A DEVASTATED Rosyth mum whose daughter ended up in prison after living on the streets is begging Fife Council to give more support to mental health services.

Carol McKenzie (pictured) felt helpless as daughter Samantha Bedborough suffered with undiagnosed autism for years before spiralling out of control.

The 19-year-old is now in Cornton Vale prison, due to be released within a couple of weeks, but Carol, who cares for two other teenage children on the autism spectrum, is terrified the cycle will continue unless Samantha gets the support she needs.

“It’s families who are left to care for adults with mental health issues and we do so out of the goodness of our hearts but it’s a struggle,” she said. “Sometimes you feel like you’re just picking up the pieces.

“Social services are letting us down. We’ve been stretched to the limit and my daughter has ended up in prison because of the lack of support.

“I’d been trying to get her diagnosed since she was nine but they said she didn’t have it and put her down as ADHD. When she turned 16 she realised she could do things and I couldn’t stop her. She was spiralling out of control and people were taking advantage of her.

“She’s been a victim because of her disability and they’ve failed her. It’s devastating.”

Samantha spent time on the streets and became an alcoholic before being arrested and sent to prison. She was finally diagnosed with autism in November when she was released but then went missing for six days.

“It was a horrific time but even when she got back they still didn’t support her,” said Carol. “She was housed in Kirkcaldy where I couldn’t support her and she missed court appearances because she couldn’t go herself. They issued an arrest warrant and now she’s back in jail. There are loads of people in Corton Vale under these circumstances due to a lack of support.

“I’ve been begging social workers and councillors for help when she gets released because I’m terrified I’m might lose my daughter. She’s out in two weeks but I don’t want her to end up back on the streets and disappear, just another statistic.”

Carol also has an 18-year-old son with low-functioning autism, who needs to go into day-service for a good quality of life, and a 15-year-old daughter with high-functioning autism who is still at school.

“I’m absolutely terrified about what support will be in place for her,” said Carol. “I don’t want to go through it again.

“As a parent, my duty is to care for my children but I’m getting older and I need support, but I feel I’ve been brushed under the carpet. They just let me get on with it. As a carer you don’t get holidays or weekends off, I’m all they’ve got.

“I’m not the only one. There are lots of people struggling and the recent disability cutbacks will have a dramatic effect on me and my children. It’s not just £30 a month, it all adds up.

“There are children in school struggling with mental health who might end up like my daughter or become drug addicts and alcoholics. They need to get services up to scratch.

“Samantha is a young adult with autism and if she had been diagnosed earlier she could have had support put in place in school and college. The consequences are really quite serious.”

Chief social worker Dougie Dunlop said: “Fife Council and the NHS work in partnership to diagnose any health condition such as autism that children and adults may have and make sure that appropriate treatment care and support is in place to meet individual needs.

“We are unable to comment on the specific nature of any case due to confidentiality but we will work in partnership with families to identify the best way forward in each circumstance.”