Action for Kids’ Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into
Childcare for Disabled Children
Introduction
Action for Kids (AfK) is a charity that supports young people with physical and
learning disabilities across the country to find greater levels of independence and
opportunity through the provision of mobility aids, employability training and family
support. During all school holidays we provide daily activity based short breaks for
young people in the fourteen plus age range and, as such, we play an integral role in
providing child care for disabled young people.
Our submission addresses the terms of reference and the question numbers raised
in the consultation document. It is based on what parents have told us as well as
our own experience of working with families of disabled children. We support
children of all ages (0-25).
In terms of the remit of this inquiry, we have particular knowledge about child care
for the age 14 plus range during the school holidays. We also have access to
information about the experiences of parents of younger disabled children through
our family support service.
Although our submission addresses most aspects of the inquiry’s remit our particular
focus is on:
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The cost and difficulties accessing appropriate child care for disabled children,
particularly for teenagers.
The limitations of current provision for young people
The rationale for providing enhanced personal budgets to enable parents of
disabled children to work
The numbered points below relate to the numbered questions in the inquiry’s
consultation document.
Affordability/cost
1.Personnel costs are more expensive due to higher staff ratios – often 1:1, as well
as the need for staff who have particular training and expertise. For the 14 plus age
range , activity days/weeks need to be structured and varied if the young people’s
families are encouraging them to attend several weeks of the year over a period of
several years. Action for Kids therefore buys in activities that will cost more per day
than standard playschemes which 14 year olds have often outgrown, such as horseriding, archery, zumba sessions and so on.
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Parents tell us that they cannot access the informal arrangements for child care that
families of children who are not disabled will make in the school playground, among
friends. These arrangements are often nil cost “swaps” , for example sharing
journeys to and from school or after school play to enable parents to work- or travel
to and from work - outside of school hours. These informal arrangements will often
also take place during the school holidays for whole days so that parents can fulfil
their obligation to working in excess of 46 weeks of the year.
Children who are not disabled will often spend a few days a year with grandparents
or other relatives during the school holidays, to enable the parents to work without
paying for child care. This is far less likely to be an option for disabled children.
Parents of children who are not disabled very often rely on extended family to care
for their child, particularly if it involves dropping off or picking up from school.
Parents tell us that gratuitous care of this nature is less likely to be available for
children with complex needs. Instead, parents of disabled children need to seek out
higher cost options such as a nanny (perhaps with specialist experience) working on
a 1:1 basis.
Childminders drop off and pick up children from school and parents of children who
are not disabled find this a low cost option. This is because the childminders will be
caring for several school-age children, who are not disabled, at the same time.
Similarly, children who are not disabled will often attend an after school club or other
structured school club activities until their parents pick them up on their way home
from work. These wrap around options provide relatively low cost child care where
children can spend time with their friends whilst their parents work. Disabled
children have fewer options to access fun, inexpensive, wrap around child care
options. It is often only those with the most complex and profound needs that can
access local authority funded specialist after school clubs and there are few
breakfast clubs for disabled children.
Parents of children who are not disabled might pay for them to attend a school
playscheme or tennis camp or other activity camp for part of each day during the
holidays – such as five days of a sports camp - to enable the parents to work. Very
often they can share journeys to these activities or make informal arrangements to
take it in turns to have the children back to their house so that the parents can work
until say 5 o’clock in the holidays. The cost of the activity per day is much lower
than the average cost of an activity day for a disabled child. A good quality activity
day for a disabled child in the 14 plus age range in London can be in excess of £95
per day. A 1:1 support worker paid for by the parents will entail similar costs.
Parents have told us that where they have a disabled child in a mainstream school
that needs 1:1 support they have had to self fund a 1:1 for their child to attend an
after school activity club (such as drama or board games club). Other parents have
informed us that they have been told that if their disabled child is to attend the
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school’s after school club they need to pay the club fee as well for a 1:1 worker as
well.
Children of secondary school age who are not disabled will often travel home from
school by themselves and begin to spend time at home on their own at no financial
cost to the parent. Parents tell us that covering child care and finding enjoyable
activities for disabled children of secondary school age – particularly during the six
week summer holiday – is a worry for them. It is AfK’s opinion that it is the
secondary school age children that pose the greatest child care costs to parents of
disabled children. This is because the difference in cost is the full cost. For primary
school age children and younger, the difference in cost is the difference between the
average hourly rate for child care compared with the hourly rate for disabled children
of the same age. Young people of secondary school age who are not disabled will
enjoy the limited freedom of “chilling out” at each others houses after school or
spending time resting at home, without the presence of an adult. In stark contrast,
disabled teenagers will almost always need to be met from school and/or off the
school transport and require 1:1 support until the parents come home from work. To
emulate what their peers who are not disabled are doing at age 14, disabled children
will need an adult present during the entire time the parent is out at work (this could
be 10 hours in London). Alternatively , for the parents to work during school
holidays, the parent could buy in 1:1 support for part of the day and a structured
activity – such as those on offer with Action for Kids – for part of the day. The child
care costs for the full day will be around £100. This is compared to a nil cost for
parents of 14 year olds who are not disabled.
Vouchers – if widely accepted by providers - would reduce the cost of child care for
disabled children. Vouchers could be spent on a range of child care options such as
after school clubs, child minders, care workers in the child’s own home, buddies,
activity days and so on
New tax credits for child care are capped at £2000. For disabled children the tax
credits should be capped at a much higher level – particularly for children of
secondary school age - in recognition of the substantial additional costs of child care
for this age range.
