Episode 3 The Council

Oh, my God!

Brace yourself.

The council - the organisation everyone loves to hate.

See, the thing is, they're all talk at this council, but nae action.

Everything it's... "The council's fault, the council 's fault,

"the council's fault."

"You will empty my bin."

Listen, I pay my council tax.

-You work...

-I'm saying nothing more.

You work for me. I pay your wages.

It's such a rewarding job.

Did you get that note of sarcasm?

Councils in Scotland are facing punishing budget cuts,

but with demand for public services higher than ever,

the pressure has never been greater.

I've only got two weeks.

I've got to find somewhere for me and five children to go.

You're paying your council tax for services that you're not receiving.

You've got no money, it's hard to just do anything.

It's not fair. There needs to be more funding.

I've got no choice. They give me no choice.

From educating our children,

to caring for our elderly and protecting the vulnerable,

the council's staff are on the front line.

Oh, it's just a nightmare.

We'll have to be allowed to do our job

by the council rules.

This programme contains some strong language.

Fife House, headquarters to one of Scotland's largest councils.

Its 18,000 employees deliver over 900 services,

ranging from bin collections and road repairs

to disability care and child protection, every single day.

-Can I vape just now?

-Aye.

Maybe it shows I'm human.

Julie is a family support officer

with the council's education department.

Everybody knows how to bring up kids.

Well, no, you don't. You're taught that -

just like you're taught everything else.

I'm here to try and change generations of parenting early on

and help parents to make those significant changes

that are going to impact on the children and them

for the rest of their lives.

Sounds quite cool, doesn't it?

What I do.

Councils across Scotland are now investing

in children's early-years services

to help reduce the risk and the cost of social work

further down the line.

In Glenrothes, today is the start of an early years support group

for struggling dads, a 14-week programme

of group meetings and home visits.

Good morning everybody, and welcome to Mellow Futures For Dads.

It's great to see that you've all turned up.

So we're going to start off.

My name's Stephen, I've got two kids.

There should be something like this so that when the woman's pregnant

that you could go to and then no' worry about it, ken,

I imagine that everybody's the same, absolutely shitting your pants.

-THEY LAUGH

-When they said it, I was like,

"Oh, my God, I'm going to be responsible for an actual person."

I was so scared.

I've got three girls - one called Tracey,

one Daisy and one called Makayla.

And they were chose, the bairn's names,

it was the bairns that chose each other's names.

I never got a choice in the matter.

The programme is designed to help these dads play a full part

in their children's lives.

And Julie visits them at home to offer additional support.

I'm not going to embarrass myself by bringing out a wee sat nav

when I should know where I am.

This is what you do when you're lost in Fife.

Sorry we're late, Andy.

You're going to jump up on my car, aren't you?

Yes, I thought you might.

SHE LAUGHS

Look at me. Well seeing I'm used to this, eh?

Right, I'll give it a wipe with this and then we're coming.

I see you, puppy.

Andy's currently fighting for access to his baby daughter

and has been advised by social work to join the dads group.

Do you know what the concerns are that social work have in respect

of you having Makayla at any time on your own?

There's time I think, well, ken,

I know I have been around the bairns for, like,

years and I made mistakes with my oldest one.

A couple of silly wee mistakes, nothing really major.

-Mm-hmm.

-But, erm...

-What kind of mistakes?

-Erm...

Tracey, when she was six year old,

I put in the bath, and a couple of things I needed,

-like shampoo and stuff...

-Mm-hmm.

..so I left her,

so I went, "Back the now." And ran up to the flat and came back.

I came back and she was crying.

She was a wee bit scared.

Then took her back the next day

and Michelle says she wouldn't let me see her.

What reason did she give for that?

Because I left her in the bath.

-Right.

-It did kind of freak her out a wee bit but...

-Mm-hmm.

I suppose the way, right,

that we kind of look at these things is -

did you deliberately put her in danger?

OK, and it's not that you've deliberately

put her in danger as such...

If you've had, like, a split up or something,

you're not thinking straight.

-This is a whole learning curve for me.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-It's taking me to get used to having social workers and that

-around me as well.

-Mm-hmm.

-Something I've never had.

And it is a big thing when people are coming into your house

and people are saying, "This is how it should be."

Or, "Have you tried this?"

Or, "Why don't you do this?"

But what I have to do is get a take on what's the current situation

and take it from there.

Right.

Every year, the council deal with over seven million enquiries

from the general public.

Afternoon, you're through to Fife Council,

Fiona speaking, how can I help?

I am absolutely perplexed at Fife Council at this moment in my life.

Good afternoon. I'm calling about my bin, which hasn't been lifted

but somebody seems to be getting it wrong all the time.

I'm being lied to, I'm being told I'm wasting your time,

I'm being shouted at,

I've got my girlfriend in tears, all over the cooker.

Yes!

Peggy's been on the council's customer service desk in Kirkcaldy

for the last nine years.

Aye.

