Learn The challenges of Moving Abroad for Families with Special Needs
The Financial Times this week published an article covering the issues that many families face when moving abroad with children who have special needs.
Research from Brookfield Global Relocation Services shows that family problems cause nearly a quarter of relocations to end early and families who have to overcome additional challenges in their everyday lives may cause this to be even higher.
Whilst it’s initially assumed that a move abroad may help things it can be the case that the city being moved to doesn’t provide the support required with finding suitable schooling being the main problem. This can lead to either additional costs or the prospect of having to be based in a different city with more travel for work. Services that may be currently available to you at little or no cost currently might end up being very expensive.
It is recommended that families moving in these situations be open with their employers about the issues that might arise and with any schools they approach. More time may be required to explore a potential city and to find out about the services on offer before a decision can be made. Also, attention should be made to the sourcing of foods and medicines as ingredients may vary between countries for the same brands and common medicines at home may not be easily available. If you’re based in a country where you don’t speak the local language having medical cards that explain your child’s situation can be very helpful.
Things can go smoothly though, just be prepared to put a lot of effort into things as you may not realise quite how reliant you are on your existing friends and family meaning that you may need to get a similar network setup quickly once you’ve moved.
Read the full article: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/4376b136-5155-11e3-b499-00144feabdc0.html
