Living in Australia with a child with additional needs

[Thefourthcraw]

It looks increasingly likely that DH will be offered a role in Melbourne, I have so many questions about this, it’s hard to know where to start. My biggest concern is DS2 who has Down syndrome. Here in the UK he goes to mainstream school with a 1-1 Learning Support Assistant for the whole school day. I was wondering how this would work in Melbourne. From what I can see funding under NDIS is only available to citizens. I have also heard that residents have to make a contribution to school costs. Does anyone know if we would end up paying for school, a 1-1 and additional therapies such as speech and language and occupational therapy? Although this wouldn’t completely rule out a move, we need to know upfront if there are going to be lots of costs we don’t have here.

Sorry I can’t help specifically with your question, but it would be worth asking on the Pomsinoz site.
I’m afraid also that your sons additional needs are very likely to impact on any PR visa application, which you may want to know about before you go and feel settled and want to stay, to find it’s not possible.
The states all vary with regard to schooling. We’re in Qld and there’s no contributions to standard schooling over and above stationary, books, uniform and trips.
Medicare as a reciprocal agreement won’t cover longstanding issues, it’s there for emergencies. There are additional costs even if you have good private cover. Still need to pay for GP appointments (usually about $75) but kids not usually charged, hospital outpatients isn’t covered so $150 ish per appointment. Cover will be up to a certain amount for SALT etc and isn’t going to make much of a dint in the bills. Sorry but it’s going to be pretty expensive.
Melbourne is expensive too. You’re going to need a great employee package and I do think the visa (possibly even a temporary visa) may be your second coming point. Hope I’m wrong.

Sticking point not second coming point

I would agree with what HP says. It is likely that the visa is going to be the sticking point due to the health checks required. A temporary visa might not be a problem, but you would have to pay for any medical care (including things such as OT and speech and language therapy) because only emergency treatment would be covered under Medicare. These things are very expensive in Australia (my daughter has ASD, and her hour long psychology appointments were $180, which Medicare paid part of because we were citizens). Health insurance is likely to be very expensive, and there are extra fees to pay over and above what health insurance companies will cover. I don't think you would pay for schooling in Victoria, but you wouldn't be entitled to any 1:1 support at school for your son I wouldn't have thought. Neither will you be able to access the NDIS. You would likely have to cover those costs yourself.

It is also unlikely that you would be granted a permanent visa due to your son's additional needs unfortunately, so you need to weigh up whether it would be financially possible or worth it, given it would likely be a two to four year placement at most.

One of the reasons we moved back to the UK was because we got next to no help/support for our daughter, despite being citizens. I didn't appreciate how fantastic the NHS is for things like OT until we went away.

Thank you for your replies HP and Itchy that is really helpful, particularly about the visa. We aren’t considering moving permanently, the role would last for 3 years, but I still find it sad and disappointing that DS2 would be seen as such a drain on society that the government wouldn’t consider us for PR. Particularly as this is the immigration system so admired by our politicians! DH’s company hire a visa agency to apply for visas and I think it’s worth making enquiries with them now to see if a temporary visa would be a problem, before we all spend much more time and emotional energy on this!

I’ve had a look at the pomsinoz website and it is full of useful information about all sorts of things, so thanks for the link.

I should think we will all get private medical cover with DH’s benefits, as we do here, but we will need to estimate all the additionally costs for SALT, OT and 1-1. I have found some figures on the Down syndrome association in Victoria website. DH will need to negotiate a salary that will cover this, or it could cost a lot more than life here. He will need to bring his A game! As you say Itchy it really makes you glad to have the NHS.

It will be a shame if we can’t go, as I was really coming round to the idea, our kids are very active and love the outdoors, DS1 is very into nature, so there would be so much to offer them.

I would certainly give it a look, if you think you could manage financially, but if it is likely to set you back at all in terms of financial security or job security, I'd probably advise against it.

You'd have to look into the waiting periods for private health insurance with pre-existing conditions, because any costs will have to be covered by you, until those are over. You also need to consider costs for the 1:1 cover at school, and whether that would even be possible. There is a very good home school network in Australia (due to there being many kids who live on cattle stations, hundreds of kilometres from anywhere), so I wonder if that might be an option for you? Could you manage with just one wage coming in, to give your son 1:1 at home?

What about job security for you coming back to the UK? We were lucky because OH is at the top of his profession so it was easy for him to find work when we moved back, but I know others who have struggled. Would your DH go back into the same role that he is in now? What about you?

What about relocation costs both ways? Would the employer cover those? Flights, shipping, setting up a new home etc is all hugely expensive, and you will have those costs twice in three years. Even things you'd not think of, like going back to having no no claims bonus on car insurance, and building up a store cupboard of ingredients and equipment in the kitchen can add quite a bit to the expenses.

