Disabled parents and school

stressedaah30 · 28 February 2011 at 3:08PM

i have ms and last year we moved to a new area with a house suitable to my needs had to move kids school at first the authoritys said only school with places was 1.2 miles from new house even tho theres a school at end of road
i got told i would have to get them there and if i couldnt walk i would have to pay for taxi luckily got a place at the school on our road before term started
dont drive so no car here or family near so all on my back

lindos90 · 28 February 2011 at 3:14PM

these may be worth a read..

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/Disabledparents/DG_10037906

you may find specialist advice on here.. http://www.disabledparentsnetwork.org.uk/

http://www.dppi.org.uk/journal/63/experience.php

http://www.campaignagainstcuts.org.uk/norfolk-disabled-parents-campaign-cuts.php

The bottom line is that you can not be the only parent with a disability, this must have come up before and a solution must have been found before, weather one dept finally agreed responsibility or if the adult team, childrens team and LEA agreed to share the cost. Its perhaps not a clearcut/common request, and here each office appears happy to say they are not responsible and refer you to the other. That must be really fustrating.

Would it be possible to ask for a case conference where a rep from each dept could meet with you and discus it? Would it be useful to ask your head teacher, maybe they will know of similar situations and how it was funded?

If you can find some written evidence to support you, or information on a presenent that you can quote then that may help your case.:)

jetta_wales · 28 February 2011 at 3:34PM

lindos90 wrote: »

these may be worth a read..

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/Disabledparents/DG_10037906

you may find specialist advice on here.. http://www.disabledparentsnetwork.org.uk/

http://www.dppi.org.uk/journal/63/experience.php

http://www.campaignagainstcuts.org.uk/norfolk-disabled-parents-campaign-cuts.php

The bottom line is that you can not be the only parent with a disability, this must have come up before and a solution must have been found before, weather one dept finally agreed responsibility or if the adult team, childrens team and LEA agreed to share the cost. Its perhaps not a clearcut/common request, and here each office appears happy to say they are not responsible and refer you to the other. That must be really fustrating.

Would it be possible to ask for a case conference where a rep from each dept could meet with you and discus it? Would it be useful to ask your head teacher, maybe they will know of similar situations and how it was funded?

If you can find some written evidence to support you, or information on a presenent that you can quote then that may help your case.:)

Thank you so much for all the links I'm short on time now but will look at them this evening with my partner when he's home and the kids are in bed. I thought exactly the same that surely I can not be the only person in our city to be in this situation. I've not heard of a case conference but it certainly like a sensible idea. Put them all in a room and let them fight over it until one person loses maybe? lol

It has indeed been very infuriating and I sat with pen and paper one day writhing down every department I called and then an arow to the next person that they passed me on to. I spoke to 5 different people and surprise suprised the 5th said I should speak to the 1st so my arrows made a complete circle. Then I got cross, then I cried, then I didn't even try again for months but I am trying again now.

paddedjohn · 28 February 2011 at 3:41PM

I suppose it depends on which school your child attends, my lazy ar*ed sister in law who has never worked in 30 yrs was called by the school because her daughter wasn't in, she told them her car was broke and if they want her in school they would have to pick her up themselves, guess what...they sent a taxi to collect her and continued to do so for 18 months until she moved to secondary school.
By the way, the school was only a 20 minute walk away.

Breast_Cancer_Survivor · 28 February 2011 at 3:43PM

jetta_wales wrote: »

I am housebound until half past 4 when he comes home and only on week days. You have no idea what financial difference motability will be able to make to us and frankly neither is it any of your business but surfice to say that as a young male driver my partners insurance is £200 a month on it's own. A disabled child on HRM would be entitled to travel to and from school and to HRM also. Go and have a go at all those parents for not putting their childs HRM towards to taxi's as you clearly have nothing constructive to add to this thread.

I don't thnk people are begrudging you having a mobility car but the fact that it is being used for the wrong purpose.

Could you not have the car so you could drop the kids off at school & get out during the day as that's the purpose of the car.

Surely your husband can find another way to get to work especially seeing as the car is a new thing? How did he get to work before?

Just out of interest what kind of car costs £200 p/m to insure as thats obsurd.