Fun and games.

We're the face of the council.

If they come in and they're like,

"You haven't done this and you haven't done that."

"You've never emptied my bin, my bin wasnae emptied,

"yous have not done it."

And I'm like... And sometimes you just joke,

depending on who it is, you just like,

"I couldn't get out of this weekend, I'm sorry, but I'll try...

"I'll see if I can get my wellies on and come round, you know."

Over 1,000 people come through

the council's customer service centres every day.

It's about the lighting at Nicol Street complex.

Erm, a welfare grant.

OK.

You're bringing me chocolates?

I've got a wee black pair but I'd never had a red pair

and I thought... Do they suit me?

Brian, if you'd like to come over, I'll see what I can do to help.

Right, I reported all of this back in 2013, I would stress, right?

-Mm-hmm.

-I receive nothing but abuse from the horrible cheeky children

around the scheme...

-Mmm.

-I feel I'm scared to live there.

They actually use my close as a "gang hut", if you like.

-Oh, for goodness' sake.

-They pish in it and they...

-Ooh...

They shit in it.

I'm going to report that to the neighbourhood officer.

I don't see why I should have to pay rent on a property that is...

-Well...

-..absolutely...

We need to get things seen to, absolutely,

but everybody has to pay their rent.

-Of course.

-But I'll just go and see

if I can get a hold of Lorna for you, all right?

-Right you are.

-Are you OK to wait here for a minute?

They're just the face of the council.

These poor souls that are on the front line are the ones that are

having to, you know, answer for them that are up above.

A lot of folk will have issues and they get frustrated.

Somebody shouting in your face and anybody's initial reaction

is going to be...

"Rrgh, don't talk to me like that."

So you have your wee internal monologue going, "Suspend judgement,

"deal with the problem."

So, you're looking for information on the application?

Yes, please. I mean, I've been on homeless for four years.

I've worked all my days and I can't even get a house.

It's an absolute joke.

So... Right, so what have I to do?

Well, what I suggest you do is go and speak to the homeless officers

-and...

-So I need to go somewhere else again?

-You do, yes, you'd need to go up to The Hub.

-Why?

Because that's where the homeless are... They're...

We're not the homeless assessment.

-We're just...

-Aye, but this is the council.

-Yeah, mainstream...

You're all just one organisation. That's just silly.

Everybody just wants to pass you on to somebody else.

-Well, it's not...

-And somebody else and somebody else.

-I'm not passing you on to somebody else.

-No, I'm not saying you.

In general, I'm just saying in general.

I'm not saying you.

I know that's maybe how it feels, but I can't give you the information

-you need.

-No, it's not how it feels, that is how it is.

-But I can't give you the information you need.

-Yeah, I know.

-So I need to make sure that you get that.

-Right.

Right.

OK. So again just a waste of time again.

-Thank you.

-Sorry.

No, it's fine.

Fife Council's an absolute joke.

-Thanks.

-Thank you.

Sometimes it's...

It's frustrating if it's just...

You're just sitting there taking abuse

when you are actually helping them.

But it wasn't a case of me trying to fob him off,

it was a case of I was trying to direct him to where he would get

the help he needed.

But he was just in an agitated state

and didn't want to hear that, basically.

Have you slept rough recently?

Recently, yeah.

Not last night but the night before that.

These... Believe it or not,

these are the same clothes I've had on for about three, four days.

Not been washed.

Lucky enough, I had got a shave yesterday, so I'm pretty clean.

-You look brand-new, considering.

-Yeah, I look all right today, eh?

People do have hiccups in their lives

and people do need help to lift them back up,

and if the support's not there, then...

I didn't realise until I started this job

just how many vulnerable people there are out there.

You know, you're working, you're with your family,

paying your mortgage, living your life,

and then when you start something like this,

suddenly faced with vulnerable people, chaotic lifestyles,

it's quite a shock to the system.

Last year, the council received more than 4,000 complaints

from the general public.

Bins, waste and environmental complaints

are some of the most common.

In the coastal town of Methil,

an abandoned site is causing problems for one local resident.

You need to be careful because...

As long as you keep your trouser legs inside your boots,

you should be OK.

Phemie lives in a two-bedroom flat conversion

next to the empty site now being used for fly-tipping.

I've got a complete rat infestation.

As you can see, there's waste,

people have thrown out their bikes, fridge, chairs, curry trays.

It's rats' paradise.

Rats' paradise.

They've even got a double bed to sleep in

after they've had their little picnic, their food,

then a drink of their juice, then they can go and have a sleep.

You know - Methil cares for rats.

And Fife Council said they cannot do anything.

I'll show you their feeding ground.

Across here.

This is the problem.

The bins are full. Where are they going to put their waste?

They're going to throw it over the wall and that's exactly

what's happened, and that's why we have a rat infestation.

I told them about the fly-tipping,

I told them about everybody dumping their rubbish.

Private property.

It's an environmental issue.

