Some mainstream schools have specialist units or resource bases which provide extra support to children who have additional needs.
The government wants to increase inclusion. Could specialist units or resource bases be part of the solution to the current SEND crisis?
Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences of SEN units and inclusion with us.
What are the issues?
When specialist units and resource bases work well, they enable inclusion. However, the success of these units is dependent on how well they are resourced, as well as how effectively they interact with the wider mainstream school. It’s important that they are staffed by those who have appropriate teaching qualifications.
Recently, many local authorities have increased the number of specialist units in mainstream schools in their areas without any government guidance.
If the units are set up in a rush, as a means of reducing costs, they can lack resources. If this happens there is a risk disabled children are segregated from their peers and taught only in the unit, without any interaction with the wider school.
Calls to Contact’s helpline suggests these units vary dramatically from one school to another.
My experience of a specialist unit
Here our education policy lead, Imogen Steele, shares her experience.
“Having been born with cerebral palsy, I attended a specialised unit in a mainstream secondary school, and it was truly amazing. The unit was designed to support a small group of pupils with physical disabilities. I was completely included in the mainstream school. All of my classes took place in the wider school. I used the unit for physio, OT, a place to rest when I needed and a base to catch up on any work I missed. In all of my classes, I was supported by Learning Support Assistants who were attached to the unit.
“However, many units function very differently. I can imagine how isolating it would have been to be stuck in the unit all the time, taught away from my peers in a separate room with different teachers without access to the same opportunities as others just down the corridor. “
What Contact thinks
It’s important that the Department for Education hears from parent carers and young people when shaping policy , so we welcome their survey.
Contact would like to see clear guidance for specialist units to ensure they are appropriately funded, staffed and founded on the principle of inclusion, respecting and protecting every child’s right to a mainstream education, whilst not replacing the role of special schools.
Done well specialist units have the potential for more young people to feel included in their local school community. However, increasing them without suitable regulations or guidance, could lead to them being entirely separate in teaching and location from the mainstream school.
Complaints about education and children’s services are still dominating its casework. Housing has now moved to the second biggest area of concern overtaking adult social care.
The LGSCO investigates complaints about local authorities. It can look at how a council has dealt with a child’s special educational needs. They can also consider complaints about social care and housing. You can’t complain to the Ombudsman about something which you can appeal to the SEND Tribunal about.
Daily battle
Amanda Elliot, Health and Social Care policy lead at Contact, said: “Many families with disabled children use the complaints process of the LGSCO because they are unable to access the support they need for their child. It is a long and time-consuming process to follow the local authority complaints process and then go to the LGSCO, so it is not something entered into lightly. The record number of complaints to the LGSCO is a sad indictment of the daily battle that parents talk about and the state of the public services they rely on.
“It’s why we believe the government should implement the Law Commission’s proposals in full and why it’s crucial that the forthcoming SEND reforms create a system that works for every child – strengthening support for children who do not have an Education, Health and Care plan, while protecting current rights.”
Contact’s social care asks include a separate social care assessment pathway and national eligibility criteria.
The Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP) has today launched its latest report and campaign, Fight for Ordinary, which sets out a positive vision for a reformed special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in England, while also protecting existing legal rights.
The report lays out a five-point plan to make ‘once-in-a-generation’ changes that will improve the lives of disabled children, young people and their families.
It also highlights the simple fact that disabled children and young people and their families want nothing more than the ‘ordinary’ things that other children take for granted.
Overwhelming public support
New research commissioned by the DCP demonstrates that there is overwhelming support for disabled children’s ‘ordinary’ expectations to be protected by law – almost 9 in 10 (89%) of the 2,000 adults surveyed agree that disabled children and children with additional needs should have legal rights and protections that give them the same education and opportunities as their peers.
What’s more, 94% of those polled believe all children should have a school place where they feel happy, belong, and can achieve; 93% believe children should have timely access to healthcare and 91% agree children should have the opportunity to make friends and take part in after-school activities.
