When I started these articles I thought it would be a simple task to just tell our story but, as they say, the trouble with plans is that life gets in the way. Every week I have some idea in my head about what to write next and then all sorts of issues and experiences crop up that fill me with a passion to put pen to paper. Last week was no exception but I delayed recording my thoughts to give me time to decide whether I’d sound like a complete whingebag. In the end I decided I didn’t care either way.... so here goes.

In gathering data for the research project that I instigated earlier in this series of articles it is becoming very apparent that the quality and content of training that professionals undergo is a major factor in some of the problems that parents of autistic children encounter. I consequently began to delve deeper into the subject, looking particularly at the provision of in-service training, as I wanted to know what is provided and by whom.

Now, I may make myself seriously unpopular here but as it’s never previously proved to be an impediment I’ll continue.

At a recent parents’ meeting of our local service provider I raised the question of the in-service training of staff and found out that some of the staff responsible for autism services were recently sent to attend an autism conference in Malta.

Let me state here that I am well aware that budgets for training and other services are usually discretely allocated by the HSE and that the service provider is accountable for the use of these allocations within the appropriate domains. Regardless of who makes these decisions I would like to point out that there are a number of levels of extraordinary irony inherent in a system that sends service providers to Malta whilst there are parents who have trouble getting to the shops.

Home support hours, the funding of someone to come into the home so that the parent may have some small amount of time off, are very hard to obtain in our area and may be three to four hours per week for severe autism. Bear in mind also that conventional ‘respite’ care is often totally unsuitable, and thus unattainable, for many severe autistics.

Attendance at a foreign conference entails a fee of at least five hundred euros and then there are travel, accommodation and other miscellaneous expense entitlements...multiplied by however many people are sent to it.

We, as parents, know exactly how easy it is to keep up to date on latest developments online and I regularly skype people to discuss issues with them. Conference calling is equally easy to facilitate. The Open University, to take but one example (and I think it may now be the biggest University in the world) educates all its thousands of students online. Foreign conferences are nice little earners for the 'expert' speakers, not unpleasant for the attendees and bring in welcome collateral for the host venue...if you take a look at the Malta conference site there's an integral promo for Maltese tourism. Exactly what is the benefit to either autistics or their carers when the same level of knowledge dissemination or even of discussion can be achieved online at a fraction of the cost, not to mention the environmental benefit ?

Now tell me, am I being a totally mean-spirited whingebag here in thinking that not only is this not the best use of precious State cash but also something of an insult to those of us slogging away continuously at the frontline?

Given that Home Support hours are paid at a fraction of a professional wage how many of them could be provided for the cost of a few staff attending a foreign conference? At a conservative estimate it’s at least a few hundred.

 I, as the parent of a severely autistic child, would quite like to go to Malta to update my skills, wouldn’t you? But I can’t, because my severely autistic child can’t cope with conventional respite care and my four hours of Home Support wouldn’t even get me to the airport and back.

                                   Whingebag? Dead right I am.

One of the other most salient factors that is emerging from parents’ accounts is that, whilst service professionals are well acquainted with theories and therapies, many people are finding that they have little awareness and understanding of the everyday, nitty-gritty reality of living with autism. A number of parents have suggested that the most useful training service professionals could have is to come and live in our houses for a week and look after our children.

So, here we have a perfect solution for all our needs in these financially straitened times. How about we open our homes to ALL our service professionals for FREE! Thus saving a fortune in training expenses. And WE will use the respite and home support budgets to go on holiday!

Our children will get professionally trained childcare, we get a break and staff will get the best training possible.

                                   See you at the airport !

Gaia Charis, June,2010.