A SINGLE mother who is disabled following complications during her pregnancy has been begging Hounslow Council to sign up her 10-month-old son for a nursery.
Claudia Chambers' hips collapsed while she was pregnant with Taffarigh, leaving her unable to walk and confined to her tiny flat in Hampton Road East, Hounslow.
Her son barely gets out of the house as a result, but Miss Chambers' pleas to have him enrolled at a nursery two days a week - to allow him to play and meet other children - have so far failed.
The 36-year-old former care assistant started to get pain last year when she was pregnant with Taffarigh. It resulted in vascular necrosis of the hips, leaving her needing a hip replacement and unlikely to be able to walk properly for at least three years.
Her social worker, carer and even MP Alan Keen have backed her bid to get Taffarigh into a nursery. The council has offered four hours a week, while she has psychotherapy to help her come to terms with her condition.
Miss Chambers said: "I'm a good mum and all I'm trying to do is the right thing by my son. He's stuck in the house with me 24/7 and that's totally unfair on him. He needs to be playing and having fun."For my sanity, and for him to get a break from being here seven days a week, he needs to get out and go to nursery. I believe there are lots of people in my situation and the social services are not helping us."
MP Alan Keen has made formal representations to the council on Miss Chambers' behalf but the social services department is refusing to change its current arrangement.
A spokeswoman for the council said: "Cases such as these are usually much more complex then they first appear, and this one is no different.
"We are continuing to work with Miss Chambers to review her son's needs and to ensure that appropriate support can be provided by either the council or one of the wide range of other agencies with responsibilities in this area."
