A teenage boy with Down's Syndrome is being 'failed by the system', according to his family.
Kyle and Gillian McCormick, from Knightswood, Glasgow, say that their son Mikey has been left with no support after finishing school over a month ago. They fear that he will become reclusive and regress in social ability while waiting on a support package to be offered by social services.
The couple, who look after 17-year-old Mikey full time say they may be forced to put him into supported living earlier than they planned as they struggle to cope on their own.
Previously the family have relied upon school and organisations like the Buddies for respite. However, they say they are facing an uncertain future as due to Mikey's age he is not able to access many of the services.
"Mikey was supposed to be finishing school earlier than he did but because the care packages he needed weren't put into place, the school kept him on until the rest of the pupils finished", Kyle's dad told Glasgow Live. "The packages still haven't been put into place despite us meeting with social workers in January to discuss plans for him moving into adult services."
While he's consistently had support while at school and through after-school clubs, Mikey is now facing months of not interacting with other teenagers or building on his social skills and most importantly, a total upheaval of his normal routine. Kyle added: "The care package he had in place was really good, he was going to Buddies Glasgow social club after school on a Wednesday and for 16 days in the school holidays.
"He's been going there since early primary but with him leaving school the afterschool care doesn't apply to him. I've spoken to the service manager who's said at a push they could find a space for him but he'll be the oldest and he can only stay until he's 19 and then he'll have to go elsewhere.
"For his other package, we were told just days before that he was coming up to this last session. From Mikey's school, there are around seven or eight who have all left school so they're in a similar position. We don't have any adult care plan going ahead.
"The only respite he has until October is the after-school club when the schools go back in August. Other than that there's nothing in place. It's not for a lack of funding from social work, the social care system is crippled and on its knees.
"The last four years there's been major staffing problems, in two of his services in particular. They can't get the staff to stay.
"One of Mikey's services shut down because they couldn't recruit staff." Mikey's parents are now majorly concerned that if he doesn't get a package in place soon it will negatively impact his development. Despite encouragement from his family, Mikey naturally likes to spend time on his own and, without any care services in place, would happily spend all his time alone in his room.
Kyle added: "My wife has got a café and she's Mikey's main carer. I've got two children with disabilities and I'm the main carer for one of them.
"When he was at school we got a bit of rest and my oldest daughter has been helping by watching him for spells. She's hopefully going to uni soon so I'll have to drop my commitments to look after Mikey.
"He doesn't want to be dragged about. He's quite set in his ways and likes a routine so the school routine was good for him. When Mikey comes home from school or the service, he spends 99 percent of his time in his room on his own.
He'll let us in so for so long but he doesn't spend much time with the family. I'm gradually trying to get him to come out more but he goes straight into his jammies no matter the time. I'm trying to get him to go out for a night time walk which would help his sleeping routine as well.
"We're majorly concerned that if he doesn't get a package put in place soon it will negatively impact him. His social skills have already regressed and the longer he's away from a social setting and peers then there is the potential that it could get worse.
"It's going to have a massive impact on Mikey as well as me and my wife. It's very draining."
With Mikey going into his late teens, his behaviour has become more aggressive with outbursts seeing him throw plates and become more difficult for his loved ones to handle. The stress of the situation has led his parents to consider putting him into full-time care much earlier than they would like to.
Kyle explained: "We had never thought of putting him into care full time but we're now considering it. We feel as if we're getting to that point now where the system is letting him down.
It would be better for him to be in the accommodation with full support than sitting in his bedroom. It's heartbreaking to think about and it's something that we really don't want to consider.
"He's the son, sibling, the joker, he plays a massive part in the family and to not have him there and to put him into care because we can't cope just now and we're not getting the relevant support that he needs just now, that would just be a massive kick in the teeth. I don't think it would be fair on Mikey. I think there will be a time when it will benefit him but we're not ready for that just now."
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