The council are unable to act, as the site is owned by a landlord

who hasn't yet been identified.

Fife Council can step in.

They can step in and force the owners to do the repairs.

Fife Council just won't do it.

Did I just see a rat in there?

-Did I just see a rat there?

-Oh, yes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's at the side.

Oh, my God.

Shame on you, Fife Council.

Shame on you.

The situation is affecting life at home for Phemie.

I had to take all the floors up because of the scratching.

I'll take you through here.

It's a horrendous smell.

And what it is is, I've got dead rats on that side of the wall

and all under my floorboards.

You know, I've never slept in my bed for eight weeks.

It's now a case of, "Do I lock my door...?"

Sorry.

And just...

..just not come back?

It's difficult, very difficult.

The council's community wardens, Ian and Bob,

are a visible presence on the streets to deter and reduce crime.

Because you're a front-line service, you're a target.

And if you're a target, you'll get called whatever somebody thinks

-they can call you.

-Grassing bastard is the usual, ken...

Anything that they think is going to get up your nose, under your skin,

whatever. "Plastic polis, pretend polis."

"Couldn't get into the police force so you done this."

Of course, then you get into the personal name-calling

by the community and... Yeah, no, I've been...

It's been insinuated that my sex life's been of a solo nature,

I've had to go home and check my birth certificate several times.

Paedophiles and beasts and stuff like that.

-Snouts.

-Police grasses.

"Fuck pigs."

Aye, there's a lot of not very nice stuff in the beginning, eh?

Tonight, the wardens have been called out to Kirkcaldy

after complaints from residents

about crowds of teenagers on the streets.

A-h-h-h!

The wardens deal with all forms of antisocial behaviour across Fife.

INAUDIBLE SHOUTING

Well, we've nae powers of dispersal or anything like that,

we just try and engage with them and...

try and persuade them they don't want to go back into the park.

TEENAGERS SHOUT AND LAUGH

They regularly work in partnership with the police.

And tonight, they're monitoring the streets

alongside the police CCTV van.

Couple of years ago, community wardens

and the community policing team did a Friday night initiative

where every drunk under-ager we would escort home

to their parents, and it was a short-lived initiative.

It lasted all of one night, because of the abuse we got when returning

these drunk teenagers to their parents was unbelievable.

There is a culture of parents giving kids money to get rid of them,

buying them alcohol to get rid of them on a Friday night.

We've heard it all from parents in the past.

Back in the day, I would've got pasted all over the house

by my parents if I'd been taken home by the police, drunk.

It's...changed times.

It's worrying times, I mean, I've got young kids.

Fucking twats.

What was that, pal?

You can't be calling me that with your face covered.

Aye, on you go, have a nice night.

It is where do you draw the line?

There are sometimes you might feel a great requirement to stick your foot

up somebody's jacksie, especially when he's a 17,

18-year-old lad, getting in your face,

but all you're going to do is antagonise matters.

The best thing that we can do is try and reason with them.

We've got people that we do speak to now who were little tearaways

and they've got a bit of respect now.

Julie supports families with young children,

as part of the council's early years service.

I think I always was meant to be an actress.

I could be Stacey Dooley of Fife.

OK, an older version of Stacey Dooley of Fife.

I don't know if I could put on the tears like she does.

Do you have stuff that you put under your eyes?

Onions.

It's now the third week of the Mellow Dads programme.

-Good morning, Andy, you all right?

-Er...

What I want you to do

is everybody give me the worst part of being a parent.

Mine's is the loneliness.

We've been in a really bad situation,

we've not had any money since October the 1st, me and the kids.

My ex-partner put in a claim that she had the kids full-time.

-Right, OK.

-So they stopped everything that we were getting.

That's the whole reason that things like this help,

because see having to be in the house

-and worry about that all the time?

-Yeah.

-That's the hardest.

-Exactly.

Not being able to give her money, like, 50p for school and stuff.

That's awful. That's the worst feeling in the world.

Stephen joined the dad support group

having only recently been granted custody of his two children.

Only 2% of all children in Scotland live full-time

with their single-parent father.

So if you think, you know, when we were growing up,

I can't remember any dads looking after their kids,

their mum not being there. It only highlights the change

in society and, I suppose, in some respects,

the lack of resources that are around for dads

that are caring for their children.

Hiya.

You're on Daddy's shoulders.

Stephen, you're fine, don't rush, it's cool.

-SHE GASPS

-Are you going to beat me?

Yeah, I think you might.

Quick, quick! That's really not cool to show Stephen, he'll be saying,

"What the hell is she doing racing the kids in her car?"

As part of the Mellow Dads programme,

Julie is able to help Stephen access additional practical help at home.

It's hard to keep on top of a house, right?

But the other bit is it's Groundhog Day.

So if, you know, we can get somebody else

from one of the voluntary sector or whatever to come in and...

I don't want somebody coming out and cleaning my house, eh?

No, they're not going to clean your house.

-Right, that's fine, then.

