The Grange is the only 5 bed unit that offers short break care to children from age 7 up to their 18th Birthday in Salford in which case they would then leave to go to an adult unit called Granville.
The Grange is very important to families who use it because it means that their children can stay at home for as long as possible so that we can care for them the best possible way that we can. Without it families would break down which would then result in our children going into full time care.My daughter Lucy has been going now for 11 years and my son Nathan 7. Lucy was the first child to go at the age of 6 because their was no–where else for her to go because foster carers could not offer the support that she needed and could not offer the support my son needed either,due to their constant demanding,sleepless nights,challenging behaviours and property damage.Challenging behaviour consists of aggression towards others and themselves and property damage.Without having the grange and getting that break for a couple of nights a week our family would not be together now and we would not have been able to spend some important time with our older daughter Paige who is now 20 with no disabilities.
The proposals were put to parents back in May this year.The Council are putting children into and adult unit called Granville this has always been an adult facility that offers short break care for adults from the age of 18 up to 45/50 sometimes they have had older adults use it.Throughout the so called consultations we were told that adults and children were not sharing well even though Ian Stewart and John Merry and Gani Martins have all said that they will not be sharing some parents have been told it would be their decision if they wanted their children mixing or not with the adults by (staff) at Granvillle.
Granville have 2 bedrooms upstairs that would be altered for those children whose parents don’t wish to mix with the adults but,if those children have physical disabilities and cannot go up and down steps they would have to access the bathrooms downstairs that the adults use and to access the garden they would again have to go through the adult areas.
If out of those 2 children one cannot make it on that night the other child would then be on their own with an adult staff member but not another child so this would lead to that child being isolated.
27 families use the Grange at present and out of those 27 only 1 parent was happy with the proposals and out of the 27 only six parents have met with Ian Stewart,John Merry and Gani Martins and those are the ones including myself and my husband Alan that are actively involved in the Campaign.
Families will break down due to these proposals and we feel that something serious will happen either to an adult or child.My family will never get overnight respite again now as myself and other families are not letting our 14/15 year child go to an adult facilty.
Margaret Tunnacliffe (parent and campaigner of SAVE THE GRANGE)
Keep our NHS public Greater Manchester 