Utter Shambles!

I am so angry, so very bloody angry!

Today my son, my teenage autistic son was anticipating a new transport provider to take him to school. Last week I received a letter from the local authority to tell me that the previous company were no longer going to take him to school because they were unable to provide a regular driver. I was surprised at this because there had been no indication from the company that they had come to this decision.

Those reading this that have autistic children will know how important it is for our children to be prepared, as much as possible, for the day ahead of them.

So I was very surprised when the old company turned up this morning to collect M. I queried this and rang the company to be reassured that I was incorrect and the new transport was starting after the half term. I then rang the new company and was told, No this is incorrect the new company were on their way. Cue trying to contact transport to find out exactly what is going on – No reply – I have called 26 times so far today. I am on a call loop until they pick up their effing phone!

So why the anger? – I mean it’s luxury isn’t it to have your child collected from their front door? Transported to the door of their school and all at the expense of the tax payer?

No! No! No! No! No!

It is the local authorities statutory duty to ensure that my son can access his educational placement, eighteen miles away!

It is my duty to ensure that I place my child in an environment where they feel safe and secure and able to access their education when they arrive in school. Education for children with SEN begins the moment they sit in their school transport and is why continuity of driver and escort is essential.

How on earth can I do that when I have no idea what is supposed to be happening. How does my son know he can trust me as his parent to keep him safe.

Trust and safety is everything to my son and to me.

We have to teach our children stranger danger, to not get into cars with strange people or speak to people we don’t know to be safe yet parents of children with SEN who meet the statutory transport requirements – and believe me there are many to meet – SEN is not a golden ticket for specialist placements and a free lift – Have to frequently put our children in this situation and hope we can help them to understand the differences.

Whilst writing this I have managed to make contact with our local authority transport team who advised that they had followed proper procedures and the previous company were in breach of their terms as they had terminated the contract with four weeks notice. Which ended last Friday!!!!

The transport department were great to be fair and are sorting out this utter shambles and will be reprimanding the previous taxi firm. However for them and for me this is an inconvenient admin task.

The most important part of this is M. When he was driven away this morning he looked bereft, he had no idea what was happening and I, his mum, had put him in that situation by following procedure.

Thankfully his school is amazing and if needed will provide the reassurance to M so that when the new company collect him tonight he will be ready and prepared and know what is going on. That however does not mean that M will not be angry with me later and that is what is so sad. M will probably sit with this until he sees me when I finish work and then let me know exactly how he is feeling because I am the one who puts him in his taxi and who can blame him – no point being angry at school, they haven’t done anything, he cannot be angry at the taxi because he isn’t going to see them again so the only option is me. I know he will be OK eventually and I know not to take his anger personally and that I need to help him de-escalate how he is feeling but knowing the situation is so avoidable in the first place is what is so maddening!

Taxi companies who take our children to school need to see the child and their needs first and foremost and not as a ‘Cash Cow’ that many of them appear to believe they are! Of course I understand that they have margins to meet and families to feed but not at the cost of my sons (or anyone else Childs) emotional wellbeing.

Remember who and what your job is about!