This includes the chance to feel happy and safe in nursery, school or college, the opportunity to make friends and take part in after school activities and to have access to the right health and social care support when needed.
Fight For Ordinary’s launch comes after it was revealed in May that the Government is preparing major changes to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in English schools. There have been rumours that this could include the removal of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) for some children.
Many families, charities and campaign groups in the SEND community remain deeply concerned that the removal of EHCPs – statutory documents designed to support young people up to the age of 25 – will take away their child’s legal right to an education that is built around their specific needs.
Creating a system that works
Anna Bird, CEO of Contact and Chair of the Disabled Children’s Partnership, said: “Whilst we welcome the Government’s commitment to addressing the failings in the SEND system, it is important to state that this is a once-in-a-generation moment that we cannot afford to get wrong.
“In order to create a system that works for children, young people and their families the Government must strengthen support for children who do not have EHC plans, and ensure sufficient funding and accountability for all parts of the system. Reform must not dilute rights, remove vital protections or disrupt existing support. Anything else would be a catastrophic failure, and the cost of inaction would be perilously high – for children, families and public services.
“Families should not be expected to fight for ordinary expectations – an enjoyment of learning, of sitting in a classroom with friends, of taking part in after-school activities and the chance for parents to pursue careers to support their children without having to put their working lives on hold. Our polling shows that the public overwhelmingly supports SEND families in their desire to achieve ordinary expectations for their children. This issue can no longer be brushed aside – the time for decisive, collaborative action is now.”
Key recommendations
The Fight For Ordinary report’s five key recommendations include the implementation of:
Legally guaranteed support for all children who need it, not only those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
The correct provision of training and specialist support to ensure that nurseries, schools, and colleges are set up to properly support disabled and neurodivergent children.
Comprehensive local area plans that ensure the right mix of mainstream and specialist school places along with sufficient specialist staff.
Systems which can adequately measure the progress and experiences of children and young people with SEND, to ensure no child is left behind.
Adequate funding and the right incentives within the SEND system to ensure reforms succeed.
MPs on the Education Committee are calling for urgent reform of disabled children’s social care after an inquiry found disabled children and their parents were “treated with suspicion” and subjected to “inappropriate assessment” when reaching out for help.
Anna Bird, Chief Executive of disability charity Contact said: “We warmly welcome the Education Committee’s report on social care, in particular their recommendations calling for national eligibility for disabled children and their families to access help from social care. The families we support will recognise the committee’s assessment that the current social care system overlooks disabled children. It is far too hard for families with disabled children to qualify for social care support and there’s a lack of transparency, so it is unclear who is entitled. So many families struggle on without short breaks or direct payments providing enormous amounts of care alone, sometimes for many years.
“Fixing disabled children’s social care is a crucial part of fixing the SEND system because they are key pieces of the same jigsaw. Schools are currently dealing with the fallout of a lack of social care support for disabled children and their families. We are delighted the committee is backing the Law Commission’s proposals for reform. We hope the government takes their recommendations seriously and implements them in full. This would be a huge step towards improving the lives of disabled children and their families.”
The committee’s recommendations are in line with Contact’s key social care asks for disabled children. Evidence submitted to the inquiry by Contact, the Disabled Children’s Partnership and the National Network of Parent Carer Forums are quoted in the report.
The Education Committee says there is an “urgent need” to improve access to short breaks, respite care and holiday provision. It was “unacceptable” over half of parents couldn’t access the short breaks and respite services they needed. The report also condemned the culture of ‘parent blame’ that families experiences when asking for help.
“It is deeply concerning to hear that parents of disabled children are being treated with suspicion and undergoing inappropriate assessment processes when reaching out for help.”
Committee inquiry recommendations
The Department for Education:
Must set how it will implement the proposals in the Law Commission’s review of disabled children’s social care no later than two months following the publication of the review, (due in September) shortly including a timeframe and assessment of any spending required to implement the proposal.
