BURNLEY MP Peter Pike has offered to take up the case of a Burnley family who are appealing for help in caring for their autistic daughter.

Paul Gibbins and his partner Amanda Floyd say the strain of looking after the five-year-old and three other children under 10 is stretching them to breaking point.

But they say they are being passed from pillar to post by the health and social services in their attempts to get a regular pattern of respite care. Rebecca, five, has needed 24-hour a day supervision since developing autism just before her second birthday.

She has severe behavioural problems, including screaming, wrecking furniture, loss of speech, hyperactivity and often refusing to go out of the house. Rebecca, whose family live in Stoneyholme, has no conception of danger and needed surgery following a fall from a stool. Special safety gates are to be fitted in the house by social services.

Rebecca attends nearby Westway special school and volunteers from the Crossroads Care for Carers take her out for two hours each Saturday to give the family a break. Paul said: "That is all the help we get. We have had problems organising regular respite care and the crunch came when we were told funds were not available for respite care." Rebecca went to Kinross Street, a local health trust short term break home offering a service to children with severe learning disabilities, for two days at Easter but the previous occasion was last year. Paul added: "The health service say it is the responsibility of social services and they say it a matter for the hospital authorities." The couple want a fixed arrangement for Rebecca to attend the respite care home one weekend a month.

Paul said: "I was laid off at about the time when Rebecca's problems started. I would like to work but Amanda cannot look after all four children on her own." Burnley MP, Peter Pike, said: "I would be happy to look into their case if they contact me."

"It depends on the details of the case whose responsibility is it but I certainly think people involved in this sort of situation are entitled to respite care.

"I know that both the budgets of the health authorities and social services are squeezed but I think this type of help is essential. Otherwise the later costs involved if full time care becomes essential would be far greater." A spokesman for Burnley Health Care said: "We are doing all we can for the family but there is a limit to what we can do."

A spokesman for Lancashire Social Services said they had the primary responsibility for assessing the need for respite care and in some cases that involves joint assessments with the health service.

He added: "There is good co-operation between the two services and discussions have been taking place with the parents to agree a care plan which can best meet Rebecca's need."

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