Worried parents at a Kilmarnock school are facing weeks of upheaval after their vital summer scheme was axed days before the holidays.
Frustrated parents of Willowbank have railed against East Ayrshire Council's plan to provide a broad programme of activities for kids across the region.
But the decision has meant specifically tailored schemes for children with additional and complex support needs have been canned.
Willowbank, which is a specialist provision for children and young people aged 5 to 18 with complex needs and disabilities, has previously operated a 40-hour summer scheme for parents broken into two days for four weeks.
And upset parents say the new model is entirely unsuitable for the majority of kids with additional needs.
East Ayrshire Council acknowledged their summer schemes wouldn't be for everyone and said that parents of additional support needs parents can contact schools to "commission specific activities".
One parent whose 11-year-old son uses the Willowbank summer scheme, asked to remain anonymous.
She said: "I'm worried and anxious about how the summer's going to be without routine and structure that he's had previously.
"He needs a routine and without that he'll be upset. And I do worry come August how we're going to get him back into school, where's he's not been for a while.
"There's a lot of upset among parents. We just want it back to what it was."
The mum, whose son has autism and a learning disability, says the scheme gave him a routine during the summer holidays.
She added: "My son went twice a week he loved going and it gave him routine during the holidays and it was ran by Willowbank staff and they knew him. If he was upset they knew how to calm him down or how to make it more enjoyable for each child attending. It also meant he could keep in contact with all the friends in his class.
"My son couldn't attend any of the activities that are designed for mainstream children. A couple were designed for disabilities but I'm not sure my son could attend them because one of them looks like it's not in a secure environment so he might run away."
A petition to reverse the decision has almost reached 1,500 signatures.
East Ayrshire Council pointed out that its education department wasn't solely responsible for the provision of summer activities.
The local authority also said changes were made after receiving "significant criticism" for not including all families of young people with additional support needs.
A spokesperson for East Ayrshire Council said: "The remodelled Summer Scheme aims to provide a greater range and location of activities across East Ayrshire for young people in both mainstream and ASN settings.
"The scheme is offered on a multi-agency basis and was worked on by teams from education, including ASN head teachers; Vibrant Communities, the Health and Social Care Partnership’s Children and Families Service, Active Schools and third sector partners. Over 400 fun activity sessions for children and young people will be on offer this summer but it is absolutely recognised that not all activities will be suitable for all young people.
"Parents and carers of young people with ASN have been invited to contact their schools to commission specific activities where these are needed. The previous programme had received significant criticism for not including all families of young people with ASN and the new model seeks to ensure that all families of pupils with ASN have a menu of activities and locations, as well as the commissioning offer.
"In addition to this work, services and partners are seeking to provide dedicated support to pupils of our special schools and communication centres including activity sessions and commissioned activities. All families with young people with ASN have also been offered family experiences, such as leisure swims and cinema tickets, again recognising that these experiences will not be suited to all needs. Colleagues from the Children and Families Service are also offering targeted activities over the holiday period for families of children with disabilities.
"It is worthy of note that the education service is not responsible statutorily for the provision of summer activities or respite care for young people but has always sought to do so in recognising the difficulties that some families can face over the extended summer break.
"The council has not changed the offer stated to parents in regards to time allocated in host schools, this was always planned as part of the provision in our ASN schools.
"The 400 plus activity sessions can be registered for through the council’s website www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/events and represent an exciting and active holiday offer for East Ayrshire’s children and young people."
To sign the petition, visit: https://www.change.org/p/willowbank-summer-scheme-getting-it-right-for-every-child?
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