Must review the training provided to children and families social workers and ensure that social workers are being adequately trained in the specific needs of disabled children and their families and the distinct type of assessment processes needed for this group.
Should introduce national eligibility criteria for disabled children’s social care and ensure that local authorities are clearly communicating these to families.
Should conduct a review of the availability of short breaks, respite care and holiday provision for disabled children to understand where the shortages are most acute.
Should work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to fund local authorities to be able to offer this provision to all families entitled to it.
Should ensure that the specialist workforce for disabled children is included in the children’s social care workforce strategy.
About the Education Committee
The Education Committee is a House of Commons select committee of MPs that scrutinises the work of the Department for Education (DfE). While the committee cannot force the Department for Education to act on its recommendations, it is often powerful and influential vehicle for shaping policy.
In it they highlight the increasing cost of school transport and cite one of the reasons as being children with special educational needs travelling long distances because there are no suitable school places locally. The report makes recommendations for reducing the home to school transport bill for local authorities.
One of those suggestions is a 3 mile eligibility criteria (including most SEND students), at the discretion of local authorities. Contact is concerned about this as we have seen the impact of “local discretion” on Post 16 transport where it is being stripped away across the country. This criteria will not work for many SEND children and young people.
Anna Bird, Chief Executive of Contact, said: “We are concerned that some of the proposals in today’s report dilute parents’ rights and may not meet the needs of pupils and students with special educational needs. These include the use of pick up points, the promotion of independent travel, the increase of Personal Transport Budgets and the proposal to transport to the nearest suitable school rather than a parent’s preferred school. All of these proposals could have a significant and detrimental impact on SEND children and young people, limiting choices and outcomes.
“We understand the very real difficulties of increasing costs at a time when local authority budgets are under so much pressure. We believe greater access to welcoming and inclusive local schools and tackling expensive privatised bus and taxi companies would be a good place to start.
“We hear first-hand from parent carers across the country that a lack of council provided transport can have a devastating impact – with students sometimes missing out on school and families forced to give up work and left in financial hardship. It is unfair to the balance the books on the backs of disabled children and young people. “
The positives
The report positions transport as playing a “vital role in our education system”. And, it recognises that transport is linked to the current failures in the system – where many disabled children and young people just cannot go to their local provision. It also recognises that journeys are necessary, and families need support with them.
It is encouraging that the voices of parent carers are included and that the report refers throughout to the specific circumstances of many disabled children/young people.
“Assistance with travel to school can play an important role in reducing some of the barriers faced by families with children with SEND, with which other families do not have to contend.”
The report notes the importance of council transport for many families with SEND children and young people and refers to our Contact survey where 81% of families receiving transport were satisfied with the service.
Inline with our Close the Loophole campaign the report recognises the gap in transport for 16-18 year olds and the impact on SEND families. It proposes that transport should be available for eligible children from reception to Year 13 (with further proposals for Year 13 onwards for SEND students).
What we’re doing
We’re campaigning for change with our Close the Loophole campaign to fix the loophole in law for 16-18 year olds transport.
We’re running a project looking at home to school and college transport thanks to funding from the Motability Foundation.
We can help – if you need information or advice on school/college transport look at our online resources for transport in England or contact our Helpline.
Tonight MPs voted on the Government’s Pathways to Work Green Paper, which proposes changes to make claiming Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit health element harder. Despite a lot of disquiet among MPs and lots of last minute changes, the bill passed.
Anna Bird, Chief Executive at disability charity Contact, said: “The families we support will feel despair and continuing fear after tonight’s vote. While the government made important concessions at the 11th hour, the chaotic way the bill was brought forward has added to a feeling of concern and lack of trust. It is essential the government follows through on their promise to listen and work with disabled people in their review of these proposals.
