really hurt a few months back when an adult whacked his head against the tiles on the swimming pool. Poor boy hasn't been back since as you can imagine he didn't hear anybody and the next thing you know he is being whacked against something. The carers just sit and chat and laugh amongst themselves oblivious to what's going on and if i was a parent of one of the adults I would not be happy at all.
Another situation arose yesterday. I was with dd and a man of about 20 with I would very profound difficulties grabbed my face and tried to kiss me on the lips. I seriously do not have a problem with it at all but the carer seriously pissed me off. She came over and started laughing going "oh he fancies her" and then again "he wants to kiss you as he likes you".
Now am I seriously over reacting or is that wrong?
As I have said many times I have absolutely no problem at all with any person with sn and of course it certainly isn't the adults fault but surely the carers should be with the adults that so obviously need their help.
I just felt uncomfortable last night with what the carer said, I felt it was really inappropriate. Should I mention this to the people that run the session as I know for a fact when signing up you have to agree to be 1:1 at all times.

at the carers - especially with regards to the poor boy who was assaulted ( head whacked against pool tiles) As a someone who was utilising the service I would be most annoyed to find out what was promised was not what was being delivered especially as the carers are taking this as coffee klatsch time.

I do think what the carer said was inappropriate - I am having to teach dd1 ( almost 4 with down syndrome) that whilst it is okay to say love you and blow a kiss to mummy, daddy, sister and friends we do not blow kisses at everyone we meet from the checkout operator at the supermarket to the lady in the cue to pay for her goods etc. SOrry an aside but I hope you can see where I am going with this - for her protection in terms of appropriate social interaction.

I would be very cross should my 2 downs foster sisters be left to 'wander' in a dangerous situation like this, we always were with them as i know their carers are now.

I would feel it my duty to not only report it to the pool people but also find out the care home name and write to the manager and head office about these 2 incidents and the lack of care and interaction these adults are getting.

The comments show the carer as someone doing a job not someone with true pride in the help they give to a vunerable adult.

I wouldn't worry about what the carer said, although if he;s prone to do that then he needs closer care I would guess. I stuerggle with what to say when ds1 sniffs or grabs strangers, it's easy to say the wrong thing.

The head thing sounds worrying though. Are there organisers? Our disabled swimming sessions have 2 organisers in the pool. Also we have a separate children's area- and then the main pool is quite heavily divided.

at the general attitude of the so-called carers!

I would be tempted to report them to whoever it is that employs them as they are obviously not doing their jobs. Yes accidents/incidents can still happen with supervision but from the sounds of things the pool-users aren't being supervised at all. You might just as well take a few cardboard cut-outs of people and arrange them along the poolside. They'd do just as good a job as the current 'carers' and would save money too.

I would report it too. Agree that this sounds like the carers are being negligent.

I think our society is generally guilty of being `too tolerant' because as a rule people dont like to get too involved. This might seem a little extreme, but with all the recent coverage about abuse in care homes...I wonder how many people failed to report what(at the time)might have seemed like fairly unimportant incidents ...Good on you for being prepared to speak up

are they paid carers? lots seem to be siblings at our club.

how do you find out about sn swimming clubs?

BH, my friend goes swimming and there are two men with learning disabilities who go for ceratin session each week. She says they pay over the odds for 'lessons' when no-one actually does anything with them she said the swimming baths are seriously taking the piss and she is going to report them

Mrs G

I would report both the carers and the swimming session operators to the relevant authorities. Such people who are also some of the most vulnerable members of our society are being badly let down.

Exactly Attila and that's what worried me the most.
jj - I know what you mean but and can understand that when you are a parent then it's easier to be embarrassed. When you are paid to care for someone I think it's a totally different story.

Agree with Attila.

but that's partly why I asked whether they were paid carers or relatives. We take a paid carer with us, but most adults seemto be with siblings/parents.

If it's a sibling then I wouldn't complain to SS but would bring it up with the organisers. I would do that anyway regarding the supervision. It does get a bit complicated regarding supervision and adults though. Might be worth talking to the organisers first.

Be it paid carers or relatives these vulnerable people were being let down badly by the very people supposed to care for them!. Hence my suggestion to complain - such vulnerable people do not have a readily heard voice.

My guess as well is if these adults are there every week then they are there as part of an organised group.

Sorry, haven't read all of thread, trying to catch up! I don't get it.... are these people in the water with their charges or not? At the session we go to every week every "swimmer" has to have someone in the water with them. Often their Soc Svs carers sit on their arses gossiping at the side while volunteers do the work/caring. None of them is ever left to float around alone. Mind you, a number are physically andlearning disabled and can't manage on their own.
Personally I think the tone of what this carer said to you shows a lack of respect for the disabled person. I think you should consider saying something.
What drives me mad at our session is that one mum often brings both her children but doesn't get in herself, one has mild CP and no learning disability and her NT sister. The woman running the session then sometimes asks me or DH if he is there to look after one of them when we are using our DPs for someone to look after DD so we can spend time with DS........ we always manage not to do it as DS needs us. I'm sorry but I think that's taking the piss!

God agree Davros. Bloody cheek. All the carers at our club get in the water as well- maybe talk to the organisers about making that a rule? We do the same btw (take a dp person to look after ds2 so we can look after ds1- and ds3 when his molluscum go )

As an aside- ds1 makes me walk around the pool once every session- it's a routine. IN my swimming costume. hanging out.

Alan - we have an "inclusion co-ordinator" in our area who lets us know about all the things going on in the area. The local leisure centre should be able to help too.
Disgusted at swimming baths, so out of order

Davros and jj - they are carers as they are there each week and all take it in turns to be with different people each week. I agree that it did show a lack of respect for the adult.
I am also upset that ds's friend has been so scared about what happened to him that he won't go again and did raise this with the people that run it at the time.
I just don't think it works adults and children mixed. They really do need to split it I think.
Will update you!
Oh and dh was so pissed off last week as dd ran passed a carer and slightly splashed her and apparently she gave dd a filthy look (good job I wasn't there )

The adults/child thing can be difficult. Some of the adults find the children too noisy and splashy as well. I sometimes have problems with people with learning difficulties being too in your face with ds1, or splashing him. The club I go to have a secti
on of the main pool reserved for gentle swimming, then some lane swimming sections and a children's pool. Maybe its a children's pool you need. We're allowed in the main pool, but no splashing, whereas the children's pool is a case of anything goes.

jj - the adults are in the baby pool! I think they should be in the bigger pool and hopefully it would help stop some of these incidences.