, can I please have a private post? ❤️
Mums, I really need some advice please 🥺
My son is 15 and attends a special needs school. He has home-to-school transport which is provided by an external transport company, not the school itself.
Every year his transport seems to change, and it causes him a huge amount of stress and anxiety. It can take him nearly a whole term to get used to a new driver and escort. His previous transport team were absolutely lovely, and he became really comfortable with them. He actually loved getting on his little bus in the mornings. ❤️
My son also suffers badly from epilepsy. The last 6 weeks have been particularly difficult, with several hospital visits, and he is now on medication.
This is where I really need your advice.
His transport has recently changed to a completely new contractor and a new transport team. The new contractor’s headquarters only contacted me 3 days before he was due to return to school to tell me about the new route and the change in transport provider.
Because of my son’s epilepsy, they always ask me for an updated care plan to be kept with his transport in case of an emergency. I completed a new care plan and sent it over.
This morning was his first day back at school. When the new bus arrived, I asked the driver if they were aware that my son has epilepsy. She said yes.
I then asked if they had his new updated care plan.
The driver showed me an old care plan on her phone. 😳
I was really concerned and asked what would happen if she was off sick and another driver/escort had to transport my son. Would they have access to his up-to-date care plan?
I also asked whether they knew the signs of epilepsy and what to look out for if he had a seizure.
The driver said no.
There was also an escort sitting at the back of the bus, but I wasn’t given any reassurance that she had been made aware of my son’s epilepsy or knew what to do if he had a seizure.
All of this was happening outside my house, with my son standing there, and he became extremely stressed and overwhelmed. He then refused to get on the bus and went back into the house.
I am honestly so stressed and upset. It’s been such an incredibly difficult few weeks for both of us, and the last thing I want is for his transport to become another source of anxiety for him.
So I really need some advice from other parents:
Shouldn’t transport staff responsible for transporting vulnerable children, particularly children with medical conditions such as epilepsy, receive at least basic first-aid/seizure-awareness training?
My son doesn’t have rescue medication, and I’m not expecting them to be medical professionals. But surely they should at least know the basic signs of a seizure, what to do, what NOT to do, and have access to his current care plan in case of an emergency?
I don’t want to cause trouble or be unreasonable. I just want to know that when I put my child on that bus, he is safe and the people responsible for him know what to do if something happens.
What would you do in my situation? And does anyone know what the requirements are for transport teams carrying children with epilepsy?
Any advice would be massively appreciated. ❤️🥺
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