Crisis Claims In Fife Social Services

Claims have been made that social services in Fife are in crisis over changes to the home care policy.

{mosimage}The local authority is planning to introduce massive rises in the amount it charges people who need carers. It has frozen all new claims and many people have said they have been left in a state of limbo. Others have said they can no longer afford to have carers. Fife Council said the changes, which come into affect after Christmas, are needed to meet a budget shortfall.

But a group of people who are affected by the changes have formed a campaign group to try to convince the council to reverse its decision over the price increases.

Campaign Against Charges has said many elderly people or those with disabilities will have to choose between having carers in their homes or paying fuel bills.

The carers carry out duties such as washing or bathing a person, helping them in and out of bed or carrying out household chores.

For some people, the cost of the service is increasing from £4 per week to £8,000 per year.

Tom and Agnes Robson from Lochgelly, both in their 70s, act as carers for their daughter Marie who has special needs and needs round the clock care.

In July, Marie signed a tenancy agreement with a local housing association on a specially adapted house.

But the freeze on new care packages has meant she has been unable to move into the property, which has since stood empty. Tom told the BBC Scotland news website: “I think it’s a disaster for any local authority to be in this position.

“I think the SNP and the Lib Dems in Fife have destroyed social work.”

Some home care users say they may not be able to afford carers

Cllr Mark Hood, Labour group social work spokesman in Fife, said: “I think we are now in crisis mode with regards to social work in Fife.

“We know for a fact that the impact of these charges which are going to be implemented on January 7, people don’t know what that’s going to mean for the individual.”

The SNP/Lib Dem coalition at Fife Council has said it has had to make some difficult decisions in order to balance the books.

Social services is the area which it said had taken the biggest hit.

{mosimage}Chair of the social work committee, Cllr Tim Brett, said: “People need to understand that the previous administration had put into their budget half a million pounds of additional income. Unfortunately they didn’t do anything about it and so that has contributed to the overspend problem that is facing us.

“I think we have actually been very open in what we’ve had to do. Unfortunately it was undoubtedly the case that Fife social services were living beyond their means.

“We were trying to provide too wide a service. Much as many of us would like to see that continue, it just wasn’t feasible within the resources made available to us.”