To think we’re returning to a time of institutional welfare?

[Clawdya]

We can’t afford to pay poor pensioners to live alone in large council houses with a team of regular carers dropping in.

We can’t afford to pay two parents to care full-time for a disabled child, whilst also funding their entire household.

We can’t continue pushing children with complex needs who can’t function in mainstream schools into them, where they can’t learn and disrupt everyone else.

Surely the answer is large, state-run, state-funded institutions to meet these needs, with trained and skilled staff, regulated monitoring and the benefit of economies of scale?

I reported that post and got the same nonsense response as the poster above. It seems it is fine to propose limiting the freedom and education of disabled children and referring to them in terms normally used of animals ( though to be fair the poster in question did admit it wasn't the best choice of word when challenged ...holding pen being the offensive term ) .
They simply don't seem to get it.

"While we agree this post is definitely controversial, we aren't sure it breaks guidelines. "

If it might be breaking guidelines it should be taken down. I've been on here for a while and 5 years ago this thread would have been taken down. It seems 'clicks' are more important now than removing offensive threads.

There should be a poll on the SN boards to see how many parents get pa £100,000 of respite and £50,000 for taxis to take them there? From what I have heard, parents are lucky if they get 2 nights pcm, which I guess might be £500 a night (based on the current cost of an inpatient MH unit). Some seem to get awarded social support; but get told in reality, there is no one to supply it.

I have never heard of anyone getting a taxi provided for respite, because LAs rarely fund anything they don’t have to - SEN school transport is a legal duty.

The DFE High Needs Block spending will cover LA special schools and the support for children with EHC plans in mainstream. Some of the specialist schools are run by non profit making charities. That leaves a small percentage of children in privately run specialist schools. Anyway, the answer lay in the hands of LAs - it would be far cheaper to provide for those children in special schools within their county; and I am sure most parents would prefer to have their children in day schools nearby; but LAs chose instead to use private schools?

@titbumwillypoo needs to provide some evidence for their wild assertions? I am sure, if they were making such wild assertions about an ethnic minority, it would be seen as racism?

maybe more home respite and home tutors for some children.

These aren’t the cheap options. EOTAS/EOTIS is already possible when it is inappropriate for provision to be made in a school. It isn’t the cheap option. It includes far more than tuition. Proper EOTAS/EOTIS packages costs just as much if not more than many SS. Most still have transport costs. LAs hate proper EOTAS/EOTIS packages.

There is far more to education than just academics and/or working towards employment. It is shortsighted not to offer proper support to children. Without support now, many will need a greater amount of support throughout adult life, which will cost more. For example, it can be the difference between needing a residential placement as an adult or not. It might be the difference between being in contact with the justice system or not, between needing 2:1 support in the community and 1:1 support as an adult. Or the difference between 24/7 support and support for only part of the time.

Care at home isn’t cheap either.

I can sort of answer this 🤣🤣

we get school fees ( 70,000 ) paid for
and 4,000 a month in PA
plus a 1-1 32.5 hours from the la for school hours ( not paid for by school ) who attends home when not in school for tutoring.

this is however a child with CP, autism, and an organ failure attached to machinery.
the pa is defo a higher end package than others I know.

I didn’t mean care for DC at home. Was this to enable you to work?

I meant respite for you, her parent? Did DD get sent by taxis, costing £50,000 pa to respite centres, costing £100,000 pa?

Can you not read? Child is attached to a machine due to organ failure. I very much doubt this child is touring respite centres by taxis. 😐

In terms of respite I can help you. I have 2 disabled teens. both with autism and MH issue and one with severe learning difficulties on top and needing 24/7 supervision. We do get respite. 3h per week. It's not for me to work but to enable me to spend some quality time with my other (disabled child). I get no help or support to work. I work when the DC are in school or late in the evening weekends (part time only as I cannot fit a full time role into my life on top of caring 70-80h per week). Finances are very tight as you will be pleased to hear. Respite is a support worker picking DC up. We get the 'hours' funded but have to pay for everything ourselves - for buses or taxis for DC and the support worker as well as for all activities. It costs me £20 per week. No taxis for us. I have no idea where people get the idea from.

also, there is no such thing as respite to enable parents of disabled children to work. Why do you think so many of us are trapped in low paid part time work or unable to work at all?