My son will be 17 soon & learning to drive and I can't believe insurance is that much. :eek:

jetta_wales · 28 February 2011 at 4:02PM

Breast_Cancer_Survivor wrote: »

I don't thnk people are begrudging you having a mobility car but the fact that it is being used for the wrong purpose.

Could you not have the car so you could drop the kids off at school & get out during the day as that's the purpose of the car.

Surely your husband can find another way to get to work especially seeing as the car is a new thing? How did he get to work before?

Just out of interest what kind of car costs £200 p/m to insure as thats obsurd.

My son will be 17 soon & learning to drive and I can't believe insurance is that much. :eek:

Some people here unfortunately do begrudge others things even if they do have legitimate needs and entitlements.

Our car is in insurance group 5 so not very high a group at all it's an old ford focus and unfortunately yes that is how much insurance costs for young drivers these days especially if they are not living with their parents any more and are the main driver on the policy. Being an old car it is far from reliable just like every car we've ever had and buying a new one ourselves isn't possible right now with the amount we have to pay for insurance. The car will absolutely be used for what it is meant for I would be housebound for 2 hours longer every day plus all weekend and only able to go out at night if we had to rely on public transport. I can not drive and will never be able to so being at home when he's in work is always going to be the case but that's ok because he starts very early so is back much earlier than most too and when he is not working we are quite inseparable and do a great deal together. Having the car here during the day would be of no use to anyone but would mean that he would be home 2 hours later maybe even more.

blue_monkey_2 · 28 February 2011 at 5:07PM

But could everyone not say the same thing - that they would have more time at home with the disabled person if they had a motability car. Where do you draw the line? His wages should pay for him to run a car. Your DLA should pay for you to get your children to school if you cannot. But you have chosen to give that car to someone else and still want to have your children taken to school.

Can you not home school them if you are housebound? There are a lot of home schoolers in The Money Saving Arms that might be able to give you advice and they all get together as a group so it is not like you would be isolated as maybe some of them can come to you.

In one of your posts you said that you wanted the car because car Insurance was so expensive to have to pay for it yourself so you got peoples backs up straightaway as it is not what Mobility is intended for. Motability is to get the disabled person around, the Care componant is to pay for the extra help you might need so if you need help then this money is to go towards that.

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.

Also, what about someone from Home Start the charity that gives help at home? Or at school? Surely you only need to speak to your child's school to see if there is someone coming your way that can pick your child up on the way - maybe even a TA who is CRB registered - not only would you make new friends, your daughter might too. Not everyone can be CRB registered, you need to start trusting people sooner or later otherwise you'll not do yourself or your daughter any favours.

I can also clarify that children who go to Special Schools do not always get transport either and that the parents (some who also have disabilities) also have to get them to and from school - sometimes that school is many miles away, too.

kingfisherblue · 28 February 2011 at 5:24PM

Just to clarify that disabled children are not always entitled to transport to and from school. My son has been severely disabled since birth. He attended mainstream primary (with full time support) and was not entitled to transport. If he had attended special school, he would have had transport provided.

He is now in special school and a minibus collects him and returns him each day. However, there are some older children in the school, who do not have the same disabilities as my son, who have to get public transport to school. This is part of their development of independent skills. Obviously, there is an escort initially, but several of the teenagers now travel unattended. The bus pass is provided by Merseytravel, not by the local education authority.

krisskross · 28 February 2011 at 5:38PM

jetta_wales wrote: »

I wouldn't want an un-CRB checked stranger taking them to school and don't know anybody where I live because my condition does isolate me with not being able to get out much by myself.

So are your children never allowed to go and have tea at a friend's house if the parent can't show a CRB certificate? Didn't you ever talk to the other parents at the school gates?

jetta_wales · 28 February 2011 at 5:40PM

blue_monkey wrote: »

But could everyone not say the same thing - that they would have more time at home with the disabled person if they had a motability car. Where do you draw the line? His wages should pay for him to run a car. Your DLA should pay for you to get your children to school if you cannot. But you have chosen to give that car to someone else and still want to have your children taken to school.

I have not asked for approval and neither do I care for it but I have had some very helpful answers that yes others have had this support and a list of links for further advice and information.

Disabled parents and school

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