The storyteller talks to Sam via a translator, to share her experiences of accessing information and advice in relation to getting the support she needs for her autistic son.

She draws a clear distinction between wanting to complain, and raising awareness of how difficult it is when social care staff constantly change, the people you ask for information dont know themselves what information they should be giving you, for example about universal credit, and having to tell your story multiple times. She was clear the social care staff she met and interacted with were genuine people, who were caring and supportive. Her frustration included having to share her situation over and over again with different people. 

  • She feels that adult social care is about monitoring the problems someone is experiencing and supporting/helping them when they have difficulties and with what they have difficulties with. (i.e Language barrier and filling in papers)
  • The social worker changes frequently meaning they have to tell their story each time/year all over again. Because of this they find it easier to ask for help from their family or friends.
  • The experience of asking for help is emotionally difficult. They would find it much easier to ask for help, and more likely ask for help from someone they felt they knew. The SW changing stops this from happening. 
  • When struggling with finances, they were told there were no other benefits available. They found out from a work colleague they could have been claiming Universal Income which they could have been claiming a long time ago.
  • The storyteller focuses on moving forward and what they need to do. Finding new information out (despite how) is a positive step for them.
  • Provision of support is reliant on the carers knowing what supports exist. The responsibility of finding out what exists seems to be on the carer rather than provided with information of what support is available. The speaker does not understand how they are supposed to ask for something they don't know about.

Local Authority support would be much better if:

  • They had the same Social worker, not one that changes each time/year.
  • For it to be clear what support is available so they can pick what they need and don’t need.
  • For them not to have to tell the same story to a different SW each year to fill out the same paper work.
  • For the SW to know and understand their circumstances better

but yeah, cat allowances. Uh, much. Yeah, I I'm his mom, and at the same time, I'm his carer, and I get care allowance. Thank you

Thank you. So, in this conversation, we are particularly interested in, um, sort of hearing about your experiences of accessing information and advice and guidance and what the sort of successes and the challenges of that are, and our conversation that we will have will be around those themes. Mm

And I should, um uh uh uh na na Principi. Uh uh. No

Um uh, V. Uh, na I. I No, I OK

Hm? Yes. Abu. Sorry

She's saying that we have the same wallpaper. No, Sorry. She said to me Sorry for this

Love it. No, you can talk about that. When? When we're finished

I'm No. I just wanted to say I love it. Um, OK, So my first question is Natalia, tell me what your what do you understand about the term adult social care? Uh, yeah

Uh, but but in Perin Uh, no. Uh, do you mean care? Care, allowance care, care allowance. However, however you understand it, so that could come into it

Uh uh uh uh, Yeah. So so as as, um what I I how I see that, uh, social social services, social care. I see that the the problem

There are two types. First up, this is when they, um, monitor someone. If there are problems there, let's say in the family and the second type, this is when they help, uh, someone who who has, uh, some, uh, difficult difficulties, for example

Like, for me, it is hard to fill in the papers. Uh, because obviously, um uh, of my bad English. And then I can, uh, turn to, uh, social, uh, social work to help me

Hey, OK, And when you need help with filling in the papers, do you get that help? And what is your experience of? You need the and we polluted the form. Uh, no. Uh, pagarusa blisko, Uh, ST Migas paga

Uh, D attack. So do you know the problem with this, uh, with social workers? Uh, is that they It changed quite a lot. And if, for example, I have a one social, uh uh, social worker, uh, this year and then, uh, and I don't ask for help

I don't need any help. And the next year, and it happened. And there is another social worker, and you kind of have to start from the very beginning telling them things and, um, telling them, telling them things

That's why I try not to ask for help. Uh, I ask, uh, uh, like, uh, particular with the papers. I asked my family, my friends to help, and then I have a a son

He's, uh uh Well, my middle child, like, I have a son and, um Mm. And friends. What if I don't know what happens? It's just what happens

Every year a new worker comes. They talk to me, introduce themselves III. I introduce myself, tell them my story, and that's it

And this is the end of our, uh, communicate like I mean, and how does that feel? Uh, you see, uh, it would be easier for me much, much easier for me if it would be, uh, the same, uh, the same, uh, person who like worker, uh And then I know them. They know me. And then, um uh and, uh and I don't have like, uh, like now I have every year I have to go through again through all these things I I have to tell about, um where I'm from

What My problems are, uh, about my family, about my son. What problems are so the same? I'm all the time telling the same story. I'm telling

