Advice needed on dd with tracheostomy attending nursery.

[squatchette]

I have been trying to get my dd now 4 into a local nursery for the last year.She has a tracheostomy which has been in since she was 4 months of age.
The nursery have given her a place and everything was set for the staff to begin training with our pead outreach nurses.Then i got a call from the outreach sister saying she had recieved a message saying not to go ahead with the training as my dd was no longer going to attend.Did i know why?
I then phoned the nursery who informed me they were more than happy to have dd but had written to the PCT to say they wanted her to have a trained nurse attend with her.They said the staff didn't feel able to take on the responsibility of caring for her and if anything went wrong then there would be probs with the insurance etc.
When i relayed this information to the outreach sister she said that the message she had got actualy came from the PCT .So..i think they are trying to say she is not entitled to a nurse,and so why bother starting the training.
As of yet i haven't spoken to the woman at the PCT due to the easter break.Sorry this is so long i just wondered if anyone had experience of anything similar.

Hi Squatchette, i have no experience of tracheostomy/nursery but some parents at ds2's sn preschool have experienced similar with their dc's personal care & medication when attending ms nursery/school.
For one little boy once the staff received training they were more than happy to provide the care needed - it was more a case of fear of the unknown.
Although in the case of another child he was unable to start his ms nursery until his statement was in place & the nursery had recruited a 1 to 1. The person recruited wasn't a nurse but was happy to undergo the training & was interested in working with her ds.
I hope you are able to get this sorted for your dd soon, good luck.

Thanks mmm my dd does have her statement and has for a year now.I can understand the nursery having the concerns they do as she really does need one to one care.
We nearly lost her last october just through a choking episode and when things do go wrong it's so important to know what you are doing and act quickly.I don't think it's fair on the nursery staff tbh,and i would feel alot better if she had a nurse/well trained one to one carer.
I have never spent any time away from her since birth even family and friends are too frightened to look after her so this was a good stepping stone to her starting school too.She is due to start afternoons only in July so i presume the PCT will have to get her a nurse then?
Thanks for responding i will keep you posted xx

My DS is now 6 years old and has had a tracheostomy since he was 2 weeks old. He attended the local Pre-school playgroup from age 2.5 and now attends the local primary school. In both settings a one-to-one carer was employed to care for him. Other staff were trained as well for 'back-up' (i.e. lunch cover etc) but he always has a trained person with him.
This carer is fully funded (my son is not statemented) I'm in Notts where we have an Inclusion Support branch of the County Council Ed Dept who support the family and the school through the whole starting school / funding application process. They were brilliant ....Don't know if there is any support like that near you?
Another good source of support is the charity Aid for Children with Tracheostomies. They have lots of members who have been through this tricky time and can offer practical support / contacts.

I can really sympathise Squathette - it can sometimes feel like everything is a battle when you have a child with a 'trachy'. Just remember, at 4 years old, your little one is legally entitled to pre-school education just the same as every other child, so keep pushing!!!!

My DS loved pre-school and loves school. It is hard to hand them over to someone else's care after so many years of intense caring yourself........but it's worth it. Seeing my little man playing 'Joseph' in the school nativity was the proudest moment of my life............
Good luck. xxxxx

let me first say i know nothing about this and good luck but have you thought about also posting this on special needs? (apologies if you have) I'm guessing what his statement says will be important, that you might well need 1:1 and what it says will be important in getting you the help he neds. I hope he loves playschool.

Sorry for the delay in replying girls,really appreciate it.
We have a meeting tomorrow with the senco people and all other health proffs involved so fingers crossed we'll get somewhere.
Fantastic to hear from someone else with a child who has a trachy and is now in school.You sometimes feel like the only one in this situation so it's great to hear from another parent in a similar quandry.
Didn't realise i hadn't put this under SN section .Will post how we get on tomorrow though ,meeting is at 3.30pm

Sorry forgot to say how we got on.It has been agreed she will have a 1-1 TA for school and maybe even the schools attatched pre school if one can be employed in time.
The other option is i go with her and sit in the background just in case,however i can't take my youngest so it all depends on finding her some child care asap.