ALAN Sutherland Cash is a carer on the edge. He desperately needs help to look after his severely physically disabled wife and three young children. But he says he has been told that cash strapped social services can't provide it.

His wife Kath is severely disabled, his oldest son is diabetic, and his daughter has memory problems.

And now Mr Cash, 44, who was already suffering from stress related stomach ulcers, has been prescribed beta blockers because of dangerously high blood pressure.

The family only moved to Bolton last month, and presumed they would be offered a similar level of care to that which they had enjoyed in nearby Blackburn.

In Blackburn the family say they had been receiving 14 hours a week respite care. In Bolton they have been told they will be offered nothing.

Kath, 30, a psychology lecturer at Bolton Institute, suffers from a rare and debilitating nervous condition. She has lost the use of her legs, arms and just recently her sight. Her internal organs are also affected. Her list of illnesses reads like a medical encyclopedia. She has reflex sympathetic dystrophy, Horner syndrome, autonomic neuropathies and crutch palsy.

She is currently working as a lecturer alongside studying for a PHD. Alan is her support worker, and is studying for an MSc.

And the couple fear that as the pressure on Alan builds, his health will suffer, and the family unit will collapse.

On a day-to-day basis Alan looks after all Kath's personal needs. She needs help with things like getting dressed, bathing, washing her hair, getting into and out of bed, and in and out of her wheelchair.

Devoting

But by devoting time to his wife, Alan has less time for everyday family chores. In Blackburn the family say they gained enormous support from workers who came in to cook the evening meal, pick up nine-year-old Kirsty from school, and shopping.

The couple say the help they received in Blackburn was crucial in helping the family cope with their difficulties.

Kath, who is in constant pain, said: "I insist that Alan takes care of my personal needs for my own self respect. He takes care of this because he knows my body as well as I do."

Kath's condition means that her bones are easily dislocated. "Two nurses came to bathe me and I ended up with broken wrists and dislocated hips," she said. "It was not intentional, but they just don't understand my condition."

Alan went on: "It's not just Kath I look after, there's also the three children."

He said that things most people take for granted are a "nightmare" for his family.

When he goes shopping he has to take Kath in the wheelchair, because she is not safe staying at home. On top of this he has responsibility for his three children. Kyle, 12, looks after Kirsty, who is unsure in new settings, and Chris, who is insulin dependent, pushes a trolley.

Bigger

He said: "By not offering us any help social services are creating a potential bigger problem. If I fall ill they will have to look after all of us, 24 hours a day."

Kath believes that if social services continue to deny the family any support, Kyle, her 11-year-old son, will end up bearing a greater responsibility for the family's care.

She said: "That's something I've battled against since I fell ill. I do allow the children to help with things like washing up and vacuuming. But there are certain things that are just not appropriate for children to do. Do you think it would be right for Kyle to take his mum to the toilet?

"Because that's what's going to happen. If anything happens to Alan, my little boy will have to take care of me and his siblings. And that's just not acceptable. He needs to be a child, he deserves to have a chance. I do try to do what I can, but basically I'm not safe."

Kath's condition means that she is unable to feel heat or cold. "I've been known to stick my hands in the oven and pull out a baking tray," she said. "It's only later when the blisters start to form that I realise the tray was scorching.

"I was able bodied, and I know what life can be like. I didn't choose to be disabled.

"I don't expect any more rights than anyone else. But I expect the same. At the moment I am fighting for my family. It's not about me, it's about my family's entitlement to a life."

The family moved to Bolton because Kyle has a scholarship to Bolton School.

School

When the family were living in Blackburn, Kath would take Chris and Kirsty to school, while Alan took Kyle. But since Kath's sight went, she is unable to drive. And the perfect solution seemed to be a move over to Bolton, where both parents work.

In a form they filled in with a Bolton social worker, the family said their top wish was for the services they enjoyed in Blackburn to be resumed in Bolton.

"We're not making unreasonable demands or asking for any more. We just want enough help to allow us to function," said Alan.

Kath continued: "It's hard for me because I can see the constant pressure Alan is under. Because of that I tend to hide my pain. There's no break for him. When we got the help in Blackburn you could literally see the stress fall away from him.

"I want people to realise that we are not doing this for us. There are a lot of people out there who won't or can't speak up for themselves.

"There's all this grand talk from the Government about helping carers. But here at grass roots level nothing seems to be happening to make life easier."

The couple have now made a formal complaint to Bolton social services.

A spokesman for social services told the BEN: "We are re-evaluating the family's situation in the light of their changing circumstances."

Michelle Clarke, a carers' development worker with Bolton's Carers' support project, is backing the family's decision to make a formal complaint to social services.

"This case raises other issues," she said. "We are a small organisation in Bolton but we have links with the national centre.

"It's difficult for Mr and Mrs Cash because it's a bit like a lottery out there. What you get depends on your post code."

She said that the carer strategy launched by the Government seemed to be offering more support for carers, but at grass roots level the resources and money were not there.

She added: "This case is just a reflection of what is going on nationally. Some areas are better than others." Six million unpaid carers in Britain THE Carers National Association estimate that the six million carers in Britain save the nation £34 billion a year.

CNA also estimates that if one in ten carers were to give up their responsibilities it would cost the state £3.4 billion each year. Of the six million carers in the UK, there are approximately one million providing at least 50 hours care each week to a family member.

This year the Government launched a national strategy for carers "Caring About the Carers".

Tony Blair said: "What carers do should be properly recognised and properly supported - and the Government should play its part. Carers should be able to take pride in what they do. And in turn, we should take pride in carers. I am determined to see that they do - and that we all do."

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