Jess1

My Requirements

I am looking for a carer/special needs childminder on a part-time basis to support my 6-year-old autistic son during some school holidays each year, on a long-term basis ideally.

I anticipate this support will be needed for between 6 and 8 weeks per year, starting from April 2023 onwards, and this would be for approximately 5 hours each day from Monday to Friday (so 25 hours per week). The number of weeks for which support is needed could be increased (so for more than 6-8 weeks per year) if this is of interest.

Primarily this is to provide care for my son whilst myself and my partner work (both from home), as we do not have sufficient holiday allowances between us to care for him during all of the school holidays in the year.

For background, my son currently attends a special school within the local area – he has communication issues caused by his autism and is considered as non-verbal, although he does speak but not always clearly or frequently. We are still at an early point in his autism diagnosis so there may be other conditions to consider, eg ADHD, sensory processing disorder etc. Due to this, he is considered to have severe learning difficulties, and is therefore unable to attend any holiday clubs in the local area as there is insufficient staffing to provide him with the support and safety needed.

I feel that this role would be ideally suited to someone with a wealth of Special Needs Experience but who is only looking for additional work for a small part of the year, eg a currently employed Teaching Assistant / Learning Support Assistant at a special needs school who would like some additional work during school holidays. We could also agree an occasional weekend day during term-time (eg 1-2 days a month maximum) if this is of interest, but this is not a requirement if not.

This would be a fairly flexible role during school holidays, so this may be able to fit around any holidays booked/arranged provided ample notice is provided. I would anticipate that the summer holidays will require either 3 or 4 weeks of cover, with the remaining minimum 3 or 4 weeks of care to be spread out over the remaining school holidays, including Easter holidays in March/April, and the half-term weeks in February (from 2024 onwards), May and October, on a rolling basis. I don’t anticipate any cover being needed during Christmas school holidays in December/January.

Duties will depend on experience level, but ideally it would be perfect to be able to keep my son entertained and appropriately stimulated during these periods – perhaps introducing tasks where learning through play is evident, as is taught at my son’s specialist school. He is keen on the outdoors, so it would be great if he could be taken to the local parks with someone who is confident they have the necessary attention skills to be able to ensure his safety on outings (he has run into a busy road before, so safety is a big concern).

Start date: Officially April 2023 – likely Easter holidays for either 1 or 2 weeks (but could be pushed back to later school holidays if needed). Happy to offer some (fully paid) taster hours with parent(s) in attendance, to be able to observe, and ask any questions, if useful.

Hours: Approximately 5 hours per day from Monday to Friday, for 6-8 weeks per year during school holidays (flexible to candidate). Ideally hours would be between 8.00am to 1.00pm, again this is flexible to candidate. Some weekends if wanted, would be 1-2 days per month, hours flexible.
Salary: Negotiable for right candidate