“Although there will be a review of the assessment for Personal Independence Payment we don’t know the outcome of that. And in addition new claimants for the Universal Credit health element who do not meet severe conditions criteria will still be receiving lower payments of that element which will also be frozen for 4 years. This is scheduled to happen from April 2026. So many people with disabilities and health conditions and their families will be substantially worse off. Our own research shows that families with disabled children are among the poorest in the country and 44% of parents of disabled children or their partners have a disability or health condition themselves. This vote will make life harder for many of them.”
Anna Bird, Chief Executive at Contact and Madeleine Cassidy, Chief Executive at IPSEA said: “It’s unsurprising that there has been a rise in the number of EHC plans because it is currently the only reliable way to secure support in school for a child with special educational needs. The latest data shows the system needs rapid intervention, but getting rid of EHCPs is not the answer. Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans are a vital part of the SEND system and must be protected. They provide legally enforceable rights to support for children and young people, and we are clear that the Government’s forthcoming White Paper must not erode these legal rights. But making SEN support a stronger part of a schools’ duties will ensure more children can take part in school without necessarily first going through the legal process of getting an EHC plan.
“If we strengthen the offer of SEN support – such as brain breaks and some forms of smaller group work, support at playtime and speech and language therapy – some children may not require an EHC plan to get the support they need. It would also begin to restore families’ confidence in the education system. While this approach will require investment in resources and training, research shows this early intervention produces cost savings further down the line, as well as being the best option for children, who shouldn’t have to fail at school before they receive the support they need.
“What we’re proposing is simple and achievable. Contact and IPSEA have drafted an amendment to the Children and Families Act that could make a meaningful difference right now. If the government aims to make mainstream education more inclusive, the first step must be strengthening the legal duties around SEN support.”
Contact’s research has found that half of families with a disabled child who have had to pay back Carer’s Allowance have stopped claiming the benefit as a result. This is despite it being a vital source of income for carers under enormous physical, emotional and financial pressures.
We also found that:
A quarter of families with disabled children hit with Carer’s Allowance overpayment had contacted the Carer’s Allowance unit about changes in their wages, but the information wasn’t updated in time.
Nearly half (47%) had trouble getting through to the Carer’s Allowance unit. 9% were not able to reach them at all.
93% told us having to repay Carer’s Allowance made them stressed, anxious and unwell. 34% said they went without essentials. 33% had to give up work or reduce their hours, and 48% increased other debts.
Our Counting the Costs research, carried out last year, found that 11% of families with disabled children have been overpaid Carer’s Allowance by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) in the last year. Of those: 73% said it was because of their earnings. On average parents had to repay £1,045.
The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit is now £196 per week. That’s the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Living Wage. But families whose earnings sometimes go even slightly over £196 are still likely to get caught out in a fundamentally unfair system.
A rigid, stressful system
Alex left her career as a police officer to care for her two adopted children, who both have additional needs.
When the children were old enough, Alex got a job at a supermarket. She informed the Carer’s Allowance unit about her change in circumstances and what hours she planned to work. She worked 20 hours for three months and her Carer’s Allowance was still paid, so she thought it was ok to continue. Then she received a letter to say that she owed almost £1,000.
Alex told us: “You need a financial adviser to work out how much you can work or work a lot less than the threshold to be safe. The system is so rigid, and it’s really stressful as it’s always at the back of your mind. I don’t expect to get money I’m not entitled to. But there should be some way of tapering off, so if you go over the earnings limit by a few pence, the whole amount of Carer’s Allowance isn’t taken away. That would actually make work pay.
“I did a shift the other day and should have finished at 10. I didn’t finish till 10.30, and I was worrying about going over the earnings limit. If someone phones in sick, I’d like to say I can help out, but I can’t. In the run up to Christmas there are extra hours and night shifts available, but I can’t take them.
