SECONDARY SCHOOL AND SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

[Lizziesfolks]

Hi all

 

Quick question more than anything

 

What do any of the parents do with there secondary school age children who have aspergers ? Are they offically too old for childminders?

 

I ask as our daughter(the aspergers one) will next year be going to secondary school and my wife is job hunting at the moment,she has been off with our youngest for 4 years.

We can get somewhere for our youngest but it the oldest one she has no friends,so we can't kind of say if you have "X" today we will have "Y" when you are at work.

 

Your thoughts please

 

Thanks

 

Chris

[Flora]

I think legally a child has to be 14 before you can leave them alone without a child minder or babysitter.

 

If your dd is about to start secondary school I'm assuming that she must be 11? If so then legally, during the holidays, she needs adult supervision; either a family member or a registred child minder.

 

 

Flora

[Lizziesfolks]

I think legally a child has to be 14 before you can leave them alone without a child minder or babysitter.

 

If your dd is about to start secondary school I'm assuming that she must be 11? If so then legally, during the holidays, she needs adult supervision; either a family member or a registred child minder.

 

 

Flora

 

Flora

 

Thanks for that,Sorry, It wasn't meaning we would leave her on her own, what i mean't was if people are in the same boat eg both parents working and they have a child with aspergers what do you do with regards caring for them during the school holidays?.

We would never leave her on her own a) we can't legally and b)she wouldn't be able to look after herself anyway.

As for age she is just 10 and will be going to secondary school in late 2009

[fiorelli]

I think legally a child has to be 14 before you can leave them alone without a child minder or babysitter.

 

If your dd is about to start secondary school I'm assuming that she must be 11? If so then legally, during the holidays, she needs adult supervision; either a family member or a registred child minder.

 

 

Flora

 

Flora, there is no legal age for leaving a child home alone. It is all down to the individual child/parent. However, if a child is deemed to be 'at risk', then it is an offence.

 

http://www.nspcc.org.uk/helpandadvice/pare...e_wda35965.html (see here)

 

Chris,

Our local high school provide a daycare service for all the local children of school-age - they provide after-school clubs, and during the holidays, they open all day. It is a registered child-care setting and they take children up to 14 (I think - may be older). It is quite reasonably priced at �2.75 per hour with discounts for siblings. Do any of the schools in your area provide a service like this?

[bjkmummy]

my local area do a kings camp which is a sports type thing which runs for 3 weeks of the holdiays - it take kids up to 16 and welcome special needs kids. im lucky cos we ge it highly subsidised so for 8 - 6pm 5 days a week cost just �50

 

there are other schemes out there but i agree that once they get over 11 it does become harder to get playschemes. also our mencap run a play scheme over the holidays for kids up to 19

[SuzyQ]

Hi,

 

I have a similar problem, my DD is 14 with aspergers, but I have a 15 yr old that seems to have to care, or she is left on her own, as long as I write detailed lists she seems ok most of the time, I would rather not leave her but I work full time and cannot afford not to, she won't go to any day camps or the such like.

 

It's not easy being a working parent. Your not alone

[Flora]

Flora, there is no legal age for leaving a child home alone. It is all down to the individual child/parent. However, if a child is deemed to be 'at risk', then it is an offence.

 

Well there you go.... I learn something new everyday! I really thought there was an age limit.

 

Hi Chris

 

Sorry, I wasn't implying that you were going to leave you child alone! I was answering this question (quoted below) when I was talking about the law (incorrectly as Fiorelli pointed out )

 

Are they offically too old for childminders?

 

Flora

Edited August 4, 2008 by Flora

[SarahSH]

Hi Chris

 

nothing very useful to offer unfortunately except good luck! I know where you're coming from and was in a similar situation myself a few years back when my son now 16 started secondary. We had no friends to swap with either.

 

I tried the usual childminders - got a list from the council of ones in the area, but they were understandably organised around the local primary schools and he would have had to do quite a journey unaccompanied to their house from school to meet them there. And would have been with children quite a bit younger of course. So we didn't do that in the end, although you might be luckier and find someone who just happens to be near at hand.

 

Another thing I tried was to ask around and even advertise in the newsagents locally for an 'honorary granny' who might come in after school with him and just be around while he did his own thing, but got no offers sadly.

 

In the end we had to just work our hours around school hours, with one of us taking him and one picking him up from school each day. It was difficult. He did go to a relative one night a week after school. Then as he got older he had his own key and I just got back as soon as I could.

 

I know it's a very long way off from where you are now, but I have to say, it did get easier with age. By 14 he had a taxi home and could let himself in fine and get a snack/start homework/watch TV till I got back after work about an hour later. By 15 he was getting the bus and it all began to get quite a bit easier.

 

Feel for you though - it's not easy. Good luck getting someone to help with it

Sarah

[Lizziesfolks]

All

 

Thanks for the input so far, we will see if any childminders will,but all the local ones seem to only be upto 11.

 

Flora

 

Yes, i realise that you didn't mean anything by it, i was just saying that even if i had no childminder eg someone paid to look after her i wouldn't leave her alone.

 

 

Sarah

 

Thanks for the comments

 

Regards

 

Chris