Agreed help must be usable. A programme place is inaccessible if the child cannot manage the journey. Preparation, accompaniment and waiting are also work someone must be able to undertake.
With several children, needs can conflict at the same moment. Illness in a child or parent can increase the care required while reducing the parent’s capacity. Support cannot assume that grandparents or another adult are available.
A parent may remain responsible and ready to drop everything while the child is elsewhere. The hours a child spends at school, with a service or in a programme do not automatically become time for work or rest, or restore the parent’s energy.
Costs also include travel and lost earnings. Necessary help does not become a luxury because it has to be paid for privately. When a family cannot pay, some needs simply remain unmet.
Some children will need substantial support as adults. Continuity planning must respect their wishes and autonomy and cover parental illness, ageing or absence. Siblings are not the automatic replacement.
Partial help can be valuable while leaving serious gaps. We need to know which responsibilities are actually taken on and which remain with parents.