Mum of disabled girl tells of 'fight' for childcare

The mother of a child with a disability has said she is struggling to find specialised care that can meet her daughter's needs.

Stacey's daughter, seven-year-old Bailey, has Cohen syndrome, a rare genetic condition which can cause neurodevelopmental delay and visual impairment.

The mum, from Huddersfield, said she would like to return to work, but has yet to find anywhere in the area offering the specific type of service able to look after Bailey.

"As a parent to a disabled child, you feel like you're fighting for their education, the right type of care - as much of a normal life as possible," she said.

"There shouldn't still be discrimination against disabled children, but there is and it's not fair."

A DfE spokesperson said the government was committed to investing £200m over the next three years in a national training package.

This would support children with SEND across all stages of the education system, from ages 0-25, they said.

Bailey attends school five times a week, but only on a part-time basis, which means Stacey is unable to return to her job as a casino manager.

She said it could be "overwhelming at times" and called for more support to be available to parents seeking childcare for children with additional needs.

"Should we not be trying to make their life easier for them, so they can access what everyone else gets?" she said.

"There's not enough people trained up with qualifications to be able to deal with children like Bailey."

Stacey's story speaks to a wider problem in the sector, according to Family Fund, which supports families with disabled and seriously ill children.

The charity recently polled 1,000 parents of children with disabilities and found nearly one third could not find suitable care.

"Raising a disabled child is really tricky and you need to have trust in that provider," Family Fund director Helen Gravestock said.

"We were hearing from families that they just didn't feel that the provision available to them could cater for their child's specialist or individual needs."

Parents also reported a "financial and emotional toll", she added.

Family Fund said 51% of families surveyed wanted to work more hours but could not because of a lack of suitable care.

"I can't imagine being a parent that wants to be able to work but can't because my child's needs aren't looked after," Gravestock said.

"They want to be able to provide for their families, but don't feel they're able to."

A deficit of childminders with qualifications for children with special educational needs and disabilities could be down to access to training, according to Tina Maltman, CEO of charity Childminding UK.

The Department for Education (DfE) has allocated 9,500 fully funded places for 2026-2028 through the Best Practice Network, for SENCO training.

Tina Maltman, CEO of Child Minding UK, says there is a general shortage of childminders [BBC]

However this training is available for early years practitioners as a whole, and is not only specifically offered to childminders.

"It's going to be a long time before the majority of the workforce will be able to access that training," Maltman said.

"This is what we want all childminders to have, to meet the needs of all the children."

A shortage of childminders more generally was also contributing to the issue, she said.

Ofsted figures show there were 24,700 registered childminders in England in March 2026, compared with 48,000 in 2015.

Maltman said: "I think it's very, very difficult at the moment to obtain a childcare place for any age of child, whether they have additional needs or not."

Minister for Early Education Paul Waugh said the £200m national training package aimed to give "practitioners practical, everyday tools" so "every child can feel included, understood and ready to learn".

"Getting this right early means fewer children falling through the gaps later on, and a stronger foundation for every child to thrive," he said.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

Childcare search is 'mission impossible', says mum

Parents urged to help children get 'school ready'

More places needed to fulfil childcare pledges