Disabled parents and school

jetta_wales

Does anybody have any transport help with getting their children to and from school?

It seems that able bodied parents with a disabled child get full transport for their child to and from school usually by taxi and of course when the child has to attend a special school a great distance away then that is completely necessary and logical.

However.

If a parents has a dissability not the child then it seems there is simply no help at all.

Adult services say there is a need but as the it is the child that must attend school then it is child services responsibility.

Child services say that as it part of a parents responsibility then it is Adult Services that must support the adult to do that.

Both seem like logical arguments but they simply can not both be right and one must take responsibility and help surly? Child services even had the audacity to suggest that I contact the young Carers association for eldest to be able to be responsible for our crossing roads etc. She is only 6 years old. She has had to be my eyes at roads all her life and is still crap at it because she's a child and a very young one still at that it's not right, it's not safe but still we have no help and are left dodging bonetts with two young kids. I can't teach either of them not to run when crossing a road because we run every time and it's dreadful.

Does anybody else have support for this, it seems ridiculous that there just is no provision for it at all.

nannytone_2

i have nothing constructive to add but must say i#d never looked at it from this point of view.

i have been registered blind for many years and struggled with the school run. I was fine on the way to school cos the kids helped me, but i struggled on the way home, alone.

kazzah60

I have a colleague who has MS she lives in Yorskhire and her daughter is transported to school for her
I believe this was arranged by her local Social Services Department - If I remember correctly the department was referred to as " disabled parents" or something similar
my friend finds it very helpful as she lives on a farm andit is quite a trek to her daughters school

have you approached a social worker at all?
sorry not to be able to give more positive information - but I hope you get this sorted

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

My kids missed alot of school when I was really ill & unable to take them to school but was never offered any help getting them there.

Luckily they are old enough to walk themselves now so it isn't a problem.

Do you get DLA for moblity? Could you perhaps pay for a taxi to take them? Do you have family or friends that might be able to take them or do your children have friends they could walk with?

Sorry I don't have any other idea's. :o

owenandharrysmum

When I was working as a social worker (left the profession 2 years ago) I worked within the Physical and Sensory Team and I often assessed disabled parents. I took into account if they had children particulary under the age of 12 and how they got to school. I would need to liase with childrens services and the school attendance officers. Only in real extream cases was I able to supply transport but it did happen. We had to ask if there were other people who could take them to school or if the parents could pay for a taxi via DLA but it was possible.
IF I remember correctly if transport was provided the parent needed to take the child to school as it was only the transport offered, so you would need to put the childs seat belt on and if they did anything like running off it was down to the parent to chase.
Sometimes you need to be persistant as services offered can vary even from social worker to social worker.
Your other option is to see what criteria your local council works to around school transport. They may be able to help you.
Good luck with it.

jetta_wales

My Mum helps when she can but is not young now and not well either so it just isn't possible a lot of the time. My partner works from 8am in the morning so leaves at half 7 and that's too early even for breakfast club.

I've got a complaints form to fill in which my social worker agree'd was the best next step to take as the bosses of both departments just keep passing the buck.

We should be entitled to DLA higher rate mobility from April but we need that for a vehicle or I'd not be able to get out an about at any other time because insurance is so expensive at the moment it's completely crippling us financially.

sunnyone

jetta_wales wrote: »

My Mum helps when she can but is not young now and not well either so it just isn't possible a lot of the time. My partner works from 8am in the morning so leaves at half 7 and that's too early even for breakfast club.

I've got a complaints form to fill in which my social worker agree'd was the best next step to take as the bosses of both departments just keep passing the buck.

We should be entitled to DLA higher rate mobility from April but we need that for a vehicle or I'd not be able to get out an about at any other time because insurance is so expensive at the moment it's completely crippling us financially.

So the extra money is for your partner to get to work and not to help you to get the kids to school then and the 40 hours a week hes at work then?

Priorities all wrong and it shouldnt be allowed by motability, the car would be for you and your needs only.

jetta_wales

Yep it's just for him we never go anywhere together at all. And the money should be for my kids to get to school not their Dad to get to work? Funny that, I thought it was for me to get out and do things that non disabled people do as much as is possible?

Some people have more negativity in them than can ever be healthy.

GlasweJen

If your husband uses a car with a disabled tax exemption to get to work without you being in the car or needing collected at his destination then he is breaking the law - this is a lot more serious than breaching the motability agreement.

ETA your husband is a healthy adult, surely he can use public transport to get to work rather than see his childrens education being flushed away for the sake of a car?

jetta_wales

No that's been clarified by motability before as not being a problem.

GlasweJen

Has it been clarified by HMRC or the DVLA? The rules for using the disabled tax disc are different and more harsh than the rules for using mobility cars and blue badges.