“I’d like to do 15 hours but have had to restrict myself to 10 hours. It’s just gone up to 12 hours because of the increase in the earnings limit that has just come in. There’s no flexibility in the system, and it makes it much harder for those who want to work.”
A long running issue for working parent carers
Anna Bird, Chief Executive of Contact, said:
“Together with a group of charities, we are calling for the halt of new overpayments debt until the government’s independent review of the issue concluded and recommendations implemented. We are very concerned that significant numbers of families with disabled children are being put off claiming a vital source of financial help due to the stress of being overpaid.
“The system is difficult enough to navigate. If a working parent carer juggling very stressful circumstances is trying to pass on information to the Carer’s Allowance unit and that is not being acted on quick enough, it is shocking that the carer is then penalised.
“The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit is a long-running issue for working parent carers. Our helpline regularly hears from families with disabled children who, despite the increase in the earnings limit, are still likely to be affected by overpayments without reform of the flawed system.”
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has said it is exploring a system of targeted texts and emails to alert claimants to potential overpayments.
Contact’s research published today reveals that almost 60% of disabled teenagers face changes to their school transport arrangements when they turn 16 with one in seven losing it altogether – jeopardising their ability to continue at school or college.
Despite a legal requirement for disabled young people to be in education or training up to the age of 18, guidance leaves transport for 16–18-year-olds to the discretion of the local authority. That’s why Contact is calling for the government to close this loophole, rather than leaving transport to a postcode lottery. Other findings from our Transport Matters research include:
When a young person turns 16, 20% are charged for transport to school or college – £774 is the average cost.
40% of parents had to reduce hours or give up work to transport their child themselves.
Families with disabled children value council-provided school transport (81% are satisfied or very satisfied) saying it promotes their child’s independence (58%) and helps them to work (50%).
Contacts research will be discussed later today at a Parliamentary event hosted by Jen Craft, MP for Thurrock, who has a daughter with a disability. Thank you to everyone who emailed their MP about the event. At the meeting MPs will also hear from families affected by cuts to school transport for post 16-year-olds.
One parent who’ll be attending, Ramandeep Kaur, said: “My son Harry has Down Syndrome and is 17-years-old. He used to get the school bus until last year when it was taken away and he was given a personal travel budget instead. Now he must watch the school bus go past our house every day without stopping. He instead gets a taxi to school, which we are funding at a cost of £230 per week.
“The school day is very short so I have to restrict my working hours and turn down jobs as it is, so we have taken the financial hit to transport him in a taxi. It’s a big financial hit and every penny I earn now goes on bills and taxis, and we have to limit what we do. It’s ludicrous that the school bus goes past our house every day. We are lucky that Harry is adaptable and we have found an excellent taxi driver who has built a rapport with him. Lots of young disabled people wouldn’t have been able to cope with the change. I’ve heard of other families who have had to ask 80-year-old grandparents to step in to transport their teenager and others whose child is no longer at school or college. I think it’s very irresponsible and short sighted of the council.”
Previously more councils funded transport for this age group, recognising they faced disadvantages such as not being able to use public transport or travelling further to school or college. But as budgets have come under increasing pressure, more are looking to cut costs.
Close the loophole on the law
Contact’s CEO, Anna Bird says: “13,500 disabled young people lose their school transport when they turn 16. They are legally required to be at school or college until they are 18, and many continue going to the same building. But suddenly they have no way of getting there. School and college leaders are reporting that this is affecting the attendance rates of young disabled people.
“Many disabled students cannot travel independently and cannot use public transport, meaning they are reliant on transport and cannot benefit from concessionary fares for public transport like their non-disabled peers. That’s why we are calling for the government to close this loophole.”
Many thanks to the Motability Foundation for funding Contact’s School Transport Matters research and to everyone who completed the survey.
There has been a media report that the government is due to publish its proposals for major changes to the special educational needs system in England.
The Guardian newspaper article says that the Government will be publishing a White Paper in the Spring to help reduce the deficits that local authorities have.
