The Growing Mountain Of Sleaze
To Whom It May Concern.
The manager[Elizabeth McGinnis] has employed unqualified/untrained staff of little experience to run the NEIGHBOURHOOD GROUP as well as other groups run by PEP. The NEIGHBOURHOOD GROUP- basically the ex-MUIRHOUSE SIX CIRCLE GROUP- is comprised of people with mental health problems,disabilities,learning difficulties,offenders and the unemployed.
Major issues within the group are Service Users suffering from regular epileptic and diabetic seizures,challenging behaviour-from individuals including people with long and enduring mental health problems some may be from secure units,offenders of whom some may have committed capital offences and are on placement from prison,staff must have ability/training/qualifications in supporting and enabling such a mixed group to manage a variety of complex issues.
For the past six months the manager has employed MH to run the NEIGHBOURHOOD GROUP an individual who has no qualifications,little training,only some experience of some of the issues involved and for the past year JC who also has no qualifications,training and very little experience and was previously employed as a PEP bus driver.
MH and JC who run the NEIGHBOURHOOD GROUP AND ARE UNQUALIFIED/UNTRAINED as previously stated have been seen by staff attending a Service User who had taken an epileptic seizure “mimicking” how they had seen previous staff attend the Service User WG.
On one occasion JC panicked in the main office in front of staff when finding out what a new/previous Service User’s HH supports needs were,stating she was not qualified or trained to deal with such support needs. This was also witnessed/overheard by LISAÂ ROSS from the Drylaw Inclusion Project [SEPTEMBER 05]
HHÂ is now escorted by a member of staff at all times from the Inclusion Project while attending PEP were before Muirhouse Six Circle staff attended to HH’s needs.
Little or no genuine keyworking is being done for the members of the NEIGHBOURHOOD GROUP or PEPS volunteer’s due to the manager employing unqualified,untrained inexperienced staff with no concept of the theories,assessment/medical knowledge and practicalities of keyworking such a complex group.
Truely shocking and a daming insight into how Councillor McGinnis mis-manages this project with it’s vunerable service users. We demand as a matter of urgency the removal of Councillor McGinnis as manager of PEP and her immediate resignation as Councillor.
This report in all it’s tragic detail has been forwarded to the following people.
Ms. Helen Morgan,Contracts Officer, Social Work Department Edinburgh-0131-553-8362
Ms.Lawrie Davidson,Care Commission,Stewart House,Eskhill Musselburgh-0131-653-4100.
The Office of Scottish Charities Regulator,Investigation Teams,Dundee-01382-220446
Gordon Smaill General Auditors[Scotland] 18 George Street Edinburgh-0854-1461010
Malcolm Chiscolm[MSP] 86-88 Brunswick Street Edinburgh.
The Big Lottery Fund 1 Atlantic Quay Broomielaw Glasgow-0845-4102030.