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[ExistingonCoffee]

A thread for all who have DC with SN. The thread is deleted and 90 days and doesn’t show in active. The fire is on and the bar is well stocked.

Oh @Squirrelsandhedgehogs that's such a gut punch, isn't it? He is a trailblazer, though. He's communicating so much by what he's doing.

I am past caring about them now but rather ironic they ask me does he have education in place. Hopefully will be exempt due to LCWRA. Will see if get a reply. They tried about a year ago and gave up after one phone call. Its slightly strange they don't know whose in what category either.

The DWP don’t understand about LCWRA!

They decided last year to migrate DD1 from ESA support group to UC. I filled in the form online. They messaged me to say, DD has never had a WCA and I needed to get a sick note from the GP for her. (They themselves decided just on reading the papers, she didn’t need a WCA) I got the sick note but couldn’t upload it anywhere on the DWP website. I rang them to ask why not? They took me through the whole form and couldn’t find anywhere for the upload either. They went away to think about it - and realised that as DD was in the ESA support group, she didn’t need a WCA!

I bet the GP was thrilled to have their time wasted!

@Lougle I hope the IST is in touch ASAP.

I think an access course would be too much right now. What about an EOTAS package for a year with the aims of increasing ability to cope with more activity and securing qualifications that would enable DD to move on to a level 2 course if she decided to or the supported internship next year?

@Squirrelsandhedgehogs the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer scheme is, at the moment, voluntary. The message must be hard to read, but it isn’t about not knowing who is in what group. Some in the LCWRA group may still want support to re-enter education, training or employment. You can still be a student or undertake some work and be in the LCWRA group.

Yes, maybe, @ExistingonCoffee . It has damaged her again. She only went to one session today. She's just messaged me to say "Why does it feel like that meeting set me back with my attendance even though it has nothing to do with what I'm currently doing?"

That's good its voluntary at the moment. I am OK with it but DS is strongly opposed - I asked him this weekend about similar and got a growl, a huff/hiss and hands over ears. It says 18 to 21 on it and is written like its a get to work scheme which is pie in the sky for DS. It sounds quite like a keyworker - if they get in touch can find out but DS is 100% resistant and I don't think he's functioning anything like enough either to do any of the options. Whether he will ever function enough I don't know and camhs didn't know either. Its not looking that promising but he seems happy enough and he's no bother other than creating a lot of mud and being like a clumsy wild elephant.

@Lougle I think you said your DD has Foundation Stage, was that just Maths and English? Would she do another subject - maybe art with her pottery? That would be light touch but not nothing at least.

I don't think so. She likes pottery painting because the item is premade and she just has to choose colours/designs. It really is about animals for her.

@Lougle does online provision work for DD2?

I'm not sure. She mentioned at school during her interview that she prefers to just be given work to do and do it. She gave an example of where she was given a maths workbook with questions in it.

She needs support, though, in that right now she finds it very hard to pick out key information from a paragraph of text. In her words "if I'm asked to highlight what is important, I'd just highlight the whole paragraph".

Just had a reply back from the Youth Guarantee thing and it does seem voluntary and they don't seem to be pushing it. It maybe next year things will have changed though I thought that the last three years and now I am more like maybe we have gained a 4th giant wandering chicken or a wild muddy pig. The work we are doing in house and garden does seem to attract him around the house and we can work with either scenario. I did find something online which says what the schemes contains - there's construction experience which was the only one which looked interesting but currently I couldn't guarantee he would be safe as well as him refusing.

Flapping along here but several RL issues. Ds seems a bit more calm seizure wise. I have a huge form to fill out (not Sen related) that has been bumped repeatedly for other things and have to be out with ds at drums and trampo for am and pm today. I feel so tired of always being behind and there being so little I can do to manage it. Too much time critical stuff in my life and too much chaos. I will Google youth guarantee as I have no idea what that is. Ds an I had a long conversation about not getting completely naked (why mum?) when changing for swimming and emerged from our cubicle to a horrified hush.😆😆😆. I am ashamed to say I enjoyed it. Sometimes people are so uptight.

