Finding childcare for a child with autism or SEN.

[sophiemiskin1998]

Hello,

I am 20 years old (i live in East Sussex) and have been a support worker for individuals (children and adults) who have autism/SEN for almost 3 years now. I am set on continuing to do this line of work for the long term. I have come up with an idea of starting my own business to come and support families of those that have a child/children (whether that be young children to teens) with SEN who may need childcare, additional support at home, or just a break!

I thought I'd put the message out there to see if this would be a point of interest, or if anyone could give me any tips/advice to get started.

Thankyou :)

i think it is a great idea, wish you lived near me.

We have a 12yo asd son (High Functioning) who cant access mainstream settings so we have to pay full whack for a nanny, fortunately he gets DLA so this is how it is used so I can keep my sanity and carry on working. I wrote to my local council saying how hard it is to find suitable childcare and I got a BS letter back saying they provided this that and the other but that is not the reality on the ground. My son has been 'excluded' from a couple of settings

Wonderful idea! I'd say go for it, OP.

I think it's a brilliant idea. Where in east sussex are you and what sort of thing were you thinking of offering ? PM me if you prefer.

Definitely go for it! Having childcare who understand anxiety and how boundaries/demands can go wrong would be incredibly valuable.

In London I know SNAP childcare offer nannies for SEN children - might be worth having a look at their website.

Maybe you could also consult to other childcare settings? I can imagine there are a lot of children who might manage fine in a standard nursery or pre-school given the right support and advice from somebody who knows about SEN.

Go for it!

How much will you charge families?

If you lived closer, I would take you up on your offer.

Definitely go for it. If you were near us, I’d bite your hand off. Not literally.

Great idea. Its so hard to find people who have the right skills and experience to deal with SEN children. Wish you were in my area.