Worried parents re-assured over future of St Clair Centre amid closure fears

Fife Health & Social Care Partnership has confirmed that the doors to St Clair Centre will remain open as worried parents and carers looked for re-assurance

The centre provides a community support service to adults in Kirkcaldy between the ages of 16 – 65 with learning disability, physical disability, sensory impairments, autistic spectrum disorders and other related issues.

It has been closed to users since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to protect the most vulnerable.

However, the length of time that it stayed shut has led to parents and carers fearing the worst.

Rona Laskowski, head of complex and critical care services, said the partnership was looking at how best to re-instate services safely.

She said: “During the course of the pandemic Fife Community Support Services (FCSS) has not been using the St Clair Centre to provide a service to individuals.

"As a direct alternative, and as a means of ensuring infection prevention and control measures were fully in place, it has continued to provide support to individuals and families who were identified as being in critical need, from their homes, to reduce the risks to the most vulnerable people the service supports.

“Many of the services users, as part of their general support arrangements, require access to the specialist facilities we have in the St Clair Centre.

"However, alongside that, a significant element of activities we support people to access are in mainstream community facilities, and not in the St Clair Centre.

"We are currently considering how best to safely remobilise services, including reintroducing people to the St Clair centre.”

She pledged to keep families informed.

Councillor Ian Cameron also scotched closure rumours.

He said: "There has been restricted use of the facility during the pandemic as more individuals and families received greater support in their home setting.

"This will continue to be the model moving forward, but where St Clair Centre is included within support plans – which it is for many - access and resource will be provided in this setting.”

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