A mum was left blindsided after her disabled son's long-awaited respite stay was cancelled shortly after an Ofsted report unravelled a string of "serious and widespread failures."
Lisa Ferguson, mother of 13-year-old Jack, was shocked to learn that Hollybank Children's Short Break Service in Orpington, run by Bromley Healthcare Community Interest Company, was suspended from carrying out services in March.
Ofsted rated the respite centre inadequate and identified a series of safeguarding concerns, including medication errors such as an insulin overdose and a child declared missing from the centre.
The watchdog also reported that a child had suffered an unexplained head injury, concerns over the use of restraint and the use of a camera in a child's bedroom without parental consent.
READ MORE: Inside Bromley respite centre with missing kid, insulin mix up & head injury
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Although a follow-up monitoring visit found improvements had been made and the suspension was lifted, Bromley Council later confirmed the service would close permanently, however, they said the closure wasn't related to the Ofsted findings.
The council earlier confirmed the closure was over concerns with the suitability of the building and stated that alternative support arrangements would continue.
Lisa claims the decision to permanently close the respite centre has left her without "any other option" for overnight respite care in the borough. Jack lives with cerebral palsy, autism and learning difficulties and is a full-time wheelchair user.
His mother said the family had secured overnight respite care at Hollybank to give him the opportunity to experience time away from home while also allowing his parents to spend dedicated time with his siblings.
Lisa said: "My other children will go off and have sleepovers at my parents and things and he never gets to experience stuff like that.
"It was just a bit of respite for all of us as a family really. We really needed a bit of a break."
After several months of waiting to secure a place for respite care, Lisa finally received the news that Jack had been offered overnight respite stays at Hollybank and had been due to begin introductory visits before the service was suspended.
Speaking about the centre after visiting, she described reading the report as a "massive shock" after describing the facility to be "warm and friendly".
Lisa explained: "We were more than happy to send him there. We got a great feel from the staff that were there and we felt content."
In its previous statement, Bromley Council said it remained committed to ensuring children and families continued to receive the short-break support they needed following Hollybank's closure.
The council said alternative arrangements introduced after the service stopped operating would continue and that social workers would work directly with families to discuss ongoing and longer-term support.
However, Lisa said her family's experience had been very different. She claimed they had not been offered any alternative overnight respite provision since Hollybank's closure and had repeatedly contacted the council in search of answers.
Lisa said: "There is no other alternative for overnight respite at all and we're not getting any answers or support anywhere."
The mum said she had contacted Bromley Council "four or five times" and had also written to her local MP, Gareth Bacon, but remained frustrated by what she described as a lack of clarity about future provision.
She added: "We just don't want to be fobbed off all the time. As parents, we just want some honesty and clarity about what's going on."
Lisa said parents were now joining together to seek answers, including through a newly created Facebook group, adding: "We're just trying to do all we can to get our views aired really and just get some answers."
For Lisa, the lack of respite care options has meant she has been forced to cancel any upcoming summer plans with her other children due to having no care provision in place.
Lisa told News Shopper she is concerned about the long-term impact the loss of overnight respite could have on families caring for children with complex needs.
She warned some parents could reach "crisis point" without access to regular breaks and said many were worried about how they would continue coping in the months ahead.
Lisa said: "We feel really let down and it's quite scary really. How are we going to manage for the foreseeable future?"
The mum said respite care was essential for families, adding: "Everybody needs a break here and there. They can't continue caring for their children at home because they haven't got that small bit of respite."
News Shopper has contacted Bromley Council for comment.
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