2. Changes to tax credits and financial support tend to be geared to younger
children. Although the government will be providing 20 percent of costs up to £2000
for child care for children up to age 12 (disabled children up to age 17) this does not
take into account that the child care hourly rate maybe at least three times higher for
a disabled child’s care. New tax credits for child care should be capped at a higher
threshold. The difference in child care costs for disabled older children and their
able bodied peers is the full cost because child care is rarely paid for secondary
school children who are not disabled. In addition, the cost of specialist child care for
the 14 plus age range can be particularly expensive for parents, even when they
have personal budgets to part fund the holiday periods.
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3. AfK believes the financial support should be provided directly to the parents in the
form of an enhanced personal budget. As with direct payments, parents would then
be enabled to recruit their own 1:1 support workers and have opportunities to
develop and swap approaches with a range of providers quite swiftly as their child
develops, without the bureaucracy of a local authority reassessment. Conversely ,
funding provided to the local authority will result in inevitable bureaucracy in a
system that parents already find slow and unwieldly. If the support is paid directly to
the local authority, there is also the potential for a postcode lottery relating to
provision. Given that parents want more choice of affordable child care, support in
the form of a personal budget will enable parents to choose from a wide range of
provision across different geographical and local authority areas.
Availability and inclusion
4. See 1 above.
Are the reasons the same/different for older disabled children (eg 14 plus)? Older
children have fewer options. Their peers without a disability can access a variety of
activities including sleepovers at friends, going away to camp, spending a few days
at relatives, daily tennis camps, going to the gym or just “chilling out” at home.
Disabled children need affordable and age appropriate care. The consultation
document for the inquiry does not mention “variety”. Too many disabled teenagers
are attending the same playscheme every school break or attending activities during
the holiday at the same venue as their school. Although the repetition and routine
will be welcomed by a number of teenagers, for many this is not acceptable. A
disabled teenager might want the same range of choices as their peers including the
chance to sometimes just spend time at home or going out for the day (with a
support worker) whilst their parents are at work. At other times, they might want to
attend an activity day. The Government would like families with disabled children to
lead an “ordinary life”. The cost of child care - coupled with the limited range of
provision - does not enable an ordinary life where both parents are working.
Are they the same/different for disabled children from BME communities? They are
similar but there needs to be a commitment to ensuring these communities
(particularly where English is an additional language) have access to information and
are encouraged to participate.
Are they the same/different for disabled children living in rural areas? N/A to AfK’s
provision.
Are they the same/ different for children with complex health/medical needs?
Providers will need to have training and funding to support children who need 1:1
specialist support .
5.
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pre-school childcare providers; N/A to AfK’s provision.
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wraparound school or holiday childcare providers; There are cost implications
as parents will need extended hours of support to cover a parent’s working
day. There are costs to providers in terms of the administration of invoicing
and arranging care via personal budgets rather than arranging block bookings
via the LAs.
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providers of childcare for older children; Many older children do not want a
childminder but want opportunities to do what other children do, spending time
with teenagers they can relate to. If provision is to genuinely enable parents
to work, parents might need a support worker to come to the home in the
morning during school holidays, to help the young person get ready for the
day as well as to take them to a specialist or inclusive provider to access an
enjoyable activity whilst the parents are at work. During term times a support
worker might need to meet the child from school or off the school transport
and support them in whatever after school activity the child is doing that day
be it at home or in the community.
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others, i.e. children’s centres? N/A to AfK.
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National and devolved government Enhanced personal budgets to recognise
the additional cost of child care for disabled children, particularly for teenagers
– see 1 above.
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Local authorities and their health partners Ensuring that bureaucracy is
minimised and parents and young people have a choice about the nature of
support they need to access an ordinary life, whilst their parents are working.
AfK is aware that a number of Local Authorities are offering parents an option
of either having their childminders access their commissioned services or
taking a personal budget. Parents should have opportunities to offer their child
a range of provision across the school holidays rather than an either/or option.
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Early years providers, including childminders N/A to AfK.
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Schools (mainstream and special) Ensuring wrap around provision is safe and
enjoyable for disabled children which will often mean providing 1:1 support to
enable access to and meaningful engagement with all activities.
6.
7. Recognition that teenagers want variety and options to do activities in structured
settings as well as with carers in their own home or with small buddy groups. They
should not be expected to attend the same playscheme every school holiday just
because there are few other cost effective alternatives available.
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Quality
8. Providers need to ensure their staff – particularly those providing the direct
support – talk to parents and young people to explore what they enjoy and how
their needs can be met. Although staff will often benefit from training, parents
report that the enjoyment of their child’s activities is almost entirely dependent on the
attitude and motivation of those working directly with their child. Attitude and
enthusiasm is far more important than the length of experience working with disabled
children.
There needs to be a greater variety of activities at providers as well as a wider range
of providers.
9. Secondary school age children.
10. Covered above. Also, as the new Education, Health and Care Plans are rolled
out, it will be important for activities after school and during the holidays (when
parents may well be out at work) to meet outcomes as identified in Plans.
Access
11. A wide range of providers need to be identified and detailed within every Local
Offer. Parent Forums need to be widely recognised as a vehicle for marketing and
advertising a range of child care provision.
For further information or enquiries please contact:
Julia Paylor
Research and Policy Officer
Action for Kids
Ability House
15A Tottenham Lane
Hornsey
London N8 9DJ
020 8347 8111
jpaylor@actionforkids.org
6 June 2014
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