Caring for someone with multiple disabilities often places an enormous strain on even the most dedicated family. Ironically, the more disabled the individual, the fewer community facilities there are available.

Many respite care options and holiday homes exclude people with multiple disabilities on the grounds that they have neither the facilities nor the staff ratio to cope. Some people over 19 years old, the most neglected group, are at home 24 hours a day.

The result is that those carers most in need of a break are the least likely to get one. In a family crisis too, there is very little practical support available.