Support worker for vulnerable youngsters is fighting to save his post from being axed

Published: 3 December, 2010
EXCLUSIVE by TERRY MESSENGER

Disabled children launch campaign to save ‘older brother’ from redundancy

A PROTEST group is being organised among disabled children in care to save a support worker from redundancy – a man they look up to as “an older brother”.

As budget cuts bite, among many other redundancies, Islington Council plans to lay off the man who helps the children speak up for themselves in dealing with officials.

David Mulcahy, a disabled care leaver who was helped by the support worker, this week told the Tribune that 15 young people have formed the campaign group “Protect Our Rights” to save the support worker’s job. The man himself, whom we shall refer to as Mr X, declined to comment.

Mr Mulcahy said Mr X “…has helped so many young people. He’s not looking to get any personal glory out of it. His main objective is just to ensure that young people are happy, safe and secure.”

Mr X works for the Children’s Active Involvement Service (CAIS) as its “disabled children’s participation worker” along with a manager and a part-time administrator.

The three-person team aims to give a voice to “looked after” children and young people in Islington – those in residential homes and foster homes, those who have left care and those whose families are being helped by social workers.

Mr Mulcahy is helping to organise the protest among all the “looked after” young people.

The council’s website states: “CAIS is here to listen to young people and make improvements on the basis of what they tell us it is like to be looked after by Islington.”

Mr X and his manager help the vulnerable young people if they want to make complaints about their placements or suggest improvements.

They are there to help prevent “top down” decision-making and tailor care to the real needs of children.

“Looked after” children, for example, are allowed an advisory role in the recruitment of their social workers and CAIS helps them to get across their point of view. The service also organises meetings between the young people and managers.

Mr Mulcahy cited help given to a care leaver he called “B.”

“He suffers from a disability and found it very difficult to express himself. He wasn’t confident and he couldn’t really handle big meetings but through [Mr X’s] work he has become a more established member of the group.    

“He does all the big meetings. He does recruitment panels. 

“The rapid transformation is out of this world. [Mr X’s] knows what B’s limit is and he knows not to push past that and he knows when to say all right we’ll leave it there for a moment and we’ll try again in a little while.

“B has already been told about [Mr X’s] job possibly going and he’s taken it very badly.   

“He sees [Mr X] as an older brother sort of person because he’s a role model in his life and hasn’t got a lot of role models in his life.” 

Mr Mulcahy says B is just one of 80 vulnerable children and young people helped by [Mr X] and the manager of CAIS.

Mr Mulcahy, 24, who was in care from the age of 12 until he was 18, helps CAIS on a voluntary basis.

He said: “We give them a chance to tell managers, social workers and councillors what it’s really like to be a looked after child not what the latest guide book or the latest seminar says it’s like to be looked after.”

A Town Hall protest is being planned and a Facebook petition has started up.

The redundancy would save £38,000 in wages and employment costs.

Mr Mulcahy added: “They’re talking about getting someone else to cover his work. They’re not saying the work doesn’t need to be done – it does – but other people can cover it. 

“Well I beg to differ.

“This is the clearest indication the council could give with regard to children’s services that they are not protecting the vulnerable.”

Islington Council’s executive member for children and young people, Councillor Richard Watts, said: “I know that CAIS plays an important role in giving looked after young people a voice and although we are currently consulting on a post within CAIS, we’ll be making sure that the service will continue. 

“Despite government cuts, our most vulnerable young people will still be able to make their voice heard and we will continue to listen to them.”