Asian families struggling to bring up more than one disabled child in poor inner city housing could be fast tracked towards home improvements.

The special problems faced by couples bringing up more than one disabled youngster was highlighted in a major review of how Bradford social services are performing.

Now experts from the Audit Commission and Social Services Inspectorate, which carried out the review, are urging council bosses to take swift action to help disadvantaged families.

There is a waiting list of 18 months to two years to get wheelchair-friendly adaptations made to homes. Because of the hardship caused to families, the council is now being urged to 'fast track' the most disadvantaged ones through the system.

Bob Welch, the leader of the Audit Commission/Social Services Inspectorate team who examined Bradford social services, said more effort should be made to help the small number of Bradford families involved.

He said it was a specific problem facing ethnic minority families in the city. The practice of cousins marrying is believed to have contributed to a higher than average number of children in the Asian community born with multiple disabilities.

"The length of time to provide adaptations is always slow - not just in Bradford," said Mr Welch.

"There's a particular issue here in Bradford for minority ethnic communities, where a small but significant number of families have a number of multiply handicapped children - for a variety of reasons, intra-familiar marriage, poor housing and deprivation."

Council leader Margaret Eaton said the authority would look at examples of good practice carried out by other councils when tackling the problem.

Bary Malik of Asian Disability Awareness Action (ADAAB) welcomed the call for quicker action: "At the moment you are talking about two years just to get a decision on adaptations - not to get the practical help. Two years can feel like 20 years if you're disabled. I know of people who have to crawl like an animal on all fours to get upstairs in order to wash themselves before prayers."

e-mail: sarah.walsh@

bradford.newsquest.co.uk

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