-Oh, God, no!

-If that was the case then we'd all...

-Everybody!

"Oh, yeah, I'll have somebody to clean my house!"

"Oh, I'm really struggling with the washing!"

It's not the washing, it's the hanging it out

-and bringing it in that I really...

-You know what, Stephen?

I know you're proud and I know you don't want to take

that kind of help, but I'm putting my foot down and I'm saying,

if we can get you that kind of help...

What kind of help?

If you're needing, maybe, new furniture or bedding

for the kids, anything like that, I want you to take it.

Stephen, I'm putting my foot down.

Don't give me that puppy dog look.

It's OK to accept help.

I ken it is, but I just...

It's not that I dinnae like accepting it or anything like that,

-because I know that if it was, like, if I was in this...

-Exactly.

If somebody else, I would be doing the exact same.

Right, see you later, alligator.

I'm going in to make sure the support is around for him.

We've started the process,

and with a little bit of support from the voluntary sector,

he can carry it on and finish it.

In Methil, the fly-tipping site next door to Euphemia's flat

has now come to the attention of local and national media.

The rats are feeding and breeding on the rubbish

that has been dumped here.

They're then scarpering through neighbouring houses.

What else do rats do? They scarper, they...

-Scurry.

-Scurry, that's a good word.

Yep, take that.

So just explain a little bit

about when this problem with rats first started.

Last August.

It was actually my friend that went to the toilet,

and she came running out, trousers at her ankles,

and she just literally screamed,

"There's a rat in the toilet! There's a rat!"

And when it went in, I seen it.

It was like, "Oh, my God", it was horrendous.

They were everywhere. They were round my car,

there was a lot of scratching,

and then I started hearing them through my walls.

Then...

the rotten smell came, you know...

and it was quite intense.

So you've seen them in your house?

Yeah. They are big, they're big, they're not small.

I'm asking for help, I'm banging on doors and nobody's going to help me.

I'm trying to fight this myself.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry for crying.

No, not at all. I hope you get some sort of...

..resolution soon.

We'll see how it goes, eh?

Thank you, thank you very much.

No problem.

I'm fed up with it all.

I'm fed up feeling down.

The only people that are willing to help and give me a bit of support

are the actual media. It's the only people.

One week later, and still unable to identify the landowner,

the council decide to take action to clear the site.

It's not council land, but there's lots of issues there.

There's needles, there's rotten food, there's sharp objects,

but we've got to get to get it cleared

because it's a safety issue for children and the public as well.

Illegal dumping costs local authorities in Scotland

£75 million a year.

The men that's in here just now, it's obviously costing money,

I mean, they're going to be here all day.

The whole cost to clear the site,

we're talking a minimum of £9,000 coming from the taxpayer.

At least £3,000 or £4,000 for skips.

You've got labour charges and machinery charges

on top of all that.

We're just going to move another couple of trees here

so we can get the rest of this rubbish cleared.

Oh!

If you corner a rat, they'll try and jump.

You think they're jumping at you, but they're no',

they're just trying to escape.

But try and no' corner them.

You think folk would take a wee bit of pride of the area they live in,

rather than having it as areas like that.

Everything is the council's fault, the council's fault,

but it's not the council's fault, the public have...

It's taxpayers' money, at the end of the day.

They are paying for what they are dumping.

I've no' come across a dead rat yet, like,

but there is a few holes round there where there have been rats.

-MAN OFF-SCREEN:

-Have you seen anything?

Yeah, just one rat,

and Monty took a grab with his bucket

and it ran out the bucket and up to the wall into the pipe.

Whilst construction and land management clean up the site,

the council's pest control expert, Gus, has also been called out.

We're going to use these tunnels,

a bromadiolone-based poison we're going to use in here,

and we use these in the farms, generally.

But if this is as bad as people are saying,

this should disappear in maybe a day or two.

All right, guys?

Bring us the chainsaw, bring us the chainsaw.

It's there.

It's in the drain.

-You just missed one there now.

-Has it gone back in?

It's went back in the hole. Just where the chainsaw's sitting.

Right, good.

That blue one there?

People are telling me they are coming from this hole here,

so we'll get the box positioned here with some weights...

..and just a wee bit of camouflage.

Do you think you'll get them all?

Well, hopefully, but it'll take a bit of time,

but we've only seen two live ones.

But the nest has to be somewhere,

and if it's no' here, then where are the nests?

-Where are the nests?

-I cannae answer those questions just now.

No, of course you can't, of course you can't.

I'll be back in the morning to check them, OK?

The mess is getting cleared, and that's a really, really good thing,

but we haven't found the nests,

and if they're not over there in beside all that rubbish,

they're somewhere.

I'm going in to see Ian and Roma who live in the sheltered housing.

Marion's been a home theatre with the Council for the last 18 years.

Hiya, Lily.

Today, she is on the back shift in Glenrothes.

Hello, Roma!

Roma?

Roma? Are you all right?

