Respite care - and safety !

There is usually a long wait for a little time off from caring for a disabled family member, but now safety is a new worry.

It is inexcusable that a 15 year old disabled girl and a 22 year old disabled man with a history of assault would be asked to share a bedroom.

This resulted in a savage attack in which the helpless girl suffered bites to her face and chest - to the degree that her nose was almost severed.

As a result, two public servants have been stood down from positions of authority and the policy of not mixing adults and children in respite care has been restated.

It is almost unbelievable that such a basic error was made in the first place. The offender had a long history of assaulting others, and in recent days had attempted to strangle a staff member. Despite this, decisions were made in the full knowledge of the risk involved.

The damage done is immense. Long suffering carers waiting for a little time off for R & R will now have a lingering doubt about the safety of their loved ones.

It is important that a broom be put through the whole respite care organization and standards set in place to guarantee that a similar situation can never again arise.

Anything less is to permanently damage the trust so important to the respite principle !