Contact is concerned that this is before ministers and officials have had a chance to speak to parents, young people and charities.
Imogen Steele, Contact’s Policy lead for Education, said: “Contact would strongly oppose proposals which reduce the rights of children with disabilities and additional needs.
“We know that short term cost cutting, leads to greater need and higher costs in the future.
“We want to see standardised SEN support readily available across mainstream schools. This would include small group support, adult support during break time, visual cues such as pictures and task boards and access to emotional support including a class exit card. We also must see education, health and social care working together to ensure needs are met at the earliest stage and a well-trained workforce, with the ability for schools to call in expertise as needed.”
Energy regulator Ofgem has announced that for the third time in a row, the energy price cap will rise in the next quarter of the year.
From April 2025, the energy price cap will be set at £1,849. That’s a rise of 6.4% from the current price cap.
It is important to be aware that the cap is not a limit on your energy bill. It is a limit on what the supplier can charge for each unit of energy, so that average usage at that unit rate won’t exceed a given annual cost. If your energy usage is above average, it could exceed the price cap.
The energy price cap applies in England, Scotland and Wales, but not in Northern Ireland. Families in Northern Ireland can use the Consumer Council’s free price comparison toolto check the prices of all five providers and get the best deal.
What can I do if I’m worried about bills?
Consumer expert Martin Lewis suggests looking into whether you can find a fixed tariff less than today’s price cap. That would mean immediate savings and more as time goes on.
You can find advice on our webpage about getting help with energy bills. This includes through the Warm Home Discount Scheme or hardship grants from your supplier.
Contact calls for social tariffs
On Monday, Contact’s Head of Policy Una Summerson will meet energy officials from the government to raise our concerns about the impact of rising fuel bills on families with disabled children.
We continue to call for a social tariffs for disabled households. These families need to use more energy than average to keep vital equipment going and homes warm enough for children with health conditions.
Many families with disabled children need adaptations to their home, whether they live in private rented, social housing or they own their property.
Contact’s Counting the Costs research found that almost a third of families with a disabled child live in a home that does not meet the needs of their child. Of those, 43% say it needs adaptations.
But according to our survey, 27% of families with a disabled child are not aware of the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). Of the families who did apply 43% found the process poor or very poor. And over half said the grant did not cover the full cost of the adaptations needed with the average shortfall being £7,391. There are also lengthy delays in the process.
Currently the maximum grant is £30,000 in England and £36,000 in Wales. The government did agree to review the upper limit of the grant following a court case involving a family with a disabled child. We are currently awaiting the outcome of the review.
Anna Bird, Chief Executive at Contact, said: “Poor housing has a devastating impact on disabled children and their families both physically and mentally. The Disabled Facilities Grant can ensure families are able to care for their child at home safely, and stops them spiralling into crisis. Our survey findings show that this system of support needs urgent attention.
“The upper limit has not risen since 2008, despite the cost of materials and building work rising dramatically in that time. This has led to families having to crowdfund or give up on their projects entirely. Delays to adaptations can worsen a child’s condition which will lead to more costly interventions in the long term.”
Claire Pemberton, mum to Emilia, who has a rare genetic condition called PTEN hamartoma tumour syndrome, has been waiting two and a half years for a downstairs bedroom and bathroom. Emilia cannot climb the stairs alone without falling. And Claire has a spinal injury which means she cannot get Emilia into a stair lift. Despite this they have been waiting since 2022 for the necessary adaptations.
Through Contact’s Change Makers programme, Claire, who lives in Staffordshire, spoke to the BBC about their situation. She is hopeful that after a long wait, work is due to start in March. She said: “It will be life changing once the work is completed.”
Imogen has been working with other charities and organisations including Special Needs Jungle and Ipsea to come up with solutions to improve the education system for children with additional needs.
