ASD: on being a special-needs single parent

I have run out of expletives to describe my son’s plight and, by extension, mine. The Local Authority – Elmbridge and, more specifically, the North East Surrey SEND Team,  have failed to do their job in such abysmal ways that what began as my son having no school place has been compounded in so many ways into much, much more.

Picture this:  an eight year-old child on the Autism spectrum out of the school system, isolated from his peers and from necessary assistance to access the curriculum, with a family forking out substantial money for childcare.

Let’s keep this in the light of awareness: Cranmere Primary School have been accepting funding for Daniel from the Local Authority, and he remains on their roll, despite their SENCO and the LA case worker suggesting that he go elsewhere.

Daniel has nowhere else to go because the LA case worker hasn’t provided Daniel’s legal right: a school place. Therefore Daniel is going without education and the school who urged him to leave continue to receive money for him. Meanwhile, I pay £300 per week for babysitters and my family are eating into our savings. If I had had the money that is intended for Daniel to support his learning, I could have had some home tuition while a school place is sought. As it is, my son has no education and no peers; I have no respite without babysitters and cannot otherwise do what I need to do in order to feel okay, and Cranmere continues to receive DANIEL’S MONEY.

Criminal?

And in light of the recent SEND funding cuts across SURREY is this not utterly fucking despicable?