By Claire Warrender

AN ELDERLY Fife couple may be forced to provide care for their severely disabled daughter themselves as a result of ongoing funding difficulties within the social work service.

Marie Robson, who has been physically disabled since infancy, has had the keys to her own specially adapted house for four months but is unable to move in until Fife Council can fund a suitable care package for her.

The council has said Marie’s case is of the highest priority and efforts are being made to identify funding, but she is so desperate to leave the shared accommodation she is in at present, her parents Thomas and Agnes say they may try to meet her needs on their own.

However as Thomas is 78 and Agnes 75, they recognise it could only be a short term arrangement and have called on Fife Council to look again at their spending priorities.

The Lochgelly family’s plight is just one of a number of examples faced by the social work service as it struggles to balance its books.

Despite the pressures however, the council has promised it would never knowingly leave anyone at risk.

The home care budget has been cut by £600,000 as part of a wider £4.6 million cost-cutting exercise across the service, but despite this social work will still end the year £3.8 million in the red unless further containment measures are made.

A growing elderly population and improved medical care for people with certain illnesses and disabilities has resulted in more people requiring social work’s help, and local authorities across Scotland have found themselves in a similar precarious financial position.

The Scottish Government has been urged to provide more funds, but in the meantime Fife Council has decided to direct services to those who are most in need to ensure they are safe and well cared for.

Mr Robson argued yesterday Marie’s situation was high priority as it was placing the family under intolerable stress.

“We were handed the keys for the house on June 11, which is 16 weeks ago, but the care package has been held up. We’ve been told it’s for financial reasons,” he said.

The family has furnished the new house and has been paying rent, and Mr Robson added, “The financial burden of having to maintain two houses and the stress this is causing Marie is too much and we may have no option but to move her into her new home and for my wife and me to provide the care Marie needs.

“My daughter is probably one of dozens in Fife in this situation. The council is spending millions putting speed humps on the roads but they’re holding back care from a disabled woman and leaving her with her elderly parents. They need to get their priorities right.”

Lochgelly councillor Mark Hood, who is the council’s opposition spokesman for social work, branded the family’s situation unacceptable, and added, “It makes no sense building accommodation for people with disabilities if we as a local authority are not able to provide the care packages people like Marie need.

“I do not believe the SNP/Lib Dem coalition intended to deprive people like Marie of the care she needs, but I do believe this is the consequence of them not properly scrutinising the work of council officers.”

The council’s social work spokesman, Councillor Tim Brett, denied Marie was being deprived of care, stating the local authority was providing a care package for her in her present accommodation.

“It has been made clear to Councillor Hood and I wish to make it clear to everyone in Fife that the social work service will not knowingly leave anyone in an unacceptable risk position,” he said.

Senior social work manager John Alexander added, “The social work service is already funding the costs of a care package for Ms Robson.”

“A recent review identified difficulties with that care package and efforts are being made to put a different care package in place which better meets Ms Robson’s individual needs at the present time.

“Ms Robson is being treated as the highest possible priority under the council’s eligibility criteria.”

He added, “There are substantial additional costs involved in putting the new care package in place and efforts are being made at the present time to identify the required funding within the budget available to the service.

“In the meantime, social work staff will continue to keep Ms Robson’s circumstances under active review and provide all possible support and assistance to keep her safe and well cared for and to support her family at this difficult time.”