To be pissed off with transport for my SEN child?

[blackwhitegrey]

Urgh. We live 2 miles from SEN autism school. DS14 has been there for 4 years and DH gave up work to look after him when mainstream failed him and he was at home for 2 years. He's doing really well at school now and really thriving. DH really wants to go back to work (and we REALLY need the money). He has been offered a job for September.

• School transport refused as we live too close. They feel it's appropriate to expect a parent to take him to school and that's not disability discrimination (most 14yos don't have a parent walk them to school). Appeal done and refused.
• can't pay for school taxi as it's not a guaranteed place and they don't accept applications until after October half term
• can't pay for a private taxi as all the DBS drivers are doing LEA runs.
• DS can't walk alone the 4 mile round trip as it's a main road, he's autistic, sensory averse, highly anxious and a flight risk
• DS can't get the bus alone as it's too cognitively complex (plus anxious / sensory) and involves crossing 2 major roads.

DS is ok in the house for an hour ish pre and post school. He's pretty good / safe in the house. Would be fine getting dressed and waiting for taxi / waiting for me to get home 30 mins after drop off.

But out the house alone - total disaster.

What do we do??

Yes but this thread is about the Op,s disabled child and transport issues not what your inlaws did to save money

Labour want to save a lot of money. The budget has doubled for taxis.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68665303
Spending is set to hit £1.4bn across local authorities in England in 2023-24, a 95% rise from £728m in 2018-19.

Is he already receiving higher rate mobility DLA? If not, could you appeal to have it raised a level because he needs taxis?

Yes I'm aware, I've read the thread.

What I'm saying is this issue of transport and doing school runs is not exclusive to disabled children, working nights is a work around for any parent not just those with disabled children. You've spectacularly missed my point.

Sorry, probably not a helpful suggestion, I doubt an increase in DLA would even touch the sides of twice daily taxi journeys.

2 miles is not that bad. If early year parents can drop off and pick up, I don’t see why can’t parents do it. Yes lots of non-SEN parents don’t do it anymore at this age, but also lots of non-SEN parents do, depending on if their children need it or not.

I think you have missed the point of the thread in that the Op shouldn't have to find solutions ,her son has a right to transport.

I'm not sure he does though. They have to draw a line somewhere and clearly his needs don't meet the criteria unfortunately.

It doesn't work that way there are strict criteria for HRM most children with autism wouldn't qualify and for those that do
It would usually be under either the severe mental impairment criteria virtually unable to walk criteria both of which are very difficult to get and going by what the Op has written i think it would be unlikely her son would qualify.

Otherwise healthy, independent non SEND 14 years don’t usually need transport during secondary school. It may be a nice to have but a disability is incomparable! Of course perhaps for a one off situation, perhaps they’ve broken a bone or had glandular fever but this child has a disability that means he cannot travel independently.

My sons is 14 and in sen school they can’t just go into and out of the school like you can in a mainstream secondary, it’s very much still like primary where they are all let in at a set time and at end of day teachers only release them when a parent/carer/taxi driver is there they couldn’t just hang around after school as there is no after school club

It might not be a big deal for you ,but impossible for others .

🙄

Not if he’s 24 pip is from 16

What about paying a student or trainee childcare worker to accompany him? This is what a friend of mine with an autistic teenager does. I think she has a complicated rota of help - arranged by advertising on various platforms. Of course it’s expensive but surely still worth it for the extra money your husband would be bringing in.

Op said in earlier post thst all other children come in taxis except one who lives on same road as school so left sharing not an option. This is quite typical, my son is in a special school and most of the kids travel in by taxi I’m in the minority doing drop offs and picks up

But it is an issue relating to having a disabled child once the child gets to a certain age, the op child is 14. She’s already managed the issues like every other parent for the last 10 years, now her child is getting to an age where if he wasn’t disabled they could leave him home before and after school and he could get himself there by walking or bus, it’s really not the same as every other parent at all

Yes it looks like the op is finding all this quite easy.

Her child was an early years child at some point too, she managed it all then, she’s managed all through primary he’s now 14. If other parents are dropping off when their child doesn’t need to then they have that choice they are not forced into it.

No one missed the point but I don’t know a single NT 14 year old child that can’t get to school on their own via walking, public bus.

A parent to a 14 year old doesn’t need to fit their work around the child anymore like they did in primary as the child is old enough to crack on and get themselves out of bed, grab brekkie and leave for school.

A severe SEN child cannot do that.

Yes I understand but regardless of age, pretty much all parents work around children and find ways around things. This is a viable option and I think just shouting "but he has a right to transport" isn't helping - they've explored that option and been told no and now (like lots of other parents) they need a different solution.

But it’s not like other parents is it, she’s already done the part that’s like other parents when they’ve managed up to the age of 14.

Get that but other parents still have to drive kids to school past age 14. There's no magical cut off. My niece still gets lifts to college age 17 because there's no public transport options - her parent work around that. Sometimes we just have to suck it up, accept a situation and find a way around it.

Driving your child to school at 14 is a choice though as they can get the public bus, train or walk.
Your nieces parents made a choice to live somewhere that has no public transport links and I presume if she was within 2 miles of the college she would walk to it!
The OP doesn’t have that option and she lives close enough to the school.

That's not comparable children with disabilities get reasonable adjustments to make things more equal to their non disabled peers
It shouldn't come down to a fight but often parents find that if they do fight for things like transport they will be successful.