Birmingham mum Natalie Thompson, 39, says the six-week school holiday brings her 'financial and emotional anxiety' as she desperately dips into her savings for childcare for her son Azuriah, who has autism and is non-verbal. The eight-year-old has global development delay and requires one-on-one support throughout the day.
Holiday club shortage leaves families struggling
According to national disability charity Sense, more than 60,000 disabled children in England have no club options during the summer break. Holiday clubs provided by Birmingham City Council have failed to meet Azuriah's complex needs, while private options cost up to £140 per session, making them unaffordable for the part-time freelance HR advisor.
Last summer, Natalie had no weekday childcare because she was too late to sign Azuriah up to an over-subscribed holiday club for disabled children in her area. As a result, she was unable to work and had no time for domestic tasks.
Financial strain and limited work options
Natalie was forced to dip into her savings in May to secure Tuesday and Thursday slots at the club for this summer, paying £80 upfront for each four-hour session. 'The long summer school holidays bring a lot of financial anxiety and emotional anxiety for me,' she said. 'There are so few holiday clubs that can meet my son Azuriah’s needs because he requires one-on-one support to keep him safe and happy. So I’m with him throughout the holidays, from first thing in the morning until last thing at night, nearly every day. I can’t work full-time because of my caring responsibilities and during the school holidays I can only work very limited hours. That hugely limits my employment options and affects us financially.'
Exhausting caring responsibilities
Natalie described being a family carer during the six-week break as 'exhausting'. She added: 'I can’t leave Azuriah alone while I do things like the laundry or cooking - so even keeping up with household tasks is a struggle. The way school holiday care works for disabled children with complex needs like Azuriah is absolute madness. There should be a national framework, so disabled children get the support they need wherever they live – not this postcode lottery. In our area, many clubs will only take disabled children if they can be cared for in a group of three with one adult. That doesn’t work for Azuriah. Our only option is a local charity-run holiday club for children with complex needs. Azuriah was allocated 100 hours of subsidised childcare a year but we’ve already used those hours during half-terms and the spring break. By summer, sessions cost £80 each.'
Postcode lottery for disabled children
Sense found that one in ten local authorities across the country commissioned no holiday clubs at all for disabled children in their areas, leaving 61,415 youngsters to face the long break without any support. Harriet Edwards, Director of Influencing at the charity, said: 'Too many disabled children are missing out simply because accessible holiday clubs aren't available where they live. This stark postcode lottery is failing families. Parents are being forced to cut their working hours, leave their jobs or pay for expensive alternatives because the support they need isn’t there. And while there are plans to reform the education system, far too little is being done to improve the care and support disabled children receive in and around school, especially during the 10 weeks each year when schools are on holiday. The UK’s next Prime Minister has an opportunity to show disabled children and their families they are a priority every day of the year. Introducing a national framework for children's social care would help ensure school holiday support is based on children's needs, not their postcode.'
