Supporting People (Communities and Local Government)

The recent outrageous comments from Caroline Flint, UK Government Housing Minister responsible for housing in England only, has set us thinking. The most terrible things are happening to social housing across England. Take the vulnerable: all involved on this blog have worked in registered community homes for people with histories of mental illness and learning disabilities. In recent years, tenants of these homes were sold a downright lie by this government: become deregistered, leave the safety of being a Social Services monitored establishment, transfer to the auspices of a government agency called “Supporting People”, and you shall have more, lots more, financial input, including staffing, they were told.

These people are highly vulnerable and were basically told a whopping great lie.

Many community homes for people with histories of mental illness and learning disabilities are now falling into disrepair as maintainence budgets are slashed; staffing hours too have been cut - in some cases up to 50%, and vulnerable adults used to and IN NEED OF 24 hour staff support must now spend the night with no staff on the premises.

Supporting People covers its actions well, pretending to be interested in “encouraging independence”. All of us at WENAP have been involved in social care work since the early 1980s and that has always been the aim. But under Supporting People we find this “aim” is now a thin cover for savage cutbacks.

Staff are being forced to take on duties above and beyond their training, salary scale and job descriptions as social care agencies compete for tenders on a vicious open market where the cheapest bid wins - and to hell with standards.

And staff have it written into their contracts that any speaking out will face disciplinary action and dismissal.

And all this has happened not under Thatcher, not under Major, but under Blair and Brown.

As old Labour voters and care workers we are bloody angry.

Visit Supporting People - http://www.spkweb.org.uk/

We’re absolutely committed to exposing this corrupt UK government agency, which is wreaking havoc across England, for what it is. You may never have heard of it before, but now that you have please keep your eyes and your ears open. Do not believe the facade. If you have a relative or friend in a social care home provided by a housing society or local authority, please monitor standards. Question the staff and management closely about anything you are unhappy about. Encourage your friend/relative to speak up. Was 24 hour "sleep-in" cover previously provided by staff? Has it been cut or is it about to be? In your opinion, are the people in this home of the state of mind/physical ability to be left alone over night?

What about decoration/maintenance/cleaning standards/furnishings?

Many of the people living in these homes have been institutionalised for long periods of their lives and are unused to speaking up for themselves, and so this government, via Supporting People, is making hay.

Please join us in fighting to restore decent levels of care and support to those in need of it in community homes across England and bring about an end to Supporting People.

Shout loud about it. Ask questions. refuse to be misled. This is one of our anti-English UK Government's harbingers of evil which has so far managed to slip underneath the search beams of those seeking justice and parity for England in the modern day UK.

Let's change that.

Now.

Please.