By Prealene Khera
When Sydenham mum Sarah Caruana* scans the calendar in January, the row listing the dates at the end of the holiday-filled month always catches her eye — when that final week comes around, so will respite.
Although the summer break often corresponds to relaxation and unrelenting fun, for Ms Caruana and other Brimbank families with special needs children, the lack of inclusive activities can exacerbate stress and social isolation.
“People look forward to the school holidays to do things together as a family, but we don’t have that luxury because there isn’t much we can do,” Ms Caruana said.
While there’s no shortage of holiday programs in Brimbank, there are only a handful of initiatives that Ms Caruana’s seven-year old daughter with a severe intellectual disability can participate in.
As soon as it comes to kids with special needs, Ms Caruana said it’s like being “blocked off”.
“I feel like the group activities aren’t suitable for children with higher needs,” she said.
“Kids like my daughter are very restricted from doing any programs within the community.
“We keep her occupied in our backyard but holidays are supposed to be her chance to interact with other children, but we don’t get to do that because there’s just not a safe place for her in Brimbank.”
This involuntary seclusion is taking its toll on the pair.
“School holidays are mentally draining for us,” Ms Caruana said.
“It’s not the best time of the season, everyone else looks forward to it but we dread it.
“My daughter gets quite agitated too because she wants to do things, when that doesn’t happen she gets overwhelmed and can self harm — it’s really difficult.”
With the summer holidays coming to an end soon, Ms Caruana is calling on the Brimbank council to ensure the needs of all residents are met before the bell goes sounds for the next break.
“We need to get some support just from the council to put inclusive activities in place,” she said.
“I mean we talk about activities for the elderly or activities for young parents — what about activities for families with special needs kids?”
Brimbank council community wellbeing director Lynley Dumble said the organisation tried to ensure all programs had a “broad appeal” and were “accessible for a range of ages and abilities”.
“[We have] partnered with organisations such as Disability Sports Australia to deliver targeted programs for children with special needs at different times throughout the year,” she said.
“Parents are encouraged to reach out to us to discuss any special needs or requirements for participation in any of our programming, so that we can make appropriate arrangements.
“Council is one of a number of providers of school holiday activities locally for children. Council offers a Community Connector service that can help link the community with programs and services which are appropriate and accessible according to their needs.”
Councillor Maria Kerr also spoke to the Star Weekly as a mum of an autistic son who requires substantial support.
She said the state government needs to step in too.
“It’s been very challenging for us this school holiday period, I feel like I’ve been really struggling to find things to do with my son,” Ms Kerr said.
“My son Julian seems to be very upset and triggered too because he’s having to spend a lot of time at home.
“I think we need the government to fund the development of appropriate facilities and sensory parks that families like mine can use — there should to be more of an emphasis on helping kids with special needs.”
A Victorian government spokesperson said local parks and facilities of this kind fell under council’s purview.
“There are fantastic free activities for all Victorian kids to enjoy this holidays,“ the spokesperson said.
“We are delivering Victorian families a number of fun, free and accessible activities throughout the school holidays, including free access to Victorian Zoos and the National Gallery of Victoria Kids Summer Festival.”
Parents and carers of children with special needs are encouraged to contact Community Connectors on 9249 4494 to access the service.
*Sarah asked Star Weekly not to publish her correct name for safety reasons.
