PARENTS of a disabled teenager from Bordon have criticised Hampshire Social Services for failing to provide the care she desperately needs. Claire Hooper, 17, from Willow Close, suffers from Prader-Willi syndrome, a complex genetic disorder which is present from birth, and has received respite care for the past past two years. Now her parents claim they can longer cope looking after their daughter who has the mental age of a seven-year-old, and the emotional age of five. But her father Brian believes social services staff have failed to arrange full-time care placements, which have fallen though several times in recent months, because of a funding row. He said: "Claire should have been placed before Christmas and it hasn't happened." Hampshire County Council strongly denied their claims this week. Clare's symptoms include an excessive appetite, low muscle tone, emotional instability, immature physical development and learning disabilities. The condition leaves her unable to tell when she is full, incontinent and with severe learning disabilities. Claire's parents, Brian and Chris, previously cared for her at home – but as her needs have increased they found they could no longer cope. The family have been working with Social Services for two years, during which time potential places in full-time care have all fallen through. Mr Hooper said: "Things at home really began to break down and we decided to get some respite care for Claire. Unfortunately, my wife Chris and I are so exhausted that a couple of nights a week off wasn't enough. She has been in full-time care for six weeks now, and we are still struggling to recover." Claire is currently staying at Sunbeams, a respite centre in Aldershot. She was moved there following a distressing incident at home, but due to the short-term nature of respite care it is thought she will be moved again soon. "The last episode came because Claire knew she was going to be placed in a care home in Southampton. "We had been preparing her and we had got to the point where we were ready to go. But then the placement fell through, and we had to explain that to Claire – it was unbearable. "When we told her, she really lost it. She trashed the house and began to break glass and crockery. "While my wife was on her hands and knees trying to sweep up broken glass, Claire was trying to kick and punch me. "She is very strong girl, and often doesn't realise her own strength. That was the last straw really. We had to ask Social Services to remove her," said Mr Hooper. However, Claire's parents believe the county council's child services are delaying a permanent move in order to avoid funding the placement. Claire turns 18 in February, after which her case will be the responsibility of HCC's adult services. "All of this could have been avoided. It is purely an issue of funding - and child services are desperately trying to get out of it. "They have fought us every step of the way, with one excuse after another about why they can't place Claire. It has recently come to my attention that the only real excuse is funding, because if child services take Claire into care, they will lose points in their performance ratings and this will affect their funding next year. "Claire's needs and requirements have been stalled and we have been deceived and mislead." A county council spokesman denied the claims. "This is not a matter of performance ratings. "Care staff work hard to access the needs of the individual in every case. "It is not Hampshire County Council's policy to comment in detail on individual cases for confidentiality reasons. "Social care and health professionals always work together to ensure that any placement identified is in the most appropriate long-term care setting. "Placements are carefully assessed for their appropriateness in offering quality of care suited to the needs of the individual, now and into the future. "While such work is under way, every effort is made to ensure that individuals are cared for in settings which are familiar to them and which can meet their needs in the interim period." Claire's parents hope the situation can be resolved quickly, with minimal affect on her. Dad Brian added: "Claire is a lovely girl, she has a fantastic smile and can be a big ball of fun. The poor kid doesn't know why this is happening to her. "Respite is what it is, and it can't be a home for Claire. "We have nothing but good things to say about the staff at Sunbeams. "They do everything they can to make Claire more comfortable, but she shouldn't be there still."
