Delving into our latest annual report shows some quite interesting and indeed shocking statistics, during this period (up to March 2022) which still included some restrictions relating to Coronavirus.
The year showed a big increase in referrals to help people going through child protection, domestic violence and mental health issues, another circumstance of Covid. Our waiting list hit the highest number ever currently standing at over 70 people waiting. Sadly the list keeps growing as, within Shropshire, no one else does quite what we do.
PCAS was set up by disabled people in 1995 by Shropshire Disability Consortium, which recognised a need for individuals to be supported to ensure their voice was heard. Over the last 27 years, we have helped over 10,000 of the most vulnerable people in Shropshire and Telford.
We ensure people with multiple disabilities and complex needs have the help and support they need to live a better quality of life and we work with and alongside individuals to ensure they are listened to.
Over this 12-month period, PCAS helped 368 clients although this does not show the true picture as we helped clients with over 4568 issues, this works out at an average of 12 issues each. That’s without the 1984 other services we have accessed on the client’s behalf to assist them further.
Our services included dealing with correspondence, health issues, housing/tenancy, social care and consumer goods concerns but we also dealt with mental health issues, utilities, legal, benefit and debt problems just showing what a range of very serious matters affect our disabled and vulnerable clients.
Not surprisingly our main client base is in Shrewsbury and Telford followed by Oswestry, not surprising as it is our home base but we also covered most towns and villages across the county.
Some of the positive outcomes we achieved during this year included:
Supporting a female client with learning difficulties after her partner passed away to get the correct benefits with a telephone application as she did not use online technology. This required ongoing liaison with various organisations, and we also helped our client get reductions in her council tax and water bills. By sorting out her finances, the client can pay for the care support she needs with her disability benefits.
We worked with a middle-aged female client with a mental health diagnosis who could not deal with her finances and got herself into significant debt with her utility companies and the local authority. By sitting down with the client and detailing who was owed what, we were able to set up payment plans and with renewed confidence, she is now back in control of her debts and has real clarity on where she stands.
We also worked with a 50-year-old client with learning disabilities to understand lengthy court documents regarding who would look after her children going over. The client was supported in meetings but when it came to the actual court proceedings she was expected to attend five full days of court attendance via her mobile phone because of Covid-19 restrictions. We were able to assist the client with her anxiety and provide a laptop and some support during the court case which meant she did not have to undertake the process on her own.
These are just a few examples of the extremely complex cases that we deal with that often go on for one or two years (some even longer). It requires tenacity and attention to detail and we thank our amazing advocates for their fantastic work.