Yeah, you're not stuck?

-Pardon?

-You're not stuck?

You're not... You're not stuck?

I thought you were stuck.

-No.

-No, you're all right.

INAUDIBLE

OK!

Over 60,000 people across Scotland need care at home.

The majority of these are elderly.

Hi, Ian. Ian, were you out today?

-I was just down at the shops, Marion.

-That's good.

Marion is my number one carer.

And I've no' paid him to say that!

That is worth a tenner, come on!

THEY CHUCKLE

I'll see you later.

Marion's one of almost 900 home carers in Fife.

Together, they carry out over 25,000 visits a week

to elderly, disabled and vulnerable adults.

We are attempting to keep...

..more people in their own homes for longer.

In the last, I would say, ten years, anyway,

the home care has changed in that people...

..who need us have more complex needs now, like dementia sufferers.

We care for people with dementia more now than ever before.

Over 90,000 people are living with dementia in Scotland.

Two thirds of those still live at home.

I'm on my way to visit Mr Morton, who we call Tam.

He's the one who lives with his daughter.

He had throat cancer and he's also got partial dementia.

Yeah, this is Tam's house.

Hello, Tam.

I'm back. And what is this?

You've got to eat.

Be big and strong like me.

Right, now, we're going to wheech you up.

Uh-huh!

He's putting his hand on his hip.

You're a star, aren't you?

How's that?

-Brilliant.

-Lovely.

That's Isabel. What's my name?

INAUDIBLE

-George?

-That's it.

-It's just a nickname.

-Marion on a Sunday.

Right, my honey.

You OK?

What? I'm Marion, that's right.

Marion.

And you're Tam, that's right!

I think it's great, because sometimes you think,

"Oh, he doesn't know anything",

but his dementia's no' always there, is it, Tam?

Right, see you later, OK?

Thanks, Linda. Bye-bye.

Tam always tells us he was a boxer in his youth.

Unfortunately the left hand has gone,

but he still tells you how it was with the right hand.

Yeah, I love him, I do.

As I say, you just become part of his family,

like how he calls me George and Marion on a Sunday.

Tam has been living at home with his daughter Linda

for the past eight years.

It is total minimum effort.

The less amount of chewing, the better.

Unless it's a sweetie!

Right, handsome.

Oh, your telly off again, son?

That's that cat, we'll need to fling her out.

She keeps knocking your telly off!

Have a wee try of that, the smoked cheese.

That's a boy, that's what I like to see.

Dementia, it's a cruel disease, eh?

I look at him, he looks like my dad...

..but he's not.

I promised that if he ever got to the point,

I would never put him in a home,

I would look after him until his time comes when he's...

Do you know what I mean? No longer here.

But if you've got no family to help you, right,

and you've got nobody to be your voice,

then you're left at the mercy of your local council.

For quite some time, Tam was bedbound,

and then his daughter,

she wasn't happy that her dad was, according to her,

kept in bed for so long,

so she demanded that we get him up,

so now Tam gets six visits a day.

The most any one person would get

would be four visits,

but his daughter impressed upon them

that she needed more care for her dad.

When he first had personal care, it was twice a day,

then it was four times a day,

and now it's six times a day.

He's imprisoned in a bedroom.

They're impeaching his human rights,

so that was the route I went down.

DOG BARKS

I know, I know, I know.

What's this?

Beautiful.

Thank you, my son!

I'm getting a blessing here, am I?

Marion's a star.

Marion should be put in a bottle and passed around Britain,

cos she would cheer everybody up that needs a quality of care.

But I've had from the other side where I've had not so good carers

and not so good care managers.

I've had to go and educate myself...

..so that they cannae pull the wool over your eyes and lie to you,

telling you services are not available

when they quite clearly are.

There we go.

He's lucky, I've fought, I've got him all the care

that he's entitled to,

but what about the wee man or the wee women round the corner

that's got absolutely nobody?

Not everybody's got a Linda, eh?

SAT NAV: 'Destination on the left.'

Did she say turn left?

It says something like 300 yards.

I don't know what 300 yards is!

How would...? I mean... Do people know what that is?

It's halfway through the ten-week Mellow Dads programme.

Today, Julie's supervising a visit with Andy and his daughter Makayla.

She's arranged to collect her from mum Michelle.

Hi, Michelle, it's Julie.

-THROUGH INTERCOM:

-'Come in.'

Old age.

Hello, gorgeous.

-Are you all ready?

-Daddy read you a story?

-Yeah.

-She likes getting read all the nursery rhymes.

She loves getting sung to, eh?

I've packed all her wee bag.

Brilliant. What's she got for lunch?

She's got a bottle already there, her wee tub, just pour it in.

No problem. Come on, poppet.

She'll be fine, don't worry. Don't worry.

-I know.

-She'll be fine. OK, Michelle.

Two minutes, darling.

What's going on?

Andy will only be allowed unsupervised access to Makayla

if Julie and social work assess him to be ready.

