A Highland mum has said she is at her “wits’ end” as she battles for her family to be rehomed to better support her son.
Helen Mitchell criticised Highland Council’s social work department for their lack of support and help in caring for nine-year-old son Mason.
Mason is non-verbal and has autism, ADHD and epilepsy. His sister Skye, 16, is also partially deaf and has learning disabilities.
Miss Mitchell has already adapted her Ardersier home and garden to try and meet his needs following numerous failed attempts to secure a suitable alternative.
But as Mason has got older, his mum has had to screw his furniture to the wall to prevent him from throwing it. He has also outgrown the outdoor area she created.
The 37-year-old says her son is becoming a prisoner in his own home.
‘We are struggling and there is no way out’
She admits the situation has taken a toll on her mental well-being, and left the family, including her 15-year-old daughter Kasey struggling to cope.
She said: “I’m a single parent with three kids, two of them with additional needs. Albyn Housing Society has said that I wasn’t top of the list five years ago to be moved to a four-bedroom house to the needs of my kids. I’ve been waiting and waiting and obviously, as Mason has got older, he’s got a lot worse.
“They’ve left me in a house where there is no safe space for him, he is breaking everything.
“The house isn’t adapted for him and there is no garden where he can go out and play.”
Mason is happiest when he is at Drummond School in Inverness, a nursery, primary and secondary school for children with additional support needs. There, he is able to be outside exploring nature.
Miss Mitchell added: “When he is at Drummond School, he’s always outside and they just let him do that because he likes to be outside.
“He’s trapped in the house where there is nothing for him. He’s in the smallest bedroom, he keeps breaking his bed. I’ve had to screw wardrobes to the wall and the floor, so he doesn’t chuck them downstairs. It’s bad.
“The kids and I are struggling with Mason because there is nobody out there at all, in the world, that is willing to look after Mason for a while, until we can sort ourselves out.
“We are struggling and there is no way out.
‘They don’t seem to care’
Desperate for help, Miss Mitchell turned to Highland Council’s social work department.
The team attempted to place Mason at the city’s respite unit The Orchard, but he was sent home ill within days.
They also tried to arrange a six-week stay for Mason at a care facility in Newtonmore – until staff pointed out his needs were greater than they could handle.
‘I’m banging my head against a brick wall’
Miss Mitchell does not believe the council is “listening” to her pleas for help.
“Mason needs a corner house, a four-bedroom so we’ve got no neighbours on one side so I can partition it all off,” she added.
“I’m at my wits’ end. It’s like I’m banging my head against a brick wall.
“Some days I struggle to look after Mason so my 15-year-old daughter has to do it, giving him his medication and everything. That is no life, for a child to look after a child.
“I’ve told social work this. I have been open and honest as much as I can, but they don’t seem to be listening. They don’t seem to care.”
A Highland Council spokesman said: “We are unable to go into details of specific cases to protect the confidentiality, however, any child in Highland who has additional support needs and a disability would be entitled to an assessment of their needs with the purpose of providing a range of available supports and services to promote wellbeing and positive development.”
Conversation