Calls for people who need care in Jersey to have more control over their support
Report by ITV Channel's Roisin Gauson
There are calls for people who need care in Jersey to have more control over the support they receive.
Luke du Val is 23-years-old and recently followed up a First-Class Honours Degree in English and Media with a Masters Degree in Media and Communication.
He also has Cerebral Palsy and requires assistance with every day tasks like preparing food and getting dressed.
Luke is now back living and working in Jersey but says his time at the University of Portsmouth has highlighted how much more enriched his life can be with a consistent care team of a similar age.
He explained: “I’d like to work with someone who I would come to know and consider to be a friend, rather than someone I don’t feel I have anything in common with.”
Since being back in Jersey, Luke's live-in support worker has changed every four weeks on average.
It means he has repeatedly had to explain his personal needs to a new and unfamiliar person, which he says can make him feel like an imposter in his own home.
Luke is working closely with Enable Jersey to try to raise awareness of the issues and their CEO Sean Pontin says with the election looming it is a perfect time to be pushing for change.
Sean explained: “Hearing from him about what it’s like to live with a care team who come and go, that aren’t the same age, that don’t have similar interests really again made us think quite differently.
"What is it about our system in Jersey that expects people to be cared for as opposed to someone like Luke who has his whole life in front of him, that needs care and support but equally wants to be independent and do things that young people do.”
Luke hopes that by sharing his story and experiences that he may have a hand in raising awareness to help change things for himself and others in future.
He added: “It’s just the pure frustration and the emotion that comes from the frustration.
"I’m now getting to the point now where if it turns out that nobody is properly pushing for the change that I’d like to see then perhaps the best way to move forwards with these plans would be to make the noise myself.”
In response Jersey's government said: "We are sorry to hear of the consistency issues that have arisen for this individual.
"Within our current arrangements individuals are able to participate in selection of their care provider.
"Health & Community Services and Customer & Local Services are committed to working jointly to develop personalised budgets which can be managed by the person in need of care or support.
"We have very recently started work on this, and will continue to progress this together."