Would you sell your house or rent it out? What are the likely costs, pros and cons with each of those things? Do you have pets? If so, would you re-home them, ask someone to look after them or fly them out? What about your furniture and other belongings? Would you bring those, leave them in storage, leave them in your house if it is rented? What will you do at the other end? It is rare to find furnished rentals in Australia. Will the employer provide any assistance in finding accommodation, for the first few weeks after you arrive and more long term? Would they pay for you to have a relocation agent who can help with those things?

Where is the job based? Where could you live that is within commutable distance? What are the rental prices in those areas? How would you get around? Would you need to buy cars, or could you rely on public transport? What about other travel such as holidays? OH's holiday allowance was much less in Australia, which realistically meant we could use all of his holiday to go somewhere further afield, or hace==ve shorter holidays closer to home. It was also accrued pro-rata which is more common in Australia, so you have to work to earn your holiday. In other words, if you want to take three weeks off to visit the UK, you have to work for nine months to be able to take that leave. The clock then re-sets to zero.

I'm just trying to think of all the different things that either we thought of and researched, or that we didn't think of and which tripped us up a bit so that you don't make the same mistakes.

Australia is a wonderful country, and I do feel lucky that we had the opportunity to live there. However, I would never have gone if I hadn't been sure that we were financially and emotionally able to cope. We've never really lived near family, but I know that others do rely on family for support. Moving is very stressful, and it can be hard to cope without that family support there.

Great message from ItchyBites

Couldn’t agree more.

One other thing is to not gloss over the impact on the kids. Everyone said “kids adapt so quickly” - that has not been my experience.
DD was 3 when we moved out. Got off the plane with zero jet lag, had an Aussie accent within 6 months and you’d think she was born here. All good.
DS was 6 and has always been fairly anxious. He struggled massively. Behaviour was traumatically awful for a good 6 months, nightmares, finger biting, tics... If I’d known then what I knew now I wouldn’t have come, despite all the advantages Aus offers our family, as I couldn’t put him through that. We will never move him again unless there is no other choice. I think it’s left lasting damage emotionally. It’s a choice I will probably always regret TBH.

It does depend entirely on your kids, but please listen to your inner voice rather than the mass of people saying “they’ll be fine”, even though of course most are fine.

Sorry this sounds all doom and gloom but it’s easy to be swayed by the fab lifestyle, weather and laidback attitude and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that the decision to emigrate should not be made with the heart.

Good luck!

Thank you both again Inky and HP. You’ve given me so much more information than I’ve found whilst trawling the internet.

Itchy there are is one thing you mention that is dealt with easily, no pets here!

That’s good to know about the waiting period for pre-existing conditions, we will need to find out what policy is offered.

I’m interested in what you say about whether 1-1 is possible in school. Do some schools refuse to have this, even when funded by the parents? I would consider home schooling, although I might go insane and DS2 loves going to school and he is very sociable.

In terms of holidays, DH’s company seems very fair and his holiday will carry over and he can buy extra days etc. He also has the option of working in the office here for a few weeks a year, to tie in with coming back to visit family and friends.

Financially, I think it would make sense to go, as DH will have the opportunity of promotion once he’s done the stint in Melbourne and his career is likely to be adversely affected if we stay here. He will have to be offered an equivalent role here after 3 years, otherwise they will make him redundant. It’s my career that is more of a concern (there’s probably enough there for an entire other thread!) I’m a lawyer, so couldn’t practise in Victoria, but would like to do something, but I’m not sure what and DH is keen that there would be something for me to get excited about too.

We are very fortunate that the employers seem to think nothing of sending employees around the world all the time and they provide relocation costs, shipping for a crate of stuff and we would have a relocation agent to help with schools, a house etc.

We would rent out our house here, I imagine that we would rent it furnished and put a lot of superfluous stuff in storage too. I will add calling letting agents to my to do list.

I am really worried about doing such a big move without support of family and friends and I know I’ll miss them so much.

I’m sorry to hear about your DS HP. That sounds incredibly worrying for you. It’s true lots of people have told us kids are very resilient. We have tentatively broached the subject with DS1 and he got really upset, so that conversation will need to be handled delicately, if we decide to go. Don’t worry about “doom and gloom”. I’d much rather know all the facts than have too many surprises!

I’ve heard of some independent schools allowing parents to fund support staff for kids, I’ve never seen it in practice.

Speech and OT costs are rising rapidly for example 3 years ago it was around $80 a session where as now your looking at around $150.

I remember this article from a couple of years ago www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/16/prestigious-academic-to-quit-new-zealand-after-autistic-son-refused-residency it is NZ not Australia but I think Australia is even worse .

