Parents who are struggling to find suitable childcare for their disabled children are being assisted by a range of projects operating across England.
Ten pilot schemes are actively developing ways to address the concerns of parents of disabled children and help them back into work or training (see box) as part of the Disabled Children's Access to Childcare (DCatch) initiative. It is now in its second year of a three-year pilot after the Government launched the scheme in May 2008 with £35m of funding, as part of the Aiming High for Disabled Children programme.
A Department for Children, Schools and Families spokesperson explains, 'Each pilot is developing projects to improve access to childcare for disabled children and young people and to reduce attitudinal barriers.
'Each of the ten pilots has planned an individual programme of projects to meet the needs of disabled children in their area. Early indications show that there are a number of common areas which all of the pilot local authorities have developed. These include delivering workforce training, developing brokerage and working with a range of providers, and working with parent champions.'
The DCatch scheme aims to give children with additional needs up to the age of 19 the same opportunities as other children, with the provision of suitable high-quality childcare having a positive impact on their education and future life chances. It is also hoped that, by helping parents to return to work, it will lift more families out of poverty.
Money will also be available from the £35m funding to bring more local authorities into the scheme as the pilot progresses.
By the end of the three years it is expected that projects will be operating in a large number of areas, replicating and building on the work being done in the ten pilots.
In practice
There is a joint commitment in Luton from the local authority, parents and providers to work together on DCatch. Diane Dixon, Daycare Trust consultant to Luton DCatch says, 'We've spent the past six months finding out parents' needs, what the challenges are, what works well and what has already been provided. This information has fed into everything we do.
'Parents of disabled children felt they had a lot to offer and wanted to be involved, so Luton has put parents, young people and children at the heart of what we do. It is all about building the confidence of providers and parents.'
It was found that while providers were willing to include children with disabilities, they were worried about the cost and had a fear of the unknown. Drawing on good practice and insight from parents, a booklet has been developed detailing how to make settings more inclusive - from how to greet and introduce a child to the setting to providing inclusive activities. It demonstrates that a lot can be done at no extra cost.
Parents have reported that they need support to get the care they need for their child, so a pool of accredited parent supporters is being trained to help. Parents are also being trained to deliver disability awareness workshops for providers, drawing on personal experiences.
In Cornwall, initiatives have also focused on sustainable models and empowering parents, with parents training childminders in disability awareness. 'We realised that some parents do not use childminders because they are concerned that they do not have the correct training and support,' says Sandy Lawrence, DCatch project manager for Cornwall Council.
'Parents also expressed guilt at placing their child with a childminder if it meant taking up two places. We have set up a scheme to fund the second place if this is the case.'
The siblings of disabled children are also being supported. This summer up to 200 siblings of disabled children will participate in holiday activities, enabling them to socialise while their parents spend quality time with their brothers and sisters.
Teaching assistants with experience of working with children with disabilities are being used during the holidays to support disabled children through mainstream out-of-school provision. It is hoped that around 70 children will be supported by this 'includer service' this summer. 'In the October half-term we had six includers to support six children. On the first day all of the parents stayed as well. By the third day a parent who had never left her nine-year-old son with someone else felt confident to leave him and go for a walk on the beach for two hours,' Ms Lawrence explains.
'The more we do then the less frightening it will be for parents and providers. We are a year into the project and the message is getting out there that children are being well supported.'
FURTHER INFORMATION
- Together for Disabled Children
- Aiming High for Disabled Children
DCATCH PILOTS UPDATE SUMMER 2009
Barking and Dagenham: Delivery of extended services and holiday provision for children with complex autism. Childminders and out-of-school providers have received National Autistic Society training on autism, disability awareness, messy play and behaviour management.
Bradford: Mechanisms are in place for instilling confidence in parents to use childcare services, including the appointment of 'parent champions' linked to children's centres and employing play partners to support inclusion of children in out-of-school settings. Mentors are working in settings to demystify inclusion, develop confidence and change attitudes.
Camden: Recruited parents on to a volunteer programme as a route into employment - work placement, entering work, or undertaking training. Welfare rights advice and discussion on work, training and childcare provided to more than 50 parents. Inclusion staff now working across a range of settings to support individual placements and develop an inclusive approach by providers.
Northumberland: Inclusion co-ordinators introduced to act as brokers for parents looking for appropriate childcare. Joint working with childcare providers around the introduction of an Inclusion Toolkit.
Nottinghamshire: A brokerage manager helping more than 100 disabled children to access suitable childcare. Specialist equipment loan scheme for disabled children accessing childcare launched.
Oxfordshire: Developed a range of childcare options, including 13 childminders currently recruited to the Enable Childminder Network. Developing support and training for providers to offer responsive provision for children with additional needs.
Sefton: Establishing an intensive training programme including training children's centre staff in relevant specialisms and developing an understanding of early identification, referral and transition processes. Staff trained for holiday childcare for up to 15 children and young people with complex needs.
Solihull: Specialist Parent, Young People and Child Champions introduced. Professionals from various backgrounds trained to understand what inclusion really means - this will help to audit settings regarding inclusivity. Introduced KIDS Activities which has helped more than 13 children to engage in activities, allowing parents to return to work.