Nursery funding won't be ready for September - what are my options?

[Laurajay84]

My son has just turned three and was diagnosed with ASD in early May. He and his twin brother are due to start nursery in September at a private nursery.

In May when we got his diagnosis, we told the nursery straight away and they started to put an application together for funding for a 1-1 for him. We signed the forms way back at the beginning of June and presumed it had all been taken care of as we haven't had any further communication from them to suggest otherwise.

Fast forward to today when the health visitor said she had been in touch with them in regards to providing support with PECs, etc, and they had told her that the funding application hadn't made it in on time and 1-1 support now won't be available until January.

I am so sad and upset for my son and his twin brother. We have had such a horrid time of it during the diagnosis process over the past 18 months and we were all happy and looking forward to them attending nursery together. I really can't bear to wait until January as he'll only have two terms of nursery before he goes to school. It just doesn't seem fair.

The HV said that we could go to the taster sessions and see if he would cope without a 1-1, but in a class of 31, even though he would cope with the other children and playing, he is non-verbal and very reliant on me to guide him in activities, etc.

I just don't know what to do....we have had zero contact from the nursery and I suspect if we decide he can't cope without a 1-1 in September, they will expect us to pay the fees regardless in order to hold his place until January.

Do I have any options? There is only 5 weeks until September and I don't know what to do. No where else will have spaces now....I just feel desperate.

He would love to be out of the house a bit more, he is starting to get terribly bored at home with me now. I am just heartbroken for him......

[Ineedmorepatience]

I totally agree Hazey I have been a 1:1 too. I absolutely loved it it was my favourite job. It is the 1:1 who will make sure that a child is included and also that their therapies and targets are worked on! I quit my job as a 1:1 because the setting I was working in wanted me to drop my salary to the same as the other key workers while they were still claiming the higher rate from the LA!! I was doing way more as a 1:1 so I walked.

The child I was working with was leaving anyway so I didnt abandon him (in case that sounded harsh) there was another child who was getting funding starting though.

[hazeyjane]

A good 1-1 would facilitate inclusion in the setting. Part of my being a 1-1 is to help the child I look after, play with and be involved with other children and to help them access the setting routine. A child I previously 1-1ed needed 100% full time 1-1 care, to keep them and the other children safe, the child I am with at the moment has needs which mean I try not to be too full on, and we try to encourage them to interact with other members of staff and children. I also make sure IEP targets are being followed and adhered to, do speech and language work (under guidance of SALT), come up with OT and physio games, I makaton sign, complete a daily communication book, plan activities for my child, meet with professionals, attend training sometimes with parents, look after intimate care and medical needs and a million other things!

They will always argue against full time 1-1, and they will always say it is to prevent reliance (this will continue through to school) - but a good 1-1 will be working with all the members of staff in order to meet your child's needs best and with other children to encourage and guide socialising. It is also have a possible to share 1-1s, so the child will have 2 different 1-1s.(we have done this in the past)

My D's could not have started without a full time 1-1, physically he wouldn't have been safe, emotionally he was too wary of everybody and everything (so needed to build up a secure relationship with one member of staff) and as he was completely nonverbal he needed someone who would sign with him/use visual images.

[Ineedmorepatience]

Just to add to the great advice you have been given, Local authorities are not allowed to have blanket policies for children with special needs, nurseries do need to be inclusive but there are always going to be some children who need 1:1 to access the curriculum.

If you are told "We never provide full time 1:1"challenge it, they are supposed to meet the needs of every child as an individual.

Good luck 💐

[Laurajay84]

You are right in what you are saying ZZZ. To be honest, upon reading the LA email..I actually kind of agreed. They said that the nursery staff should also be creating an inclusive environment for him etc and that they don't encourage total reliance from DS on a 1-1.

I'm just so worried about it to be honest. He seems so vulnerable, especially being non verbal and I suppose the whole 1-1 thing put my mind at rest.

Was your son verbal at nursery, zzz? How severe was his asd when he was 3?

One final thing, funding won't be available until the week after he starts. Should I wait to send him until then or will he be ok for a week just with the nursery staff on a 1:8 ratio?

Thanks all

[Laurajay84]

That was my very first contact with them. I was very calm and polite, so was a bit taken aback that the reply sounded defensive and almost rude in parts.

I have been numbering points to make my points clear.

Would I possibly be able to pm you with the contents of the email ZZZ?

[Laurajay84]

UPDATE

Had an email reply from the LA. Been told that 1-1 is usually provided at 50-70% of the 15 hours, so could be as little as 7.5 hours per week

The email ended with a rather patronising 'It is unfortunate that you have been led to believe there was more funding available - it is quite a complicated system and perhaps some individuals don't fully understand it.'

[Laurajay84]

Now I'm even more

I need to sort this mess out. Who should I be speaking to and what questions so I be asking/what should I be telling them?

[hazeyjane]

No, it should be for the full 15 hours ( I am a 1-1 in a preschool)

I know that my setting has struggled if the application misses the panel timing, however they have always managed to secure something, and I don't know that a child has ever started without a 1-1 if it was thought a child needed one.

[Laurajay84]

This is all very new to us and we just took the specialist HV's word for it as we presumed that she deals with SEN day in day out. Will look into EHCP straight away.

Right, I've heard back from the nursery and they said that the early years inclusion panel isn't until the middle of September and they will find out then whether or not he is eligible for funding.
However, something I didn't know was that the funding also only covers a percentage of the government funded 15 hours. This means that DS will not get 1-1 for the duration of this day at nursery and could be equivalent to an hour per day.

Does this sound right??

[Laurajay84]

Ahhh...this just makes me worried. Why does everything have to be so difficult and seem like such a fight?

No, we haven't applied for an EHCP yet. I wanted to get started as soon as we got a diagnosis but we were told by the HV that he had to be in a nursery setting first.

[Laurajay84]

Right, I contacted the nursery this morning and currently waiting for them to get back to me. I asked for an update on the funding so I can get the facts down in writing. If they give me a flowery answer and nothing definitive then I will next be on to the LA.

As a side note (may be silly question) - why do the LA dealing with applications have the summer off??

It's amazing how within 24 hours I went from to and now ready to take on anybody who stands in my son's way of getting what he deserves