If your child has SN and you work, how do you manage after school care?

[lougle]

DD1 goes to special school. I have DDs 2&3 also, both going to the same MS school.

I can arrange wraparound care for them, easily. I'm struggling with DD1, though.

Her school bus comes in at 3.50 - to our house. Will not divert in any way.

DH doesn't finish work until 6pm. If I was to do what I want to do I may have days when I return to the house at 7pm ish.

What do you use for care?

Well, yes, they say they 'partner you' with an aphasic patient recovering from a stroke. I did a 7 week placement on a Stroke Rehabilitation Unit as a Student nurse...

I'm sure I have useful info.

I have been offered a place at uni for this September, and the thought of juggling it with my kids and especially dd1 and all her problems and appts is terrifying! But I have decided to give it go. Good luck x

They want a qualified, experienced nurse, with a social sciences degree and a 'second career' as a SN mum / MNSN trouble-shooter to take time out of doing SLT with your dd's to spend on 'becoming aware' of the difficulties faced by someone with aphasia?

FFS. You need to get on the Masters. Or I might have to drive up to Reading and shake someone hand-deliver a reference.

The education transport in this area will take children to respite and pick them up, in an emergency that can be sorted on the same day eg carer's hospitalisation.
I know some children are dropped off/picked up from grandparents on certain days too.

I suspect your education transport policy has been written to minimise the costs.

Worth checking what your local councillors think of it? They will have had to vote on it surely?

Mareeya, you're so funny Perhaps I need to start reading every book I can find on linguistics and convince them I know what I'm talking about. I did a presentation on Sassure ( language as signs and signifiers) by choice in my social studies degree.

Jsotherhalf, I could try talking to County. The Policy is clear though.

Poltergoose, that's an interesting thought. I suspect they'd say ' don't come to those lectures, your loss'.

Nope, because then someone else will say the morning doesn't suit due to hospital appts etc then before you know it the whole course would have to become distance learning :-P

Your qualifications sound highly relevant Lougle and I don't think that would be so much of an issue as the commute. But you do have long holidays to catch up with things and regroup.Also universities tend to be very sympathetic to mature students these days. Your passion and commitment is undisputed.

I did it as a p/g qualification after a French/Linguistics degree.
I enjoyed it thoroughly and nearly 20 years on, love my job. I am happy to go to work every day of the week.

I also have an ofsted registered nanny, that way i still get help with my tax credits. Also it seems a lot but I pay one amount pro-rated throughout the year and she has my children all day in the holidays.

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments.

Moondog, you're very kind. Let's hope Reading see it the same way!

My plan of action:

-Read every text I can get hold of on linguistics/Speech and Language, etc. Make sure I can show an awareness of some of the taught components of the course so that I can demonstrate that on a personal statement. ie. Chomsky's theory of language, etc, which I currently have no idea about, but I will!

-Ask the SALTs based in DD1's school if I can volunteer/shadow/observe their work at the school.

-Continue to volunteer in the PMLD class at school, which I do as a Governor anyway.

-Take up the opportunity to volunteer in my DD's MLD class (reading, most likely), which I was going to do anyway.

-Go ahead with volunteering at Gardening Club, which I was going to do anyway, but it will give me wider exposure to children with varying communication preferences.

-Continue with my plan to volunteer at my DD2's MS school.

-Convince Reading that the ideal candidate for their MSc course in Speech and Language therapist is a Social Science Graduate and ex neurosurgery, NICU and Cancer/Outpatient nurse who has 2 children with Speech and Language delay/disorder and hasn't studied formally in 10 years

OK, you'll need to rephrase what is below probably, but do sell your skills big-time. It's ludicrous to put you on an undergraduate course (unless you choose it for lifestyle reasons).

Neurosurgery = full-on high-level neurological knowledge
NICU = anxious parents, ventilators, NG, promotion of swallow skills etc
Cancer = multidisciplinary, evidence-based care, patient-centred
Kids = SLT programmes for your own, MLD/PMLD/mainstream exposure
Social science graduate = essays, research methods, critical thinking, study skills, competing theories (as well as the actual course content)
Nursing = all the professionalism stuff, medical vocab, patient care, multi tasking, applying theoretical knowledge in the real world and so much more
Learning about disability and negotiating the SEN system on the fly = much more intellectually demanding than continued formal study

And get clever . This is what Reading's linguistics staff are researching.

And their 'language and cognition' researchers are here

In fact, perhaps you should just email this guy directly to say hi, and as you're doing all this volunteering now, are there any particular research projects you ought to bear in mind for next year. Most academics are lovely, nowhere near as scary as their office dragons .

Thank you, Mareeya!

I think I see myself as 'has been ex-nurse who happens to have a couple of kids with language issues and helps at a school now and again.'

I'd take the person you describe on

Perhaps I should just email that chappy...

Good luck with it all, you would be a huge asset as a SALT.

Can I ask why you left nursing? x

Ahh thanks MissDuke.

I left nursing to go on Maternity leave with DD2. When my Maternity leave came to an end, I think I knew that I couldn't leave DD1. She was shortly after diagnosed with SN.

Despite what people say, Nursing is incredibly family-unfriendly.

Since then, I've absorbed SN and everything it involves - I want to make a difference to children with communication needs, whether that be helping an able child to adjust their language, a less able child to speak, another child to articulate, or a non-verbal child to communicate their needs.

I want to empower parents to help their children, instead of passively sitting back and expecting a therapist to change their child's life in a 30 minute slot once per term.

Ahem...seem to have got carried away there

You will rock an interview :-)

Sorry for being nosy, I have been offered a place on the midwifery degree for Sept, and have a lot of worries! I have been wanting to do it for years.

SALT is def more family friendly right enough - and as you say, the job satisfaction will be huge!

MissDuke, congratulations . Guiding a mum to bring her gorgeous new squidgy little person into the world is well worth the terrible shifts.

Oh congratulations! You'll make a lot of women happy. where are you studying?

Yey MissDuke! I did it....! With 2 kids with SN and many commitments (dd2 had weekly SLT at the time) If I can, you can!!! (PM me whenever you like and I will provide a virtual rocket where it's needed).