45+ Age group
1 child , 17 - years old
| Name | Seamus C. |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Spoken language(s) | English |
| We live in | United Kingdom |
| Registered on | 08/03/2017 |
| Last login | 3 months+ |
Hi, I am step-dad and primary carer to a 16 year old wheelchair user. My stepson and I are looking for an au pair to live in and provide extra support for his needs. There is a lovely dog in the house (long-haired dachshund), so you need to be happy with dogs :) We were very lucky to find a brilliant au pair through this site last year (2017) and are looking for someone to replace him, when he returns home at the end of August 2018. We live in Southwick, on the outskirts of Brighton and Hove, a vibrant and eclectic city on the south coast of England. There are many English language schools in the area, local gyms and local pool, plus good bus links into the town centre. London is only an hour away by train from Brighton. My step-son is intellectually capable, but physically has challenges due to his condition (Friedreich's Ataxia). He needs help getting up in the morning, preparing meals, bathing, personal care and getting to bed. He is very independent-minded, which means that once he is up, he generally keeps himself amused, which means you will have plenty of free time too. His birth father (who is married with two children) plays an active role in his life and sees him usually for one day a week. Unfortunately, his relationship with his mother has broken down.
My step-son is an intelligent young man, with a good sense of humour, currently undertaking his GCSE exams before going on (he hopes) to study Maths and Physics at A level (tip he is 18 years old). He is a confident individual, so you will need to feel comfortable holding boundaries with a teenage boy/young man and to help him transition into greater independence/inter-dependence. It will be helpful in the long-term to gain some knowledge of his condition, Friedreich's Ataxia. He LOVES gaming, edits video and youtube clips, streams games live online, enjoys DC/Marvel comic films and TV shows. His au pair will need to be an active person, as some lifting may be involved, but we do have hoists available at home; any experience you have with massage, Physio, care, etc would be very welcome! His long term ambitions are currently focused on studying maths and physics in future, potentially with a view to theoretical physics / astronomy. The kind of support we need may include: helping the young man to appointments (medical and social), taking him to swimming/hydrotherapy, provide suitable supervision at home, help him access the community and assist with personal care. Access to a wheelchair accessible car is possible (with a valid driving licence). His home environment has some equipment to help him with his care. There is also a hot tub and swimming pool in the garden area, which is being re-furbished over the summer. Ideally, we would like someone who is committed to a long-term future with him - the longer, the better. We would hope for a minimum of 1 year.
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| Prefer Au pair of gender | Either |
| Au pair couples accepted | No |
| The aupair will be required to drive | No |
| Elderly care is required | No |
| Housework required of Au pair | Average |
| Single parent family | Yes |
| Our religion | No Religion |
| We practice our religion | No |
| We have children with special needs | Yes |
| We require care for children under age 2 | No |