The Youth Guarantee Trailblazer thing is only in trial areas at the moment though think idea is it later goes nationwide and may become compulsory or lose benefits. I am not sure what benefit implications are but if you have a more functioning and co-operative child it looks quite good on paper - its internships, work experience etc and seems to be paid. Its probably ideal for kids who just dropped out of school and want to work but can't compete with people with experience.

@ZairWazAnOldLady I hope DS’s seizures remain more under control than they have been. The Youth Guarantee Trailblazer scheme isn’t in your area at the moment.

@Squirrelsandhedgehogs what is offered depends on the area. In some areas, as well as work placements, apprenticeship, life skills courses, etc. there is more support from ICBs for those on the scheme.

@Lougle what about an online animal qualification? With some in-person study skills tutoring and mentoring alongside.

There are various online animal related courses at various levels and various structures. For example:

• SENshine tutoring has an animal ASDAN course.
• The College of Animal Welfare does an online city and guilds level 2 course. I’m not sure if it would be too structured for DD at the moment. It also has work experience, IIRC.
• The Reptile Academy does some remote AQA awards relating to animals. There in person offer isn’t in your area, but you can still do remote work with them.
• You could look at LCB’s education boxes. They run from pre-entry level up to level 2. Lots of different areas of interests you can pick and choose. Some are animal related.

I have a telephone GP appointment later about my exhaustion.

@ZairWazAnOldLady haha! It reminds me of the time DD opened the cubicle door at Center Parcs to a queue of wet waiting people who got to see me bent over naked then fully up naked. One of the families was sitting having pizza on the next table to us that evening and recognised me with clothes on. 😆

Thank you!! I'll look those up.

Glad you have an appointment.

I really should proof-read posts before posting. So many mistakes. I promise I know the difference between their and there.

@Lougle you could also add in some animal experience sessions either with an animal APs or separately.

Another option for the academic side of things is a science qualification if DD2 doesn’t already have one.

Hahaha! I balked at it and thought 'that's not like @ExistingonCoffee but I'll let it go' 🤣🤣🤣

Haha. You are kind.

Yes it said there was mental health to get people back to work in the package here but issue is DS does not regard himself as having mental health issues (he has the rest of the world is annoying issue), doesn't seem capable or show any interest in working and don't think he cares if benefits are cut. But its good to have their e-mail incase a miracle happens.

The world situation is getting scarier by the day, glad we are safe and just have holiday to think of. There's been an incident off Sri Lanka now. Maybe we will just stay home.

We had a different cleaner (friend of other one) and she was amazing, was here 2 hours but really good and loved our pets.

And a missile intercepted headed towards Turkey from Iran.

DS did let the cleaner do the downstairs bathroom which is a first.

I have returned from the lawyers. Excellent hour of discussion. All so subjective so I have no pearls of wisdom to pass on other than it’s expensive but I have found more peace of mind rather than keep going over and over scenarios in my mind. I have appointed the lawyers as executors of mine and DH’s wills to remove that job from DD.

I love it that you sound so invigorated by a chat with a lawyer! My secret pressure release valve is that I sit in the back of the car with DDs 2&3 for 4 hours on a Monday while they have there lessons, and get regaled by stories of past students the instructor taught, scenarios he has found himself in, or heard of, intricacies of the driving instruction/examination world, discussions on the merits of changes to different parts of the Highway Code, etc. It's very stimulating!

I also went down quite the rabbit hole on dishwasher detergent this week because we needed a new dishwasher. In a video I watched, the man was talking about the prewash compartment and I thought 'we have no such thing!' WE DO. There's a little divot on top of the tablet/powder holder and that's where you're meant to sprinkle a little bit of washing powder prior to putting the dishwasher on. Who knew?? Not me. Also, flabbergasted to learn that you can't buy dishwasher salt in the USA. It's just not a thing. Dishwasher tablets dissolve in the first 5 minutes of the cycle, so you're largely washing with no detergent. Dishwasher powder contains bleach and enzymes, but liquids can't have both because they don't like each other, so they choose one or the other. We're bleaching our plates. Crazy stuff!

@HedgehogsAgree I am glad the appointment was helpful.

@Lougle, your post made me smile. I know dishwashers don’t completely sterilise things because it isn’t recommended that you use dishwashers to sterilise some physio and Nebbiolo parts. It would speed up the task if I could. Some do use dishwashers, though.