School transport service to childminders?

[Leela]

I have been looking after a little girl with special needs for one year. She started school last September and has been attending the nursery at a special needs school. The LA transport service has been collecting her from her home and then dropping her off at my house 4 days a week. On the fifth day she is picked up by the bus from her home and then mum collects her. This year the transport service have said that they should not have been dropping of at childminders and are pulling the service. Are there any childminders who have children dropped of by transport service ? Can anyone think of any arguments to support the service continuing? Please help.

[charlottenash]

I'm sorry I have no advice, but that is disgusting! I'd be contacting the local MP to fight your corner.

[chris goodyear]

I have looked after a special needs girl for 10 years from nursery up to now post 16 and she has been dropped off to me by dad in the mornings and picked up by school transport. Now I am only needed in the afternoons but the school bus brings her to me and mum or dad collect her when they get home. I think it may be your local authority who makes the decision but sometimes parents have to fight to get this. I had a family early in the year who were considering a childminder for their autistic son who would require the school transport but were told they could only go to and from the child's house. They contacted me and I told them I was already in that situation with another child and they should argue their case. It was approved and I started caring for their son. The LA stipulated that as long as it was a regular occurrence and that the address would not keep changing it was fine. As I said I think it is up to each individual authority to make the decision but I can't see what difference it makes whether it's the child's home or a childminder's.

[merry]

I've previously had a little girl with special needs and she was dropped at my house by the school bus, in fact one day when I was held up at primary school I called the assistant on the bus and had them drop her where I was. Surely to refuse to drop off at your house is discrimination against the parents.

[Tazmin68]

I have cared for a number of children who attended a behavioural until which finished at 1.30pm and they were always brought back and dropped off to me. In both cases parent worked full time so what else could they do.

[ziggy]

i'm in Ireland and have a boy who gets bus from mine then home again. But if I'm not working his mummy has to either take him to school or put him on bus here.

[k1rstie]

Google your transport policy for your local authority.

I had a child dropped to meet me at the school I collected the other children from.

In my short experience, these transport services seem to have to make life really difficult for everyone.

[lilac_dragon]

Had a SEN child dropped at mine by school transport for 6 years but our LA has stopped funding it. Parents have to pay for a taxi to bring him now. Had issues with the taxi service at first as they'd drop and run without checking if I was back from school pickup. Now have a much better relationship with taxi firm and they wait to see me open the door when he rings the bell, if I don't answer they get him back in the taxi and just sit and chat with him til I come puffing up the hill!!!

[Leela]

Thanks for all of this. Both parents work and my house is actually closer than the parents house. The parents are appealing as there sre a couple of loopholes. I am wondering about the discrimination part of this. Everyone involved is worried hopefully it will be a good outcome.