She is so heavy! Oh, babes.

SHE CHAPS DOOR

Hello, Andy, I had a panic. I thought you weren't in,

cos I tried to phone you to come and help me.

So you're going to get lunch in a minute, darling.

Let's take this off. There we go.

So you've be looking forward to this?

-Yeah.

-Has she been at the house before?

-No.

-Right.

So you don't have a wee chair or that?

Do you know what, right? If you were on your own with her,

then you'd have to be organised

-to make sure she was lying somewhere safe and...

-Yeah.

Daddy's going as fast as he can, and you're going to get your lunch.

Right, come on, then, poppet. There you go, babes.

Where are you going?

There you go.

Just try and reassure her, cos she's obviously wondering what's going on.

CRYING CONTINUES

-Do you want a hand, Andy?

-No.

Daddy's got sore hands 24 hours a day,

seven days a week until the day he passes away.

It's OK.

I know. Daddy's here.

Right, 20 seconds in the microwave, Andy.

-Yeah.

-OK?

I know! I think you might be hungry.

What's that, Andy?

Move all your cleaning stuff away

-from where you're making her food, yeah?

-OK.

Down the road, eh?

Right, how are you going to...?

Eh? Next challenge.

Erm...

What's this?

Your din-dins.

Come on, then. Oh.

Oh, Makayla.

You're in a strange place today, eh?

MAKAYLA FUSSES

You've got your dirty foot on her play mat, now.

You're freaking me out.

What we'll do, let me try.

Come on, poppet, let me try holding you.

Come on, darling, let's see.

Oh, right. Can you manage?

Come on, baby. Let's see.

Let's see.

Are you going to try?

What you have to do is kind of distract her a wee bit, Andy.

Where's the buzzy bee?

Pop!

Right, I'll keep her on my knee and you feed her, OK?

Is Daddy going to do the buzzy bee?

Bzzzz. Come on, then.

She's not going to come to you.

You're going to have to give it to her, if that makes sense.

It tastes good.

It's good for you, Makayla.

The mouth's open, Andy, so you just have to be a bit quicker.

Is Dad not going fast enough?

Daddy can only sit down properly, he can't sit like this.

He needs new knees.

Oh, tough, needs must, baby. You need your lunch.

How do you think you would have managed that, Andy?

If you didn't have help?

I would have probably persevered.

I would have struggled, but I'd have persevered!

Right, pass her over, or else we'll be here all day!

I'd be better off with you on my knee doing that.

I suppose for me, as a worker coming in,

I would have hoped that you would have been a bit more prepared

and there wouldn't be a razor lying on the couch

and lighters lying around and stuff like that.

Cos you can't have that with kids, full stop.

-I know that.

-That has to be sorted, Andy, OK?

It will be.

Right, that's us. I think that's it now.

Right, do you want to pop her in, Andy?

OK, darling. Keep talking to her, Andy.

Makayla.

Right, Daddy's going to bring you out to the car.

MAKAYLA CRIES

I know, darling, I know.

Two minutes. Two minutes.

OK, I shall see you tomorrow, yeah, at the group?

Bright and early. I know, darling.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Could Andy, with help and support,

care for Makayla without anyone else being around?

Yeah, Andy's fine when you're there prompting him and saying,

"Try this", suggesting what he should be doing,

but if there's nobody there to do that...

then how well is he going to manage?

Are we going to just have a...

you know, an upset little child in that house?

Oh, Michelle.

She is going to be glad to see you.

-Where's Mum?

-Hi, baby!

Two seconds, she doesnae like the wind.

Oh, right, OK, I'll grab her stuff.

Oh!

Have you missed the cuddles?

Have you missed the cuddles? Cos I have!

Eh, babes?

She's well-loved, as you can see!

The little contact that Andy has with Makayla,

she's just going to be as strange with him as she is with me.

18 years ago, he was exactly the same as what he is now,

and nobody can turn around and say I've not given him any chances,

cos I've give him every opportunity.

That's it. He's got the rest of this...

-The Mellow and then...

-The Mellow and that's it.

After that, I'm not going to give him a third chance.

He's had chance after chance.

Right, OK, Michelle. Thank you very much.

Take care, bye.

That was like chalk and cheese, wasn't it?

Lots of physical and emotional affection was shown towards her.

You know, she ran in right away

because she knows Makayla doesn't like the wind.

Her first priority was Makayla.

And, even when we arrived at Andy's,

it did not strike me that his first priority was Makayla.

What we don't want to happen

is Makayla becomes another statistic.

So we...have to make sure

that she has all the opportunities she can in life.

Today's been a busy day so far - mice, rats, ants.

It's been two weeks since pest controller Gus

laid the rat traps at the dump site in Methil.

We're going to go and see Mrs Campbell

regarding the rat problem.

I've only ever seen two rats in the whole time I've been on-site.

Certainly not an epidemic, certainly not an exodus, let's say.