So for me, it would be easy if there would be someone who is, uh uh who has been working with me, uh, through, I don't know, for many years. And then they know me, I know them. And it would be easier for me to turn to them to ask them to help me when I need help

IPs como And, uh uh, you know that, uh, psychologically, it is easy to ask for help. Uh, from someone who you know already then from someone who you don't know who is the good and what is how how it works now. So it looks like, uh what they what they do social workers, They, uh every year they just fill in the same form, and that's it

Mhm. And tell me a bit more about what it's like when you are talking to when you are asking for help from somebody that you know KKKK uh, K. Yeah

Uh, PP Cato Boar Ani Uh, EAV, um I'm not sure whether I, uh, understood. Uh uh, uh, your question correctly, But, uh, if I need help, I ask my friends to help me. Uh, they, uh uh they help me to translate the letters

Uh, or, um uh, if I need to fill in some papers. So if I need help to with this I, I ask my my my friends, OK? And just little bit more on that, if there is any in terms of what is it? What? What is that? What is that experience, like, Is is that, um how does it when asking for that help and doing that with friend or someone you know? How does that make you feel? Ah, uh, you see, um, I just, um I would say that it it is, uh, it is not easy to ask someone for help. It is easier when you are helping

So they know to offer your help to someone. Uh, and how it happens if I need some help. I just, uh call my friends

Uh uh. Ask them, uh, uh, for help and explain what I need. And if they can do it, they agree If not, they say no

That's it. And how thank you for that. Thank Thank you for that

Um, answer. Um and And how easy is it to find the information? You You need a KV in Ma Invalid PIM. Yeah

No, no. Uh, how worked the man? Uh, mia, No cat problem is R camp cao a TG when you so credit because it's a So I would say that it's it's not It's not easy to find any information. I would even say that it's very hard to find information

Uh, for example, um, we've been here since the 2012, and, um mm. So Mm. And, um, my husband Sorry

My son, He used to have Sorry. Um, uh, my son used to get, um So now his disability allowance is, uh uh is £500. Uh, but in the past, he had less

And do you know it's not enough? It's not enough, uh, to buy proper food, uh, to to do not to do things with his money. And I kept asking social, uh, social workers I made about for advice. Or maybe for some information, whether I can get something else

So they said that it was, uh, the only what I could get. And I couldn't get anything else or more. Uh uh, money

So, um, and then I was working, um, working what I was doing, I was coming to people's houses and I was clean. No, cleaning them, like as a cleaner. And there was one woman, uh, who I was working for

She had she was in the same situation. And when we start talking, she told me, uh oh, no, you can get, uh, like, universal credit. You can go for it

So she told me. So she gave me that information, which I could have been given a long time ago. But social workers just didn't Didn't, uh, provide me with this information

Thank you. And how did that make you feel? A What? What is that one? Um, so, uh, you see, I'm that, uh, that, um type of a person which, um uh I feel like I. I cannot stop, no matter what

I need to move. I need to do something I need to do, you know, and And do you know when I found that information when provided by the woman I felt like, Oh, I've I've got somewhere. It was like victory for me

Now I know what to do now. I found something else. Thank you

So and in an I Do we? What would you want? What would you expect to find and and and and where When you are seeking information, advice and guidance KV I, um Yes, it does. Yes. It was, uh, uh, on pre in a, uh I was you see what, uh, what I think about all this? This is if if if, if, for example, if we have if someone has a, um, like, social care helps them Or we have, like, social worker, uh, who is, uh, working with us in us

This is, I think, because they know, um, about, uh, they know more. They know they have more information. They should, uh, volunteer tell us that information

It's not me asking them all the time because I don't know what they can offer. I don't know how I would say like that list of what? What help they can offer. They should be telling us we can do this and that and that you can get that and that and that so they should give us full information for us to be aware what we are entitled to where we can get help

What help we can get. Not for us and and how it happens. We should all the time ask

I don't know what they are. You know what is how you say the authorities? I don't know what they can help with. I don't know what to ask them about

Thank you. Um, you've articulated that you've said that really well. And what you're saying is you don't know what you need to know

So how do you know what you need to ask for? To ca to stuff the wing is nice. Yeah. Stoga nus as knights I by the movie is night crash it? Uh, yeah, because the gus to turn over

You see, the thing with me is that, uh, I'm from a different country, so I don't know. Uh, here, uh, what you can get, uh, where you can get help and anything. So and, um, I don't know, IIII I didn't know

Uh, what help they can give me. So you see? And it just every year I find out something I know something new. Where else, if any Do you get your help from? Uh, sh uh, yes