I don’t know if the pp’s DC does, but some DC with organ failure and equipment/machinery do receive respite outside of the home. The majority don’t have transport to respite, a minority do.

LAs like to dodge their duties, but one element that should be considered as part of carer’s assessment is participation in work for those where that is relevant.

The respite is 4,000 a month that gives us 50 hours a week of home carers and then 200.00 a nonth activity budget.

the 50 hours can be used outside of home so for carers to take DC out
then we have 22 nights hospice nights funded a year.

👏👏👏

Which probably wouldn't be much cheaper anyway.

No, it almost certainly would end up costing the government more but at least it would severely diminish the quality of life and curtail the freedom of disabled children and adults, which I am sure would please some of the horrible mean-spirited posters on here who are horrified at the idea of disabled people actually having any enjoyment of life. Just look at the countless outraged posts about disabled people daring to go on holiday or out for a meal when they should be sat at home in an empty room rocking back and forth!

I don’t need to think about it. I have personal experience of nearly 30 years from two DDs, who can die at any time, mixing all that time with other parents of SEN children; or spousal carers (in the carers group) and have never come across people getting £100,000 of respite and taxis, costing £50,000 pa as @titbumwillypoo wrote about. I am curious to know what their evidence is for that assertion?

The spousal carers for people with dementia get a few hours a month from a charity, so they can attend the carers’ group meetings. I don’t know how they cope!

As a disabled pensioner, I don’t require carers, and if I did, I would have to pay for them.

So, am I ok? 🤷‍♀️

Institutional welfare like in the good old days... 😕

You want to bring back workhouses and the Poor Law?

We send our rubbish abroad to be picked over by children looking for recyclables to sell in order for them to eat.
We use phones and other tech containing metals that have been mined by children.
We wear clothes made by children in sweatshops.
We make and sell weapons that kill children.
We have do billions in trade with countries that allow children to be married off.
So much of our countries income comes from the exploitation of children so you can't really say that every life is precious when you benefit from it.
It boils down to the simple fact that if you choose to have children it's your job to support them. People relying on the state and taxpayers for every aspect of their lives is what why this country is in a financial mess and massive changes to the welfare state will be made. I don't say this with glee but with sadness because this is what we chose through greed and entitlement and the poorest and most vulnerable will suffer for it.

In response to the £100000 respite care comments. If your child attends a setting and leaves without useful independence skills or basic qualifications depending on their ability then i'd call it expensive respite and certainly not education.

well we can't do much about global issues affecting children in other countries can we ? Except campaign and financially support those who.are making a difference there.
But ..that doesn't give us the right to.throw our own vulnerable children under the bus so that they experience the maximum deprivation and suffering possible does it ? Removing them from their families and putting them into care facilities to centralise costs ( asylums if you want to use the old fashioned term ) as is being advocated for by the OP is not going to be the answer and withdrawing funding for childtens complex needs would lead to many deaths which I assume you would find unacceptable. ( please God you find it unacceptable )
And let's follow your argument to it's logical conclusion...
Anyone playing sport who.injures themselves should not expect treatment because they choose to do it.
Car accident victims ( hell any accident victim come to.that ) should not expect help because they took the risk when they got in the car.
As for people who drink, smoke or are overweight. Well you.are on your own because you brought it on yourself.
If it is OK to deprive children of any quality.of life because they have the misfortune to be born disabled then we need to apply that to all sectors of society .
And referring to SEN provision as respite is , as I pointed out earlier, is still offensive.Education is more than exam results .

"In response to the £100000 respite care comments. If your child attends a setting and leaves without useful independence skills or basic qualifications depending on their ability then i'd call it expensive respite and certainly not education."

It is education but regardless of what you personally want to call it, care or education is going to be expensive for that child because they are going to need specialist support from multiple staff.