Solutions
At an evidence hearing in parliament today, she was quizzed by MPs about Contact’s call for SEN support to be put on a statutory footing. This would mean that extra help would be available to those children with suspected additional needs, without the need for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). That support could be small group sessions, access to emotional and social help or access to a speech and language therapist. The committee heard that funding for SEN support has not increased in 15 years, and could be one of the factors driving the increase in demand for EHCPs.
Action is urgent
Imogen said: “We are confident that with the right action, meaningful and sustainable change is possible for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Early support is key, as well as good advice and information. Parents knowing that schools will provide a certain level of extra support for children without the need for an Education Health and Care Plan. This could all make a huge difference.
“It’s good the government is genuinely listening to help shape their plans for solving the crisis. But action is urgent. We hear on our helpline everyday of children and families being let down.”
Imogen added: “There should be consequences for local authorities which are routinely not complying with the law.”
She also spoke about the importance of home to school transport for many families and our campaign to close the loophole which means many 16 year olds suddenly lose their transport entitlement despite the law saying that they need to be in school or college until the age of 18.
We have submitted written evidence to the Education select committee, which will now speak to local authorities and schools as part of the next stage of their inquiry.
Contact supports the goal of ensuring that savings held in CTFs reach their rightful owners – this must include savers without the mental capacity to manage their own finances.
Continued injustice
Maria Scholey, Contact’s Policy lead on Child Trust Funds, said: “We welcome Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP shining a spotlight on the issue of unclaimed Child Trust Funds. There is a lot of work to be done in making young people aware they have money sitting in these funds that could be of great benefit.
“Sadly for young disabled people who lack mental capacity they are not only faced with this barrier. They are also required to apply through an overly complicated process to access their money. The previous government failed to take the action needed to bring an end to this continued injustice. We are now urging Labour to look at the solutions that we have presented (for example extending the appointee scheme or adopting the industry process already in use by several providers) and to resolve this issue once and for all. The future of young disabled people matters. Their savings must too.”
Parent led campaign
Over 80,000 disabled young people are currently at risk of being locked out of £210million of their own savings, due to the difficult and often costly, process required to access them. Contact are proud supporters of a parent led campaign run by Andrew Turner, which is asking the government to resolve this.
Child Trust Funds were designed to help incentivise parents to save for their child’s future. Unfortunately, in what has since been described as a ‘mistake’, no provision was made for if the child did not have capacity to manage their own money at 18.
Andrew Turner has campaigned with Contact’s full support for many years to find a solution that protects the rights of disabled young people, whilst not placing unnecessary extra burden on their loving and caring families.
Today the Public Accounts Committee has published its report into the SEND emergency together with recommendations for addressing it.
Angie Fenn, Contact’s Head of Information and Advice, said: “Today’s report from the Public Accounts Committee highlights what families with disabled children have been telling us for many years. There is overwhelming evidence of the SEND system in crisis. What we need now are urgent solutions and the committee’s recommendations and deadlines are welcome. Better data about the growing need and future planning of support services is essential. We have long called for education, health and social care to work more closely to provide support to disabled children so they are helped both in and out of school. We are hopeful that a clearer idea of what inclusion looks like and how it will be resourced will come from the Education Select Committee’s much needed SEND inquiry.”
Contact’s SEN policy lead Imogen Steele will give evidence to the Education Select Committee’s SEND Crisis inquiry later this month. We will ensure parents views are represented, reporting information and experiences we receive on our helpline and other frontline services.
Contact’s three asks to improve the SEND system offer solutions to the SEND crisis. We’d like to see duties placed on schools to provide a certain level of special educational support to ensure more children have their needs met without the need for an EHC plan. We need greater accountability in the system. And investment in schools’ special education workforce is also urgent. The recent moves to train and recruit more educational psychologists are welcome.
The Public Accounts Committee also published data on Education Health and Care Plans, which shows huge discrepancies between each local authority area. For example in Portsmouth just 1.6% of EHCPs are issued in the 20 week timeframe, but in neighbouring Southampton it is 100%. In Derbyshire 17.8% are done in the timeframe, with neighbouring Nottinghamshire on 32.3%.
