By Tony Solomons,
"We are parents of a
severely learning-disabled son who uses the Rosa Morison day centre. We have
always been impressed with the high quality of its management and staff, as well
as the range of activities made available to the service users. So far we have
seen no evident impact since Your Choice Barnet took over the running of the
centre, and it remains an excellent model of how such a facility should operate.
However, we are not complacent. In fact we are seriously concerned about
possible changes to the salaries and terms and conditions of the support
workers, including the risk of future downgrading. If this were to happen, it
would have a hugely detrimental effect on staff morale, and a potentially
devastating impact on the quality of service offered by the centre. Rosa Morison
must be allowed to maintain its position as a first-class resource, with
skilled, highly-motivated staff and happy users."
Having attended the Safeguarding Scrutiny Committee meeting on 27 November,
we were outraged that some our words were taken out of context, so that a
favourable comment about Rosa Morison was cynically used to imply great
satisfaction with YCB as a whole. In addition, our concerns about the future,
which accounted for 50% of our remarks, were wholly ignored, as they didn't fit
neatly into the Tory councillors' agenda.
A recent annual review of
our son's daily life at Rosa Morison brought home to us the sheer dedication and
professionalism of their staff. Our concerns about their future treatment by YCB
are therefore even more acute as time passes. Our son's wellbeing and happiness
at the Centre is inextricably bound up with the relationships he has formed over
many years with Rosa Morison's support workers. It is therefore vital that
skilled and experienced staff are retained, so that these relationships can
continue to prosper. Agency staff, whatever the particular merits of any one
individual, are not the answer.
Conversely, any action by YCB that results in worse conditions for support
workers, or causes reductions in numbers or status must not be allowed to
happen.
As YCB continue to attempt to balance their financial plan, which makes
George Osborne's job look easy, personnel costs will clearly be a major factor.
Find a way, YCB, without destroying what we have and what we need for the future
of our loved ones.
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Tony Solomons is a Barnet resident - Guest blogs are always welcome at the Barnet Eye
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