The move can be tough. For my eldest, Australia was his 4th country/new school system/new language. He was extremely upset when we announced him the move. He cried, shouted, expressed all his sadness. His younger brother didn't say anything, just ok, what's for dinner. Then he started ripping his nails, soiling himself and was walking completely bend. So I took him to an osteopath who I had never seen and knew nothing about us. She had the session with my son, then send him with a book to the waiting room and asked what was wrong at home. She said his chest was so contracted and tense it was bending his back. It was anxiety.

At that time my sons were 11 and 8. They are now 14 and 11.

It wasn't an easy move. Made maybe more difficult by the fact that we were coming from a beautiful city, Barcelona.

When you say the company will help with house, does it include paying the rent? Australia is sooooooo expensive, especially Sydney . Melbourne should be cheaper, but you really need to do the maths first.
A friend of mine is sending her son to OT and pays $ 180 for 45 minutes.

Compared to continental Europe, I don't see many children with Down Syndrome around. There aren't any in my son's primary school and in my other son's high school I know there is a special class for the kids with special needs (including behavioural so kids with anger or violent might be there) . This class is not called in a very nice way amongst the students even if everyone is nice to the kids and cheer on them at the carnivals.

You should ask Australian mums on this forum www.essentialkids.com.au/forums/

I am a bit hum...hum.... about the way the " fragiles " are treated. We are here now, but not sure if we will still be after the kids finish their schooling.

Don't underestimate the cost of loneliness. Having no friends, no family, no nothing is very hard. Kids are at school, DH at work, and you alone in a big house and the only words you say are hello at the cashier of the supermarket. It takes time to build friendship. People her are extremely busy, all the kids do hours and hours of extra activities.

Thanks for your posts notanother and king. If we sent DS2 to an independent school, I’d like to send the other two DS as well and that would definitely put the move out of our budget. We have found some figures online for SALT and OT in Melbourne and you are right, it is expensive.

That article is shocking King. I am not surprised that countries with discriminatory immigration policies end up shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to attracting good people and that story can’t be unusual.

I am sorry to hear about what happened to your son, King, I hope he settled ok eventually.

The impression I am getting with this and other websites is that kids need to be resilient, robust and preferably sporty to do well moving to Australia.

We would definitely be back before DS1 goes to secondary school in three years when DH’s role finishes, as we want him to start school with the other kids.

We need to get an answer about whether we could pay for a 1-1 at school for DS2, and whether DH’s salary would cover all the extras. That and the visa look like the only deal breakers. DH is asking for the visa company to look into it before we all go any further.

We have had a look at property and as long as we can let our house, we should be able to get a 3 bedroom house in commutable distance for a bit less than we are paying now (the only advantage of having a big mortgage?!)

Thank you everyone for your comments, it’s helping.

My dsis could have written HP's post. For one startled second I thought she had. Following private therapy they had to pay for their ds is much better but oz is a robust place and I don't think they want to move ds again if they can help it.

Hi
Feel free to message me

My son has multiple special needs. It, salt, Physio. Under nearly every specialty at the hospital. He is still in mainstream education at a nice private school yet is year one level going into year 4 ( age appropriate for year 5)
We live in Brisbane.

Private health. Yes you will get it. Waiting periods won't apply to your extras so you can use speech etc.

Just pre existing stuff like cardiac issues but they will be covered by the reciprocal agreement.

Immigration. There is always endless bad press about child x and family y are refused due to this illness etc. it's rarely that cut and dried.
They want to know if your child will go out and get a job one day. If not who is supporting them. It's that simple.

NDIS has rolled out in some areas. Not all yet. We are still in the old system. So I can't advise sorry.

School support her is above and beyond anything anyone I know in the uk gets.

Financially support also has been above and beyond what they received but yes that's as residents.

Is the school support above and beyond because you're paying for private?

I got the impression it was the other way around comparing state schooling with state schoolong - without a lot if additional needs kids well supported in mainstream /lack of 1-1 TAs and a lot having to be funded by parents. Little differentiation etc. I am quite obviously prepared to be proved wrong though as my information may well be outdated/just one area.

Hi
Quite the opposite. The special ed departments are attached to the state schools. We have him in a private school because that's his 3 siblings go. Private schools here are religious and not expensive.
He spends most of his time in the special ed room, is off curriculum.
He started at ECDP with is the early child hood program in the state funded sector. He is able to function well enough to go to main stream so he is there. Supported.
I know of a few friends who have now home schooled in the uk due to poor support. So I guess like anything. It's not greener grass.
We had $15,000 in funding to spend on his ot speech, additional needs stuff between age 4 and 6.
Now we have private health, enhanced health plans, hospital support, Ronald Mac Donald support, health care concessions.. the list goes on.
Yes he costs us additional money. But that's ok. I'm sure he would wherever we lived.
No where is perfect. But there are always choices about where you choose to live.