With the sh P at P at P. Uh, P Ku ku. Uh, what kind of help you are talking about? About emotional health or financial? Or what are you talking about? Um, in relation to the care of your son

So I of course, it's really a a general follow up question. So a lot of it seems to be the help comes from her family. It's My question is, there is a secondary question

Is there any other places that Natalia gets help from when she's seeking information? It's not ka. It's, uh uh uh What is VV, um in, uh uh, in to us Nika Nik. But, um GP Doctor No, uh, specifically was Avani, which is S beauty

Epilepsy? Uh, no, just the choice factor, Doctor Morta paska is very practical. Is yeah boto. So I would say that, um, this is just a social a social care

And then, um GP Uh uh, When, uh, so my my son has, uh, apart from, uh, being, uh, autistic. He has diabetes and epilepsy, so I talk to our GP and just I can get advice from GP. And sometimes GP advises me what to do how to do gives me some, uh, information and then family Hm

And decide which direction to go. Um, have there been any positive experiences of seeking information, advice and guidance, Um, that that she's needed Or, you know, in terms of like, from local authority or services and organisations. Mhm

Yes. Was was, uh, in, uh, WAKK Mini Uh, V, Uh, a mini VA. No, I no go cause I just, uh because even though no, no, um I cannot think now about, uh, something like some something in particular

Do you know from my experience, I just want to say that there was nothing that that there has been nothing negative. Uh, with my communication with social services, I can say that everything was positive. Uh, they were positive when they were coming and positive when they were leaving

OK, so to clarify, I understand, in terms of her experiences have been OK. There's not been anything unpleasant, but the ability to find information get help has been has has been difficult. So I understand the difference between complaining and going this bad thing happened and that it's been really, really hard to get information that's needed, which, in a sense, is a negative

But it's not. Someone has mistreated her. Uh uh uh uh uh, no, I don't have to figure that out

Uh uh. I cannot say that I. I was mistreated in the past

And what I can say that it's a shame that it's all the time. Like new workers, but each one of them, they always were positive. They always were nice

And when they are leaving, I had nice feelings about that. And, um and and And I can think I don't think they are. Their pay is so their wages are like they get lots of money

So I just can get that those people who work there, they just work because they want to do it. You know, I understand. I understand that that will be That will be reflected

Yeah, it's not a complaint. It's I might Yeah, it It's I'm just kind of clarifying the that the we've understood one another, but I, I I'm I'm comfortable that that that has been understood. Um, don't worry

No, I'm not complaining. No, I never had negative negative experience with social workers. It's always been positive

Um, so this interview is about hearing your story and your lived experience of accessing social care. So the questions follow what you say and are about those experiences. And so it's about that

And I understand the difference between you telling me your experiences and, um, a complaint. I there's there's a there's a subtle difference. And because of the language, the challenge don't worry about what I feel is coming up

Um vor V Sita do mhm. So sort of last few questions really is, um, in your opinion, what steps or what things could the local authority do to, um, make things easier for you? Mhm to the information that you need CAA, Popo, Informa, Vanna. No, I didn't, um, yes, but, uh uh uh, it's it's it's, you know, it's it's quite kind of not an easy question

Not easy. But, uh, I can say that what would be probably, uh, what would be better for me if there were, uh, how to say, um, social worker. If they wouldn't change this often, it would be a social worker for longer time

And if they could explain me if they could come to me and say, we can do this, this and that. You can get this and this help. And then obviously I would I would think I would decide whether I need it

It's made that I don't need it. And then obviously, like I said already, it would be better if there would be one social if they wouldn't change. Uh uh uh, because how it happens every year, a new social worker, they come, they fill in the same forms

I tell them the same story, and then they go. And I don't think that, uh, they have a year for them is enough, uh, to how to say, uh, to know my, uh my my, um, circumstances, but, uh, to help me. But, uh, So this is what How I see this

Thank you. That's a really good answer. I get spicy, but the thank you is there

So we're coming to the end of, um, the interview. Is there anything that you would like to say or add? Um, or answer a question that I have not asked. No, no, no

So, no, I don't have I don't have questions, and I be because it's my first experience. I've never had this before doing this type of meetings. Yeah

And, um uh, and I don't have anything, uh, to add I think I've said anything. What I wanted just OK, so, um, that brings us to the end of the interview. I'm going to, um, stop the recording now

Um, and we are complete on that, so I'll just stop the recording. I'm not gonna cut this off straight away, though. I just find the right button

Can you share?.

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