A FAMILY struggling to care for a 15-year-old son with severe learning difficulties are furious after their support from a social worker was withdrawn.

Jonathan and Helen Eveleigh of Sturminster Newton say “a normal family life” is impossible without greater support for their son, Matthew.

The Yewstock School student suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among other severe learning difficulties and has the emotional development of a child of four.

“The only support I get is from my mother.

“If it wasn’t for her, I would have cracked up long ago.

“But it’s not fair on her. She’s not young, and she still has a job,” said Mrs Eveleigh.

Mrs Eveleigh said she and her husband were told at a meeting that her son’s needs had been classified as “moderate”.

“We were told that Matthew didn’t qualify for a social worker.

“I thought it was a huge step backwards.

“His social worker had worked with us for years and was like a sister to me,” said Mrs Eveleigh.

Rather than receive social care from Dorset County Council, the family was told Matthew would receive support from health professionals with the Dorset Primary Care Trust.

But Mrs Eveleigh says home support and school visits from the trust’s Swift service have been infrequent and inconsistent – charges Swift staff deny.

She demanded a reassessment of Matthew’s needs, and was told in January that his disabilities would now be classified as “severe”.

A spokesman for Dorset County Council said the authority could not comment on individual cases, but added that disabled children were entitled to an assessment under the Children Act 1989.

Eligibility for a social worker would depend on whether the assessment classified the child as disabled, said the spokesman, adding that care criteria under the Disability Discrimination Act would then decide the level of support to which the child was entitled.

“If a child’s circumstances change, parents should let us know so we can review the situation,” the spokesman said.