People with learning disabilities 'locked up'

People with learning disabilities are being “locked up” instead of receiving care in the community, according to a campaign group.

Dawn Cavanagh, who founded Stolen Lives, said people with disabilities “had always been a forgotten group”.

The organisation has launched a petition urging the Welsh government to take action.

The Welsh government denied people were being held “inappropriately”.

Ms Cavanagh, from Hook, Pembrokeshire, started Stolen Lives after the “traumatic” experience of trying to find appropriate care for her 21-year-old son Jack.

He has a learning disability, autism, epilepsy and ADHD.

She said his disabilities affected him “quite severely” and since the age of 16, he had been “inappropriately placed”, often in hospitals.

“One of the issues is that we’ve been told that we’re just individual cases.

“I decided to start a group to show that you can’t keep fobbing us off one-by-one.

“I was also interested to know who else is out there, because it can’t just be me,” she said.

A petition calling on the Welsh government to take action will be launched at the Senedd on Wednesday

Ms Cavanagh added many families in the Wales-wide group were frustrated and scared.

“I think a real problem is that so many families are frightened to speak out because they fear repercussions.

“They fear that a loved one could be moved in the middle of the night to another hospital.

“We fear they could be sent to England – you don’t have any power as a parent, that power gets taken away,” she said.

The group has a manifesto which calls on the Welsh government to publish data on how many people with learning difficulties are being held in hospitals or secure units and asking for more support for families.

Many are expected to protest at the Senedd on Wednesday urging the Welsh government to do more.

“We are going to raise our voices and we are demanding to be heard.

“I think that’s really important. These families so often feel ignored and alone.”

The Welsh government said it took the care of vulnerable people “very seriously”.

It added: “We are committed to reducing the number of people with a learning disability who are housed in a hospital setting.

“We do not agree that people are being systematically detained inappropriately in mental health units.”