Safe Guarding Team

[Guest]

Has anyone had experience of Social Services Safe Guarding Team? They are due to visit my father in law soon to assess him. He has had 3 carers a day for the last 4 months but is totally noncompliant so SS feel the situation has to be moved on and the Team need to see him to assess his mental capacity. Their decison will be 'out of our or his hands' as it would appear to be a mental health issue because of his vascular dementia. He could have more (enforced?) care in his home or be moved to a care home. SS say they have 'a duty of care' to him which they cannot carry out at the moment because of his refusal of help. We are not against this possible 'enforced' action as he is very vunerable and a danger to himself but I would appreciate hearing from someone who has experienced this first hand.
Can anyone advise me, many thanks.

[Caring_Mind]

I am just wondering how your situation is now, Deborah?

[Guest]

Ive found out today that the Safe Guarding Team isnt suitable for rather in law as he doesnt fit their criteria, ticks all the boxes except hes not being abused or abusive! So they have rejected the Social Workers report, shes off the case, and now the Access Team's Older Peoples Team will allocate him a new Social Worker! We were told the SG Team were calling to assess him so sitting here like a couple of idiots waiting for them to call for the past 3 weeks, I only found all this out after phoning round last Friday and today Dont know when the new Social Work will be allocated, she will phone when read report!!! The only positive thing is that the Manager of the carers is going to switch the carers and instead of having 3 different people calling per day will try and get one that FIL can relate to and OBEY!!!! Ha ha! Meeting Manager and new carer on Wed so fingers crossed. If this deoesnt work out we resort to Plan B or in our case Plan Z, running out of plans!
Been a very frustrating and confusing day. Phone rang at 8am FIL's neighbour, my heart sank! Just wanted to know whether FIL was able to pop over one evening for supper, thought she'd better check with me first! My answer was no, and I resisted asking why she was ringing me at 8am with such a stupid question!
Hows the care package Pamela. Are you feeling more settled with your decisions? I do hope so, there is such a lot to think about, but Im sure you are doing the right things, that all everyone tries to do, its just our heads and brick walls that get in the way!

[Caring_Mind]

Oh yes, heads, brick walls......
Well! Fancy all that hooo hah with changing the Social Worker! My mother's probably got the Safe Guarding team, or should be the number of times I've threatened to strangle her!
As she is still in Centre Care, the care package hasn't started and according to the Staff Nurse isn't likely to as she just wouldn't be safe at home and there wouldn't be enough care put in place to keep her safe.
Hope that they can find a Carer who your FIL gets on with!
Isn't it frustrating!
((((((hugs)))))))

[jessie]

[quote][/quote]

I don't know anything about Safe Guarding Team, but plenty of experience of Social Services making decisions on behalf of vulnerable old people....in my case they repeatedly quoted the Mental Capacity Act (selecting isolated clauses as it suited them)

I had no option but to take legal direction (direction, not advice) to get my mother out of their clutches.

I downloaded the Act....studied it hard and phoned my mother's solicitors.

Basically, anyone is entitled to live as and how they choose.....if they make wrong decisions then the MCA exists to protect those decisions.....and under the MCA they're entitled to support to make those unwise decisions. (it stands to reason, that if the "state" intervenes in those decisions, the "state" is acting unlawfully)

Social Services have no, or little, legal entitlement to enforce ANYTHING whatsoever.

This is a legal issue, with margins blurred by social services/NHS playing on emotions

[Guest]

Thanks for the info Jessie. I now realise SS make it up as they go along. Just had a call from them and she wanted to know what I wanted for them! Said as the SG Team had been refused I was told he would get a new S/W. Told he wouldnt be allocated a named person as such, but they would call out once or twice a year to see father in law. When I asked if that was their only input she replied you seem concerned about his hygiene and noncompliance with carers and thats up to him whether he wants to refuse care or not, we cant force anyone. She then proceeded to tell me what hes like based on her report! Apparantly quite good! Pointed out her opinion was founded on a report and mine was based on fact, and the washing and noncompliance were not the only issues, she then got told me off for raising my voice!! So the outcome: someone will call at some time! So from suggesting the Mental Health Act could be enforced we have gone to we are doing nothing!

[jessie]

SS are not legal beavers and should not quote or act on the Mental Capacity Act as they do.

They've latched onto a couple of sentences/paragraphs and interpreted them as they wish. Rubbish.

The MCA is a good intentioned law to protect vulnerable people, not to allow SS to use it as they wish and control vulnerable people.

[Guest]

Jessie
I am now going to treat anything a S/W says with extreme caution, but now they've suggested they'll only call out once or twice a year it doesnt look like Im going to have too many opportunities! They endlessly told me they 'had a duty of care', who for?! If the hospital hadnt involved them, as a family we wouldnt have contacted them, they wanted the involvement not us with them.

[jessie]

SS bandy the term "duty of care" around as if it only applies to them. It doesn't. SS should remember that (in law) everyone and anyone caring (long or short term) has a legal duty of care to a patient/vulnerable person.

Technically, if a caree dies, the carer can be convicted of manslaughter or murder under "failing in a duty of care"; if not so serious, carer can be convicted of abuse.

This is where I get on my soap box, because if the carer asks SS to help, assist....SS should give help, assistance, NOT start quoting criminal law nor controlling the patient which seem to be their only routes. SS have a legal duty to assist, not to become an informal court and jury.


Edited to add:

Mother's solicitor said, and I quote: "who gave Social Services reponsibility for your mother?"