Home visit

Hi

We have a 17 year old son with ASD and an intellectual disability, also challenging behaviour.

He has been in a residential home for the last 3 years but we recently started home visits. The first 3 went great but last week he didn’t want to return and stayed a bit longer. Unfortunately he ran away when he realised the staff were coming again to collect him. He got himself out of a window and got onto a busy road. Fortunately the neighbour saw him and phoned us. It was sheer luck, he came back safe..

My husband now wants to discontinue the home visits and I can see his point but I find it a real shame.

Our son wants to stay at home permanently.

Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks

[Lucacielle]

Hi

Do you think he is not happy at the residential home? maybe he is not treated as nice there and prefers it at home.

I have a son with autism, i believe our kids are very sensitive and know what they need/want and who they feel comfortable with.

I dont know your situation but if there are other ways of support available for you and your son, can your son not live at home?

Maybe it needs to be investigated as to why your son does not want to return.

[Michele1965]

A robust care package to give a family the required support in their caring role would be invaluable to many of our children who would choose to remain at home. The social care system offers very limited options leaving families to make decisions that are compromises to their preferred choices.

Perhaps your son could share with you why he is reluctant to return to the residential setting and necessary changes to address his reasons could be made?

[booksd in reply to Michele1965]

This situation must be very worrying for you. It may just be that he needs time to adjust to going back after home visits. Do you live close to the care home? Could you have short overnight visits progressing to longer, or is distance a problem? Another possibility is that due to Covid there have been changes to staff and routines which he is finding challenging. Have visits and activities been restricted? I know that they have in my sons care home and this is having an impact on his wellbeing.