Childcare for disabled children

[uniquekidzmum]

Hi I live in Lancaster area in lancashire and wondered if any of you have problems finding suitable childcare?
I have 2 boys with SEN , 2 years ago me and my friend got together and fed up with nothing suitable for our kids we set up an After school and Holiday club for children with special needs at the special school our children attend. We now have 115 children on the register and got "outstanding" in our first ofsted inspection. We take children ages 3-19 and their siblings. We have never been able to find anyone else doing hings on the scale we have and wondered what else is out there in other parts of the country.

unique, I'll let you know!

I suspect that the 'duty' can be interpreted in any number of ways and can be wormed out of. They certainly don't feel a duty to provide childcare that is equitable with non-disabled children do they?!

There is, or has been, some sort of discussion in Parliament regarding barriers to childcare and SN children. I'll see if I can find out more

I just get constantly told to use the boys DLA to pay for EVERYTHING. Doesn't matter that every penny is accounted for already with all their extra needs and the things they break etc...
But even if I could pay there is nothing here. They have identified a total lack of 'short term foster carers' and as for after school clubs, the boys get one night a week for a couple of hours where the idea apparently was to learn independence skills; this week younger DS helped cook dinner for everyone. This is a first. Generally they seem to write lists of rules and acceptable behaviour to go on the wall! This is clearly a cost cutting exercise as before they had 3 nights pw for an hour and a half after school to go out with support workers. But this way they can take 5 or 6 kids with only 2 SW's.
However this only gives us one day where i could maybe go to college (PGCE) and there is nothing at all for any other day...
I would love something like this here Unique.
The other problem is that we don't fall under many schemes in England (I'm in Wales) like EDCM etc.
I would love for them to be able to access scouts or something like that but no one will take them and they wouldn't cope anyway (and they'd be ignored or bullied). There isn't anything apart form a youth club one night for disabled kids which we take them to (and that's already closed for summer holidays!!!, not back til Sept)
It's so frustrating.

Hi We love Wales , just been on our hols at half term to narberth in Pembs , stopped at Caerwen Harriett Davis Trust house , kids loved it but it's not a hol for us, if i though we could book them into a hol club while we were there even for one day I'd pay whatever they asked ! Then me and hubby could actually look round all nice little shops and sample a pub or 2 !
I get Direct Payments for my 2 boys but they have changed the criteria now and we wouldn't get it now if i tried to apply - I was at breaking point so it's quite scary so many parents in our area are struggling.
Using DLA to pay for respite is being suggested to parents in our area too, toruble is that money goes to cover other costs like lack of a wage for the carer!

Our holidays are the same Unique. We only really go to places that the boys will enjoy anyway. A couple of times we've been abroad and gone to jamesvilla and it's been ideal as they have their own pool and total privacy and we are not governed by mealtimes etc...although of course we pay extra again!
I'm more North. Won't say where but at the WAG our local auth is called the comedy council for very good reason!
I am trying to get DP's now but SS are determined not to let me have them and keep banging on about the fostering rate (£25 per 24 hr period minus tax/NI) instead of £10ph minus tax/NI for daytimes plus the sleeping rate. This sticks in my craw somewhat as they get £300 per night for each child at overnight respite!
All we hear here is get your family to help. Now being as I don't have any and hubbys are 350 miles away...hmmm!!!
Still fighting, will keep on I suppose. But it's so wearing.

Bumping this thread as have found something that may be of use to some of you special needs mums out there.

*Dimensions Buddies
Buddies was launched to provide short breaks for children with learning disabilities and autism during the school summer holidays. It has been so successful that we have extended our services to provide more and more families with the support they need.

Through various activities, Buddies is now broadening the horizons of hundreds of youngsters. It provides the opportunity for them to try out new experiences, learn new skills and make new friends. All activities are carefully planned to meet the needs of each child. Buddies has now been commended in the 2011 BILD Positive Behaviour Leadership Awards for their innovative work with children and young people.

Buddies is the Children?s service run by Dimensions, a national provider of a wide range of services for people who experience autism and people with learning disabilities. We are a leader in our sector, supporting more than 2,500 people and their families across England and South Wales.*

I have been told that they provide a local(ish) holiday club that my DS could attend and they do a one to one Buddies scheme where my DS can go out (or stay in) with his very own (consistant) 'buddy' a few hours a week (all I can afford at the mo). THey also do a Buddies go camping weekend trip (see my previous tread about my DS being banned from his own school camping trip) where he would go with his usualy buddy (the ratio is 4 kids:3 staff) - I FEEL LIKE I HAVE WON THE BL**DY LOTTERY !!!!

I hope they can help some of you other parents who are struggling - unpa1d sorry it is south wales not north wales