A mother in Caerphilly says the amount of support parents with disabled children receive from their local council is a ‘postcode lottery’.
Sarah Evans’ son Harri, who is three, has a rare genetic condition called Williams Syndrome. The condition means Harri is extremely trusting and friendly, but has development and heart problems.
Mrs Evans is unhappy about the amount of support she receives from her local authority.
She says it’s unfair someone who lives in one area might get more support, depending on what their local authority decides to do with their money.
She says: “If I were to move somewhere else with my child I might get better care for him, but you simply can’t afford to do that and I don’t want the upheaval of having to move.
“Our local authority should respect that. I pay in to the local authority, they should pay out to my son.”
When a child gets to school age they are formally assessed. The council cannot contest what the child is deemed to need in this assessment. But before the child gets to school age – the assessment can be contested. This means children like Harri who are at nursery can miss out.
Harri has been assessed and needs two hours a day of one on one support at nursery but Mrs Evans says Caerphilly Borough County Council have told her they can only afford one.
Mrs. Evans says parents of children with disabilities should have designated social workers who can help them with any needs they might have.
SNAP Cymru are a charity who offer support and advice to parents with disabled children. They say: “At the moment it is very much the case that you are subject to what your county has afforded”.
“There’s no way to say that service provision is the same from region to region. Places where there are more people and more money there are more services.”
Caerphilly Borough County Council have been approached for comment.
