AN Okehampton mum took the fight for better support for parents of children with severe learning difficulties to the House of Commons last month.

Liz Allen, who cares part-time for her 38-year-old son, Richard, attended the launch of a national report by Mencap, during National Learning Disability Week.

More than 70 families took part in Mencap?s Breaking Point report and spent a day at the Commons with 60 MPs, including local member, John Burnett.

Mrs Allen and her husband Michael took part because they wanted to help raise awareness about the problems faced by parents and carers in the area, and all over the country, because respite care facilities are insufficient.

She said: ?There is only one respite bed in the Okehampton area, which is run by wonderful people who are really caring and Richard loves going there, but it?s just not enough. With so many people moving into the area, the law of averages says there?s likely to be more people needing the service which will make matters even more difficult.

?If you want to book a holiday, a weekend away, or a day out at the weekend, it can never be done at the last minute. You have to book well in advance to ensure there is respite care available,? said Mrs Allen.

?When we first moved to the area, there was a place in Okehampton with enough beds, called The Barton, but in the last 12 years we?ve seen the number of beds drop to just one.?

The Breaking Point report found that eight out of every ten carers have reached their breaking point and are struggling to cope with the demands of caring for the children they love because of the lack of support.

The report aims to raise awareness of these problems, and Mencap has found that local authorities do not see the families of disabled children and adults as a priority.

The need to save money is the key reason these families are left to cope alone and receive minimal support.

Jo Williams, Mencap?s chief executive, said: ?We want local authorities to urgently address the needs of these families, spend more money on short breaks, which can be anything from two hours to a month long, and monitor how this money is spent.

She said: ?We are lobbying the Government to do a lot more to monitor what the local authorities are doing and put more money into learning disability services to ease the pressure on local authorities.?