The account committee rightly says that “rates of even 80 and 90% should be considered inadequate given the uncertainty and anxiety the delays can create for families.”
Much of the media interest in the Bill is about proposals to protect children at risk of abuse. This includes plans to introduce new registers to identify children who are not in school. But the Bill is wide ranging. It also includes measures on breakfast clubs and branded school uniform; attendance of children at school; inspections of schools and colleges; and school admissions.
Contact has been looking at the detail of the Bill. And we have been briefing MPs about some of our concerns and those that parent carers have raised with us. In particular, we are urging the government to ensure the bill doesn’t discriminate against disabled children home schooled due to a lack of suitable school places available.
We urge the government to consider the Bill’s impact on disabled children
Una Summerson, Head of Policy at disability charity Contact, says: “We welcome the government’s focus on improving children’s lives in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill or England. There is much to applaud in it. As it progresses through parliament, we would urge the government to pay particular attention to how it will impact disabled children. Getting it right for disabled children, greatly benefits all children.
“The government must ensure equal access to breakfast clubs for disabled children. Any exemptions must be carefully considered so as not to cause discrimination. We would also urge the government to look again at its proposals on home education, as there may be unintended consequences for disabled children. It doesn’t seem fair that parents forced to home school a disabled child, because a school can’t meet need, must then seek local authority permission in line with children at risk of harm. This could lead to children forced to stay in an unsafe environment.
“The bill provides a welcome opportunity to end the use of seclusion rooms in schools. The harm caused to children put in seclusion is great. And research shows those with additional needs are disproportionately subjected to the measure. The changes proposed for academies to bring them in line with other state schools are also positive. Research shows that academies have not always been beneficial to children with additional needs, as the school can act outside the rules and duties of the local authority. The changes should ensure academies are more welcoming to children with special educational needs.”
Last October the government announced an independent review into the overpayment of Carer’s Allowance related to earnings.
Contact’s Counting the Costs 2024 research found those of you getting Carer’s Allowance, 1 in 10 had been overpaid. On average, having to repay the Benefits Office £1,045.
Take our survey and tell us how overpayments are affecting you by 10am, Thursday 16 January.
We will collate your answers and share them with the independent review on Monday 20 January 2025.
What does the survey cover?
The survey asks 12 questions about topics the independent review is looking at, including: • How overpayments of Carer’s Allowance linked to earnings accrued and why it happened. • What changes can be made to reduce the risk of such overpayments accruing in future. • How the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can best support those who have accrued overpayments of Carer’s Allowance.
School transport can be the glue that helps hold things together for families with disabled children but we’re hearing from more and more families with teens over the age of 16 that transport has been taken away and it’s having a damaging impact on the whole family.
And recent media coverage has helped highlight increasing numbers of young people who, without council transport, just aren’t getting to college at all and are missing out on vital education – like this family who spoke to the BBC this week about how this has impacted them, Son ‘never leaves house’ after Birmingham special needs transport cuts.
Young people over 16 do not have the same rights to free transport as children of compulsory school age, instead transport for 16-19 year olds is discretionary, and local authorities may ask parents for a contribution. Many areas are changing their transport policies for 16-19 year olds and will offer parents a personal travel budget in the first instance, rather than a seat in a school bus, minibus or taxi.
Parents tell us that this is putting them under financial pressure – that costs are unaffordable and that many have to give up work just to get their young person to college.
Help us change this
We think this is unfair and are campaigning for change. Our School transport campaign, will work alongside families to scope out the picture of home to school transport for all ages of disabled children across England and use this to influence policy, raise awareness in the media and campaign to improve school transport for disabled children and young people.
Your experience and views are important to us. If there is something you would like to say about school or college transport, please email [email protected].
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