Councillor Lesley Brennan met with Jane, who lives in her ward, and wrote to the Director of Social Work on her behalf. Jane contacted Councillor Brennan on Saturday 9 June about a meeting being held on Tuesday 12 June and asked if she could attend with her.
Councillor Laurie Bidwell was contacted separately by a constituent whose daughter has been a service user at Kemback Adult Resource Centre for 26 years, currently attending on four days a week. He was also invited to attend the meeting.
On Tuesday evening 12 June nearly thirty carers and relatives of service users met a number of social work staff about the planned withdrawal of services at the Kemback Street Adult Resource Centre. The meeting was held at the Central Baptist Church in Ward Road. Although the meeting was called by one of the Carers/Relatives, a Social Work Manager refused to speak with the carers and relatives of service users if the two Councillors remained present.
Ferry Councillor Laurie Bidwell said:
I was surprised and disappointed that a senior social work manger should insist that she would not talk with the carers and relatives of service users if Councillor Lesley Brenan and I remained at the meeting. We had made it clear that we were only there as observers at the invitation of specific constituents.
When our presence was publicly raised with us by the Manager, many of the people present indicated they wanted us to remain to listen to what was being said. Lesley Brennan and I eventually volunteered to leave so that the meeting could continue without us, because we knew how long these folk have been waiting to be properly informed about the closure.
Clearly the threat of withdrawing the Kemback services is already generating distress amongst existing service users. I have discovered already that many of the current service users at Kemback Street have long term associations with the centre stretching back as far as the opening in the1980s and some of them attend nearly every weekday. It is therefore understandable that there should be scepticism about this change being in the best interests of the current service users. The fashion for social work services may have changed but to withdraw from existing service users the services that they benefit from, enjoy and have come to rely does not seen to be primarily centred on their needs or preferences.
Lesley Brennan, Councillor for the East End ward said:
The Social Work Committee gave their agreement to the Kemback Street Adult Resource reprovisioning proposals on the 26th of March 2012. Seventy-eight days passed before Mrs Smith and the other carers heard anything regarding what is going to happen to their family members who attend to Centre. I hope this evening’s meeting brought clarity to the next steps.
The Social Work Committee gave their agreement to the Kemback Street Adult Resource reprovisioning proposals on the 26th of March 2012. Seventy-eight days passed before Mrs Smith and the other carers heard anything regarding what is going to happen to their family members who attend to Centre. I hope this evening’s meeting brought clarity to the next steps.
I am deeply disappointed that the Social Department has fallen short of one of the Council’s core values:
Dundee City Council Elected Members and employees will at all times inform, consult and involve users of council services about what the Council is doing ....