Hi am also in Oz with a child with additional needs although not Down's syndrome. I found the opposite to Chloe above, the support my son received was less than half what he got in the Uk. It is a very different system and also can be very different from state to state and school to school. My child went from full time 1-1 to 3 hours per week at the first school he enrolled in! The other issue is that you will be on a temporary work visa and that will probably impact on the types of private health cover you can get. I would recommend getting in touch with something like the Down's syndrome association Victoria. The private school we looked at here wouldn't let us pay for my childs 1-1 at all and therefore we couldn't enrol, but some do. You're also correct that there will be no ndis funding available to you. Having said all that some aspects are definitely better here. My child has had some wonderful opportunities that wouldn't have been available in the Uk.

Chloe Q do a reasonable job with SN, the Victorian system is shit. No chance of a one to one worker, you'd be negotiating with the school as whether or not you can pay for an aide.

I know people who have managed to do that in Q, but not in Vic.

I just checked and saw more replies on this thread- thank you all for your replies. Nothing was really happening about our potential move. However, it now looks like it is very likely to go ahead. It's good to hear a positive experience chloe. I have been in touch with the Down syndrome Association Victoria and they were really helpful. Thanks for the suggestion gaia. They said that kids in Victoria tend to have 1-2 support as a maximum rather than 1-1 and that we would not be able to pay for this directly ourselves in a government school. DH would be on a 457 visa, which apparently would entitle DS2 to go to and have an assessment in a government school and then some support, although not as much as here. We have decided that if we can get the visa, we will be going. It's a good role for DH and would lead to better prospects here. It's very scary, so much to sort out and if we cannot find the right support for DS2 in a government school, we will pay privately for the three years we are there. We have also accepted that we will most likely need to pay for at least some private OT and SALT.

DH is going to Melbourne for some training in May and he will have a look at some possible areas to live in, does anyone have any recommendations of areas with excellent inclusive schools and a good commute to the CBD? Our friends in Melbourne and DH's colleagues say that all the nice areas have good schools and as long as you live close to the school, there should be no problem with getting in.

I have also been thinking about DS3, he is a spring baby here, so he will only start school the January after his 5th birthday. I think this means he won't start school in the three years we are away (he is nearly 2 now). Then it looks like he will go into year 1 when we get back to the UK, having missed reception completely. I was wondering what children learn in Kindergarten- is it like a pre-school in the UK? Would he start learning phonics/ starting to read and write or will I have to teach him that at home?!

I’m not sure about Victoria but in Queensland they start earlier (Prep in Jan if they are 4 by the June before). Our kids are at private school and quite a lot of children are held back a year through parents choice so a prep class will have 4-6 year olds in. Some don’t know any letters, the vast majority cannot blend words when they start. In kindie they taught a few letters and sounds but nothing hung more, it’s all about play. They learn a lot about the environment, confidence and social skills though!
Having experienced both systems I’d say reading is pushed at an earlier stage in the UK so you will need to do some home teaching. The Reading Eggs app is used all over Aus including by schools and is excellent phonics based teaching. That and a few books and you’ll be fine.
Good luck with your move!

What months is your DS born if he before the end of April he can start in VIC at age 4. However some Jan born kids don’t begin school until age 6 so potentially he could be at school with kids much older. Which could potentially impact on his enjoyment of school. Sessional pre schools available in council areas will most likely not teach phonics/reading/writing but there are private Early learning centers(ELCs) and ELCs attached to most private schools Or you could look at attending an early literacy groups if you google school readiness group in potential areas your looking you will find them

His birthday is in May Notanother so he would be 5 when he starts. That’s interesting about the ELCs. We could end up with 2 out of 3 at private school, which will be expensive! I actually think the system in Oz is better, in that learning through play and starting school later are both great. It’s just a shame he’d miss that easy start to school in reception when we get back. Thank you for that app recommendation HP. I’ll definitely get that. I will start a new thread to get suggestions of areas to catch the Melbourne crowd.

Our ELC (attached to our fab private school) was very good but didn’t do anything much along the reading/sit do n learning front. They did do loads of outdoor creative play, mud cake making/sand pit fun etc and DD came home filthy daily - she had a ball! 😁

This is the Reading Eggs free trial link It’s properly free as opposed to paying if you don’t cancel.

Alternatively, you could always consider applying for him to be a late reception starter when you return to the UK? I think think some areas allow that now but not sure.