Parents left feeling 'rejected' over lack of SEND holiday care for children

Parents of children with peculiar acquisition needs and disabilities (SEND) person told the BBC a deficiency of suitable childcare implicit schoolhouse holidays has near them feeling "rejected".

Figures shared with the BBC from the foundation Coram, amusement that lone 1 successful 20 councils successful England accidental determination is capable childcare disposable for SEND children during the schoolhouse holidays.

It besides recovered that successful immoderate areas - including London, Yorkshire and the East Midlands - determination were nary councils with capable childcare available.

Councils accidental much backing and a larger workforce is needed.

Amy Walker says she is incapable to enactment due to the fact that of having to look aft her five-year-old lad Charlie, who has autism, during schoolhouse holidays.

Some disabled children request operation and regular to trim anxiousness and challenging behaviour, and Amy is disquieted astir the effect spending the full summertime astatine location volition person connected Charlie.

"I'm perfectly dreading it. Six weeks of not having that regular is not bully for immoderate child, but a kid with autism… it's going to person an interaction connected each of america arsenic a family."

Amy's older lad Cory, 12, has antecedently attended vacation clubs but she finds it intolerable to find affordable attraction for Charlie. She would similar councils to organise clubs for children with peculiar acquisition needs and disabilities (SEND).

"You don't privation to spot 1 of your children accepted and the different 1 rejected. I don't deliberation Charlie should beryllium discriminated against conscionable due to the fact that helium has a disablement - it's not fair," she said.

In findings shared with the BBC, Coram asked English section authorities whether determination was capable childcare successful each areas. Of the 126 (80%) who responded, lone six councils (5%) said yes.

Councils successful 23 areas (18%) said determination was not capable childcare available, portion 36 (29%) said it was lone capable successful immoderate areas, and 61 (48%) said they were not capable to archer whether it was.

The proviso of vacation proviso for children with further needs was akin successful Scotland, wherever nary councils reported having capable childcare disposable successful each areas, and successful Wales, wherever lone 5% of councils said determination was capable provision. Coram did not cod information for Northern Ireland.

In a antithetic survey of 1,800 parents of children with SEND by the foundation Contact and the Disabled Children's Partnership, 9 successful 10 said they were not capable to find a suitable vacation nine oregon activity.

Local authorities successful England person a ineligible work to marque definite determination is capable childcare disposable for children aged up to 14 whose parents enactment oregon privation to work. For parents of disabled children, this extends to property 18.

While determination is simply a ineligible work to supply provision, it does not person to beryllium paid for by the section authority, truthful it tin beryllium unaffordable for many.

Una Summerson, caput of campaigns astatine Contact, said it wasn't uncommon for a household to beryllium quoted much than £150 a time for a vacation nine for their disabled child.

The government's vacation activities and nutrient programme is disposable for debased income families and provides funded childcare arsenic good arsenic a meal. Amy said Cory had antecedently attended them, but determination was thing connected connection done this for Charlie owed to his further needs.

Not lone tin the costs beryllium prohibitive, Ms Summerson said her foundation had "also heard from families that said erstwhile they had been capable to find the close childcare it was often oversubscribed, determination were immense waiting lists truthful it's having an perfectly devastating interaction connected families".

Coram's probe recovered that successful ample parts of England - including London, the South West, Yorkshire and the East Midlands - determination were nary councils with capable childcare disposable for disabled children successful each areas. The areas with the champion proviso were the North West and North East, with 14% and 11% respectively.

Louise Gittins from the Local Government Association said "councils worked intimately with childcare providers to amended entree to vacation childcare... but without concerted concern and recruitment of prime unit this volition beryllium hard to deliver."

She added: "Adequate funding, skilled practitioners and wider strategy enactment are indispensable to the aboriginal recognition of request and enactment for children with peculiar acquisition needs and disabilities, arsenic acceptable retired successful the government's ain SEND and alternate proviso betterment program earlier this year."