People generally think once there's a lot of rubbish accumulated,

that causes rats, which could be the case,

but we get it every day of the week -

dirty gardens, rubbish in gardens,

"Seen rats" and generally the people

assume there's going to be rats there.

Right, then, this is the bit the council has done.

Very happy.

We'll just go and have a look and see if there's any signs.

There's one there that's never been touched.

No takes in the boxes.

That tells me there wasnae a huge amount of rats here,

or that poison would have been gone.

Well, I would say it was blown out of proportion.

And that's as far as I would like to go on that,

but we can only see what we see,

we cannae believe what people tell us.

Hello, how are you?

Mrs Campbell was saying she seen rats the other night at the car.

-Yeah, yeah, Sunday night.

-Right.

I heard scratching there,

and it was round about my bins,

and when I came out, I came round by the bins,

-there was one actually at my bins.

-Right.

I don't know if there's, like, they've dug underneath, you know,

where the mounds and that are.

-Oh, right, there we go.

-That's pretty fresh, there.

There we go. That's how they're getting in.

Right, then, I'll get some boxes set up here and we'll monitor you again.

Obviously they're running now

because their lair has been disturbed, eh?

Fife Council needs to get on to the owner.

I'm just here to help you with this situation.

-I know you are.

-We'll get you sorted again, OK?

-Yeah.

Truthfully, I've only seen two live rats here.

I've picked up two dead rats here.

I've seen more rats in a private garden than I have here,

but we're going to carry you on in the car park and that.

Rats are very, very clever.

Very, very clever.

But they're not as clever as us pest controllers!

No, I'm no' happier,

because the problem isnae going away,

and although they are no longer getting into my flat,

my next-door neighbour and, you know, the guy that owns flat two,

and the guy that owns flat three constantly see rats in the car park.

So they ain't going away, they're still here.

It's never-ending.

It'll be never-ending until that place is absolutely tidied,

shrubs back, maintained, eh,

which doesnae belong to Fife Council.

In Glenrothes, Marion's en route to Tam

for his fourth home care visit of the day.

Caring for people in their own homes

is a challenge sometimes, especially if...

..that person, be it man or women, is living with family.

We've got to adhere to rules set down by the council.

You have to be really very careful.

It's somebody's life you've got in your hands.

Chop, chop, chop! Here, one for you, one for you.

Right, go, go. Right.

They're somebody to talk to, cos I do walk about

talking to myself at times, eh? But they are company as well, eh?

Linda gets very compassionate.

Linda likes a good fight.

Boris, out!

Out.

And I do like to voice my opinion quite loudly, yeah.

And I won't be...

Out!

Thank you.

I do quite like a wee argument with the council

now and again, you know?

I'm only a home carer!

Hello?

What's my name, Tam?

-George.

-That's it.

Marion assists Tam from his chair to his bed every day,

but recently, he's been struggling with his mobility.

The standing is not any good for Tam now.

I don't think it's the right piece of equipment.

I would rather Tam had a hoist at this...

..present time.

Tam, now, you're going to stand up, get ready for your motorbike.

This is your Harley-Davidson, Tam.

That's it.

Now, you've to keep your foot down.

Tam, keep your foot down, keep your foot down.

Tam, it's this foot here.

Now, we're going to turn you round.

You keep your leg down. Well done!

I think the proper hoist would be a lot easier.

That way we could get a proper sling round him

and guide him right over to the bed.

If you get a hoist, that means he's bedbound, eh?

He's not lying in his bed to rot away.

You're impeaching his human rights.

You've imprisoned him in a bedroom against his will.

You've imprisoned him to a bed against his will.

It's no' happening on my watch.

It's a bit of a problem for the carers as well.

They can easily become hurt.

I actually think this could tip.

People with stand aids are usually,

basically capable of actually getting off the seat themselves

and standing.

It's not fair on Tam, but it's also not fair on the carers.

Until he pops his clogs,

he will be up and he will sit up

and he will be treated like a proper human being.

DOG BARKS

Right, then, that's us finished.

Be quiet.

Sit.

Right, through there.

We're going in every night with that dog barking

and it does not shut up.

It was me that phoned the office today.

Tam was stretched out and no way would he bend

or stand with the stand aid.

Oh, it's just a nightmare.

I don't know what's going to happen,

but we'll have to be allowed to do our job

by the council's rules, I think.

'Good afternoon, you're through to Kelly, how can I help?'

'I'm phoning about my son who has ADHD.

'He's addicted to the Xbox.

'Hello, Martin, I want to cancel my Meals On Wheels indefinitely, mate.'

'I'm speaking about my sister.

'She's 92 now.

'It's just that she is so very, very lonely.'

'Oh, right.'

Community wardens Ian and Bob have been called out to St Andrews

to inspect a derelict private property

which has become a drinking den for local youths.

We've had intel that, since the building's be made secure

over the winter months, it's now been made insecure again,

so we're just basically going to check,

see if there's any access being gained

and if there's any signs of drinking since the last clean-up.

