1 February 2012
During a routine inspection
Other families were dissatisfied with the service they received because they felt their support workers lacked the necessary aptitude or knowledge. One family member told us, 'He [the support worker] is not very communicative with me or with our son and he doesn't seem to take any instruction' and another said, 'We're not particularly happy with the care worker we have at the moment. I don't think he understands the autistic side of my son'.
Some families told us that a lack of consistent support caused by frequent changes in support worker was a problem. One family told us, 'We've had quite a few different care workers unfortunately and the changes have always been at very short notice'.
Several of the families we spoke with said that persistent lateness was a problem. One family told us, 'The person we have at the moment is very often late. When I've asked him to pick our son up from school he's almost always been late'.
Some families told us that the agency's office did not always communicate important information to them well and that telephone calls to the office were sometimes unanswered.
Local authorities that commission the service told us that they had some concerns about communication with and the management of the agency, particularly in recent months. Some of the local authorities also had concerns about the availability of support workers with the necessary skills and knowledge to support people effectively.