MUL TIPLEXACION Y MODULACION.

Dad, you have to do things by yourself.

[Name] and I are a couple, we go out on dates.

Access to social groups however was still dependent on parental support with transport; only one group member used public transport (the bus) occasionally for evening activities, and one other group member drove his own car.

My Mum and my Dad both drive a car; my Dad drives a car and a motorbike to my snooker team.

Well, my two brothers drive, my parents drive and my sister drives. I’m the only one in the family who’s not driving- my younger brother just passed the test.

5.2.3 Work, college and day-centres

All of the group members had occupations that took them out of the house on a regular basis during the day, and this varied from five days a week to three days a week; 77% (n=7) were employed and/or in college and two individuals attended day centres.

I work and go to college. I work in the office of a school.

I’m at the day centre too, but I’m in a different day centre to the one he’s in. I do three days a week, I mean catering two days a week I’m in the kitchen and we cook break and lunch for everybody else and then on a Friday I’m in the computers.

The college placements offered a range of qualifications, and most of the group were ambitious in terms of improving their educational experiences through

obtaining national qualifications, such as NVQs, although some were sceptical of the quality of other awards.

When I’m in college I’d like to improve my skills so it means you can help out at home and cook dinner for your family I’d like to improve my skills. I’m leaving school and in September I’m going to [name], the same college as [name], on a course.

I’d like to explain what [name] means, it’s all to do with independent living and all the skills you need to know about money management and learning how to keep your house tidy, and you learn about cleaning products and how to clean around the house, independent living, things that you need to learn about the house on Monday afternoons it’s just all about that sort of thing.

I’ve got NVQ level 1 and level 2 in Business Administration I just passed them all. Now I’m working, and I am finished my exams.

It’s sort of like NVQ, but it’s like an easier version, it’s more …I just did my Health and Safety for the kitchen …Well I achieved a pass, but it’s not really hard to do.

Those who worked most of the week had jobs in retail, either in major multinational stores, or local shops, which were limited in terms of time but which were flexible enough to allow some group members to carry out two part-time jobs.

My dad or sometimes my mum would maybe make my breakfast and I go to work around half twelve in the café. I work in a different café on a

Wednesday.

When asked about acquiring new skills that would improve their opportunities, there was consensus around wanting to learn to drive a car, a skill that would offered independence, both in terms of social activities and work. The drawbacks, i.e., the cost of running a car, and the work involved in passing the theory test, were also considered, although only a few of the participants seemed discouraged by these aspects.

I put in our suggestion box that we should have a course for anyone who wants to learn how to drive- I’m still waiting on a ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘bugger off’!

I know, I’d like to drive a car but my head’s not focussed sometimes. I’d learn lots of theory and there’s all the money it’s dear.

5.3 Young adults planning for the future

All members of the focus group lived in the family home with their parents. Only one young person was on a housing list, but the consensus was that independent living was something to aim for. The reasons for living at home were fairly evenly divided between a feeling that they themselves needed more time to get ready for the move or that they were needed at home, and perceived unwillingness on the part of their parents to let them be more independent.

No, I’d like to go, but my problem is that my mum isn’t ready to let me leave. I don’t want to leave the house, I know it’s to be decided, but there’s things you have to do around the house.

There’s something about she wants me to be independent and stuff, but how can I be independent if she won’t let me go into independent living?

It’s nice to have someone worried about you but sometimes you need to say, ‘Look, let me be independent.’ But it’s good for someone to be worrying.

However independent these young adults hope to become, the majority will almost certainly want to access services to support them in their future lives. In the next section of this report, service provision will be examined from the perspective of the providers, from both the statutory and the voluntary sector.

Section 6. Service providers: Individual interview findings

Table 17 shows the profiles of service providers who took part in individual

interviews. While these service providers represented statutory (n=4) and voluntary (n=9) service provision across all age ranges and disabilities, they did not provide a fully comprehensive audit of services, and as such, only snapshots of the realities of service provision were given.

Table 17: Service providers: Individual interviews

Provider Service Age (service

user) Disability category Number using service Statutory (Stat. 1)

Sen. social worker ret. Mental health support 3-18 years a - f Caseload 100 Service 1000+ Statutory (Stat. 2) Social worker

Short breaks 0-18 years a, b-e (dual diagnosis) Caseload 30 Service 450 Statutory (Stat. 3) Manager Adult day- care

18+ years a-f 100 service users

Statutory (Stat. 4)

Social worker

Short breaks 0-18 years a-e Short breaks: 108

Social groups: 11

Voluntary (Vol. 1)

Information officer

Advisory 10-90+

years

a-e 1500 service users

Voluntary (Vol. 2) Behaviour analyst Parent training 2-33+ _{years a, c, d Caseload 54} 240 access services Voluntary (Vol. 3) Manager Short breaks and residential

7-18 years a-e 4 full-time

residents 11 short breaks Voluntary (Vol. 4) Childminder Childcare 6 mths- 12 yrs

a-d 4 children (1 with

disability)

Voluntary (Vol. 5) Project manager

Support group

8-18 years a-e 145 service users

Voluntary (Vol. 6)

Deputy manager

Support and Short breaks

0-65 years b,+a, d, c, e 170 children

30 adults Voluntary (Vol. 7) Project worker Mental health support

18+ years e 14 service users

Voluntary (Vol. 8)

Director

Sensory disability

0-18 years d +a, b, c and e 700 families

Voluntary (Vol. 9)

Operations manager

Family support

8-18 years a (dual diagnosis) 150 families

a. Learning disabilities b. physical disabilities c. behavioural issues d. sensory impairments e. mental health issues f. other disability

6.1.1 Funding of services

All four statutory providers and one voluntary provider were fully funded by HSC Trusts; one voluntary provider relied on another form of direct support (through the Supporting People programme7), one was supported by a grant from a larger charity and one relied on direct fundraising. Parents met the costs of childcare with the registered childminder and some of them claimed the fees back, although this was not always straightforward.

Parents pay, and sometimes parents get paid by Tax Credit vouchers, and they would help with the payments and most of our parents actually use the

vouchermethod, from the Employers for Childcare. Years ago I used to get it

when I first started up, it was paper method, where the parents used to come