Gives advice and information to families with disabled or special needs children. The organisation also provides a range of factsheets and has a network of volunteer representatives.
Helpline: 0808 808 3555 (Freephone: Mon-Fri, 9.30am-4pm).
HomeTime
Babysitting and Help at Home
SEN babysitting & nanny special needs
Childcare for autistic children
Personal budgets
Respite, Direct Payments & Personal Budgets
Everyone needs a break. Finding the right babysitter can really improve the quality of your and your child’s life. Your child needs a break from you, too. Whatever your child’s needs, there is always someone out there with the skills to help.
Depending on your child’s needs, you might be able to pay for babysitting through direct payments.
Personal Budgets
The new SEN and Disability reform bill says that your Local Authority needs to prepare a personal budget with your child's care and health plan. Your child's personal budget gives you a lot more choice about the services your child uses to support them. This might include direct payments that you can use to pay your specialist babysitter or respite care provider.
Here is some advice on where to find special needs nannies and babysitters.
How to find a babysitter
Your local authority disabilities team might have a list of carers that they use. Alternatively, if you receive direct payments, your contact there might have a list of preferred agencies. If you want to find one on your own, here are a few places to look.
- Your school or special needs school. There may be staff (teacher/teaching assistant/nursing staff) who would like to help out.
- Your local hospice. It will often have a specialised outreach team who do respite in-house as well as out and about.
Remember to vet your babysitter carefully and look into their history as much as you can. Your local authority disabilities team will be able to advise you on how to find and vet a babysitter.
You might also find this advice from Directgov on finding and choosing childcare helpful.
Need a longer break?
Check out our holiday zone for ideas for short breaks where your child is fully medically supported – many of these are free or low-cost. Alternatively your local hospice may have weekends you can book in advance. Hospices offer support for a whole range of conditions, so check to see if your child might be included.
A lot of local charities also do days out with carers/chaperones. This might include your local Cerebral Palsy or Mencap group. Chat to your disability social worker, school Senco or special needs school to find local groups (Sky Badger will be expanding next year to include a local search facility, so keep checking back). Primary Times also lists local disability activities.
Contact a Family
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An emergency childcare service for working parents who have experienced a breakdown of their regular childcare. You can search for and book local nursery and childminder places or an emergency nanny with only 30 minutes to 2 hours' notice.
KIDS - School Years
KIDS' vision is a world in which all disabled children and young people realise their aspirations and their right to an inclusive community which supports them and their families.
They run...
Saturday and after-school clubs
School holiday play schemes
Short breaks
Respite care
Residential short breaks
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National Child-minding Association (NCMA)
Many registered child-minders have expertise in caring for disabled children. According to NCMA's 2010 membership survey, more than a third of members have undertaken specific training into caring for disabled children and children with additional needs.
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Night Nannies Can provide overnight care (sometimes that same day) so that new parents and babies can get a good night’s sleep, and establish a good bedtime routine.
Parkwood Healthcare
Parkwood Nurses, through its branches in London, Manchester and the East of England, specialises in providing nurses, care assistants and project workers to the NHS, private and voluntary organisations.
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Select Medicare
Select Medicare is a recruitment and temporary staff finder for nurses, carers, hospitals and homes.
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SNAP childcare only deal with special needs placements. They place professional nannies, carers, facilitators, enablers and support workers throughout the UK and abroad to work with babies and children with additional needs, including those with mild learning difficulties to profound and multiple disabilities. They also place people with families who are in difficult situations or with parents who need help looking after their children, for example, those who have an acquired brain injury. Their SNAP16+ Division works with young adults with additional needs.
Online support group for families of disabled children with special needs. The aim is to bring families together for friendship, to share information and to support one another. Advice on education, services, therapies, respite and other issues.If you care for a disabled child, you and your child may be entitled to some financial assistance and concessions to aid with the increase in living and travelling costs.
Spinal Homecare provide specialist personal assistants for people with spinal cord injury and related conditions throughout the UK.
The Complete Group
The Complete Group is a leading UK health care provider, giving support to enable children and adults with disabilities to lead full and independent lives in their own homes. They specialise in working with people with acquired brain injury, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and other disabling conditions, including cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy. They are experienced in working with ventilator-dependent clients and are experts in paediatric care.
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A homecare agency specialising in providing live-in care across the UK.
uk.care.com
Find special needs care near you. You can browse mum-reviewed carer profiles, post job listings for FREE, request reference checks and get advice on interviewing and hiring.
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