I mean, I read an article in the paper not so long ago

that said the average pocket money per week

for the modern child in Britain is £20 a week.

That is nuts.

That's more than I get!

-Saying that, £20, that's just under three bottles of Buckfast.

-Aye.

When you weigh it up, you should be given at least enough

for four bottles.

Two for the Friday night, two for Saturday.

We'll have a walk round, see how much alcohol receptacles there is.

That'll give us a rough idea how many people have been up here

-and how often.

-Oh, look!

Come on out, put your hands up!

It's a chicken!

Oh, you've no hands.

Kind of pissed off, though, eh?

Cos we were on top of this place,

got it all re-secured and cos we've not been here...

The boards have served absolutely no purpose whatsoever.

"Kill the fuckers."

"Fuck you."

"No-one likes you, Rylan."

I agree with that one! I agree.

Lovely old stately home.

Or it was 20 years ago.

Right, Ian, this will be the first and only time

you'll lead me up the stairs.

It will no' be the first and only time

you've been at my behind, though!

Tiny, wee staircase.

They must have had tiny, wee feet in they days.

This is what you're talking about, this is the danger.

There is an open window, anybody could fall out there.

Then you'd hear the local residents saying, "Where were the wardens?

"We passed this information onto them."

"Why does no-one do anything about a dangerous building?"

Well, it wasn't dangerous until they trashed it.

People might say, the good inhabitants of St Andrews,

let them come up here, they're not on the street,

but look at the state of the place.

I mean, if you're up here inebriated,

there's no balustrade, no nothing.

We're going to go up the stairs to the attic space.

If somebody is setting fires down the bottom level,

like they have been, that's just a recipe for disaster.

Ian!

Daddy's home!

We got some good intel to take back, there.

It's the safety of the kids.

From our point of view,

we'll certainly be monitoring it pretty closely

and working with other agencies to try and get it re-secured again.

But we get painted as the bad guys for getting on the kids' cases

and whatever, but we're doing it for their benefit.

It'll just take something tragic to happen in there one Friday night

or Saturday night for people to start pointing fingers.

As long as we're doing our bit and going up there on monitoring

and trying to engage with these youths,

then hopefully nobody can point the finger at us.

In Glenrothes, family support worker Julie

is now in her tenth week of the Mellow Dad support group.

I mean, there's lots of people who, you know,

do the same kind of thing that I do across the country,

not only to make sure that kids get the best start in life,

but that the families are happy and whole and healthy.

That sounds religious.

BABY FUSSES

Did you like it when you had the jelly?

Just grab the jelly.

Today is the final session of the programme.

Daddy's making you a wish jar.

Yeah, Daddy's making you a wish jar.

You've to put in wishes, so this is a wishes jar,

and they were just I hope that she is always happy

and I hope that she is always safe.

I hope she does well, with the right kind of guidance.

It does help.

Andy, you know, I think it was about four or five weeks ago,

he said to me, "I do need support.

"I do need support in order to be able to

"have a relationship with Makayla", and that's a big thing to admit.

-Makayla.

-BABY FUSSES

It's OK, Makayla.

Daddy's just putting your jammies on.

He's trying!

He's trying very hard.

Makayla's seven months,

so Andy's still got plenty of time to get that sorted.

I think I've improved!

Aye, it's been quite good.

A bit slow to start off with, but, yeah, she's fine.

It's made me a better dad, anyway.

Talking about it and stuff just really helps, so, yeah,

I definitely think it's made me a better dad.

There you go, Makayla's wish jar.

This year, following the success of the early years family intervention,

the council has invested an extra £700,000

to support some of Fife's most vulnerable families.

Investment in early years means that we're going to see

the benefits later on, certainly hundreds of thousands

that we're going to save in the long-term

because, ultimately, children are not going to be taken into care.

We're going to have young people growing up who are confident,

keen to learn, happy,

and that can only benefit not only those families,

but our communities. The whole community.

And that's what we're trying to achieve.

That sounded pants there, didn't it, Stephen?

Ian, I'm back here tomorrow again.

OK, love.

OK, babe. See you tomorrow.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye.

Well, this is me out on my care visits today,

and the next one would have been Tam, but, unfortunately...

..Tam passed away yesterday.

I think he'd had enough and he just slipped away, basically...

This is one of the hardest parts of the job,

when you lose one of your people,

especially one that you've been in close contact with

for so many years.

Oh, it's just...

There's no words to describe how you feel.

Yeah, I was really upset yesterday.

Every day you would waken up, go to work, "Tam, Tam, Tam,"

and now you don't have that at all and...

Oh, last night was terrible.

I'll remember Tam as he was and the fun we used to have.

I'm going to miss getting called George, that's the one thing!

I don't know what I'm going to do.

-WHISPERY VOICE:

-"Hello, George."

That's it.

Every time I hear the word George, I would...think Tam.

I'll be fine.

Yeah, aye.