Chareidi parents providing round-the-clock care for their severely disabled children say they are being abandoned by local authorities and are struggling to cope.
Mothers in strictly Orthodox areas such as Stamford Hill, North London, and Gateshead are desperate for respite care, which would allow them short breaks from their disabled youngsters. They say they are unable to send their children to council respite facilities because the children’s particular religious requirements would be ignored. They are also struggling to find suitable short-term foster care that would allow them a brief chance to recuperate, as few strictly Orthodox foster placements are available. Without such help, the mothers get no break from constant care demands.
Parents accuse social-services departments of being insensitive to their religious needs.
“You have to fight so hard to convince them you need it, but often you still don’t get anything,” complained one mother with two disabled children, who asked not to be named for fear of jeopardising her existing council help. “Social services just strip you of your dignity. They don’t care about us. Some parents I know are struggling without any help because they are too scared to approach social services because of how badly many of us have been treated.”
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One Response
if the gov’t is not going to provide the need, then it is up to the community to step in and help. Perhaps some of the Organizations here in the U.S. can branch out and see if they can organize over there.