whileincare.info

Thank you. In my case, I repeatedly raised concerns about my disabled daughter’s care, treatment and restrictions on her liberty. I contacted police, safeguarding bodies, regulators and spent years in the Court of Protection. What is particularly painful is that the restrictions on our family have become extraordinarily severe. We have been told not to speak our native language during contact. Conversations have been supervised, with staff listening to every word. These restrictions have continued for years. After around eight years of litigation, I have still not seen evidence that justifies treating an ordinary mother-daughter relationship in this way. That is what people outside the system often do not understand. Deprivation of liberty is not only about whether somebody is physically allowed to walk out of a building. It can reach into communication, relationships, privacy, language and family life. And when you challenge it, you discover that one body refers you to another: police, safeguarding, regulators, Ombudsmen, courts, while the vulnerable person continues living under the restrictions. Because there are current proceedings and reporting restrictions, I have to be careful about what I disclose. But after eight years, I believe the public needs to understand the human reality behind the words “care”, “safeguarding” and “best interests”.