Just a quick question, can a single mum or indeed a couple be forced to put thier children into childcare inorder for them to go out to work?

[whoingodsnameami]

Or can jobs be turned down on the fact they dont fit within school holidays?

I feel a bit shit too - sorry - thought you were one of those giving us single mum's a bad name

op, is the question you're actually asking whether you can request hours that only cover school hours/holidays thus meaning you wouldn't have to put your children into childcare?

To which the answer would be no. Well you could ask, but no employer is obliged to employ you on those hours.

Most people don't want to put their children in childcare, but most don't have a choice.

Jobs that are only school hours are almost impossible to come by, so you will just have to bite the bullet and put your children into childcare.

Oh, OK. Obviously totally different if you have an autistic child. Do you get DLA or attendance allowance for him? I think you need to post this in the SN board - there will be parents who can advise on support for parents of children with SN. You chucked yourself into a Lions Den putting this in politics!

I'm glad your ds is setttling in school.

Sorry, I did'nt give all the info, I thought it was just a straightforward question, I know so many single parents with different age children who dont work, I just wondered if there was some exception to the rules for single parents, Like I have said I have worked most my life so dont know much about this stuff.

Are you or your son in receipt of any benefits for SN/disability?

If so your benefits might not be stopped when your youngest turns 7.

How all this affects you should have been explained at one of your work focused interviews.

She has an autistic child did you not read the post?

OP will in a couple of years be in the same position as you.

Do you recieve DLA for your autistic child? because I think that rules for income support and JSA do not apply in that case. Also do you recieve Carers Allowance.

I too get called to school a couple of times a week and we are now trying to get ds into a special school as he is just not getting on in MS.

Good Luck to you.

wannabe - OP has updated to say one of her DC has autism.......

Have you looked into becoming a TA?

What issues are you having with your 9 year old son? Can you get further help if you are being called out by the school?

It is not easy to hold down a job when you are constently being called to the school with problems. Have you spoken to the school anbout a letter to explain what the situation is?

ah xposts.

Op - I would tell them what you've told us. Just do it at the beginning

Tell them that your ds is autistic and has recently been moved to a special school and as such you would find it difficult to find a job that fitted in with the hours etc, esp as childcare for children with sn is often very hard to come by.

There are parents of children with sn that work, might be worth asking on the sn boards about it, but I do see your difficulty.

op - I know nothing about benefits and having a child with SN so can offer no advice.

Other than to say you may get a few more people coming on and having a go at you after reading the OP and not seeing the vital piece of information you gave later.

And also make sure you give all details in the OP in future

Wgat bothers me is of course my ds, he does' not cope with change at all, the effect it would have on him would very much worry me, and unless the child providers are experienced in sn they might find him a handful, for example, he is 9 yet suffers incontanence daily, some might find that a an unpleasant task in a child of his age.

ivykaty, I was getting called to the school because his anxiety causes him to be inconenant ( can never spell that word) and a mainstream school are not allowed to deal with that, due to child protection rules, I should add its bowel movements too and ds is incapable of cleaning himself. But now he attends a special school they are trained and equipped to deal with all of it so I no longer have to go and sort him out, that is why going back to work might be possible now.

OP, do you get DLA and Carers Allowance for him? This will make all the difference to you needing to return to work.

On the grounds that you say in your last post you should definitely be receiving DLA for him and if you get middle rate you can apply for Carers Allowance.

You will not then be expected to return to work when your youngest child is 7, is a whole different situation.

Having a child with SN is totally different. You might want to ask on the SN board - you will probably get some good advice on there. As far as I know you are supposed to look for a job once your youngest turns 7 but given your eldest child's difficulties, you may be able to get some different kind of support (carer's allowance maybe? Have no idea of the rules). I know my friend whose DD has CP has a carer who feeds her and changes her and she is 7 (she is at a special school but my friend has help after hours/during holidays and when her DD is off sick which is very often).

Sorry for being unsympathetic but you really should have put that in your OP!

Yes I get DLA and CA for him

the age 7 rule does not apply to you then, you just tell them you are a carer

Well, hang on a minute. If you worked till 2 years ago, you must have been using childcare till your son was 4. Is that right?

Well, I have been preparing myself fo work ver the last 12 months, I have attended a litreacy and numeracy course on the family learning programmes at dts school, and have got myself gcse grades in both, because one day when its possible I want to train to be a social worker, have looked into it but unfortunately the courses take you away from home a couple of weeks a year, so its not possible yet, and literacy and numeracy gcse are a must, so I am on the ladder at least

mumblechum, no I worked nights, my husband worked shifts so we just worked around each other so someone was always home with the kids.

re; post by Ivykaty, 'I was getting called to the school because his anxiety causes him to be inconenant ( can never spell that word) and a mainstream school are not allowed to deal with that, due to child protection rules'

I am a TA in a mainstream secondary school. I work with SN students with a wide range of complex needs, including several with autism, downs, fragile x and complex medical/physical difficulties such as paralysis and yes, often dealing with hygeine and continence issues. Never been a problem, despite the school being a VERY large one with over 1700 students.

The school is also part of a federation with a nearby Special School, and once a week a TA from there brings in students from her school into mainstream classes in my school. She is also the parent of one of my students who has moderate learing difficulties.

As for the OP, I'd suggest that when you feel ready you look into working as a TA, as you have the perfect experience for this work. It fits in well, and most schools are very understanding if you need to sort out personal problems.

Sorry, actually we did use a childminder for a few hours a week til my son was 2, thats when I worked as head of department in a hotel, I left that job when I had the twins, and my sons difficulties did'nt become obvious til he was 3ish.

salizchap, really? ds did'nt wanna know, they were very good with his emotional and acedemic needs, but they was just leave him in soiled pants til I got there.

There are CMs who would be able to look after a child with SN. Ds was born early and had to have a lot of support when he was younger. As a single parent I had no choice but to go back to work when he was 10 months. I found a CM who understood what his issues were and administered his medication and understood his developmental problems. He even got a mention in the CM's Ofsted report on how good she was dealing with a child with SN.

Sorry for all my typos and and bad punctuation by the way (and there me saying how I passed a literacy course) I am full of a cold, my head inbanging and my eyes wont stop watering.