Scrapping the two-child limit for Universal Credit claimants from April 2026.
Expansion of free school meals to all children in households in receipt of Universal Credit.
£600 million investment in the Holiday Activity and Food programme in England over the next three years.
Extension of the Warm Homes Discount to an additional 2.7 million households in Great Britain.
Increasing the maximum amount of childcare costs that can be reimbursed when more than two children are in childcare.
Best Start Family Hubs – improving support locally with SEND co-ordinator.
Disabled children particularly vulnerable to living in poverty
Anna Bird, Chief Executive at Contact, said:
“We welcome the government’s commitment to reducing child poverty. We know from our work with families calling our Family Finance helpline, and through extensive research, that families with disabled children are particularly vulnerable to living in poverty due to the extra costs of disability and the difficulty of juggling work and caring.
“Many families face impossible choices every day including whether to heat their home or use electrical care equipment. To fill their food cupboards or fund essential therapies. There is lots to welcome in the government’s strategy, including measures to remove punitive benefit cuts and bolstering help with costs at school and for essentials like heating. But we are disappointed the strategy does not sufficiently recognise disabled children as a distinct priority group.
“We would have liked to see measures to backdate Universal Credit when Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is awarded; an increase in the Disabled Facilities Grant to recognise the increase in building costs; improving access to Child Trust Funds for disabled young people; and improving access to childcare for disabled children by opening special schools in the summer holidays.”
What we support in the Strategy
Scrapping of the two-child limit for Universal Credit claimants from April 2026. This is a very welcome announcement, which should have a major impact on reducing child poverty within larger families. Research shows that disabled children are likely to live in larger households. However, there are concerns that families on Universal Credit with a transitional element may not see any gains in the short term. This is because the extra child payments they get may be deducted from the transitional protection they currently receive
Moves to reduce costs for families: The Strategy includes measures to reduce essential costs for example, easier access to childcare for families on Universal Credit, extending Free School Meals and extending Warm Home Discount and support for parents returning from parental leave.
Support for families in temporary or inadequate housing: The Strategy recognises the harm of families living in temporary accommodation which can have devastating impacts on children’s stability, schooling and wellbeing.
The metric to measure child poverty and check the success of the strategy will take into account the extra costs of disability. And the strategy does recognise the particular difficulties for disabled parents. Our research shows that almost half of families with disabled children live in a household with an adult with a disability.
Where the Strategy risks failing disabled children
Despite the positives, we are concerned that the Strategy does not sufficiently recognise disabled children as a distinct priority group. Disabled children and their families often face:
Much higher day-to-day living costs (specialist equipment, therapies, accessible transport, utilities, adaptations) beyond what generic “cost of living” support can cover.
Additional barriers to work for parent carers (care needs, need for flexible or specialist childcare, medical appointments).
Greater vulnerability to housing instability, delays in services and the potential proposal to cut health element of Universal Credit for disabled under 22.
In today’s budget the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has announced that the two-child limit will be scrapped altogether from April 2026.
The two-child limit currently means that many low-income families on Universal Credit only receive payments for their eldest two children, and not for a third or subsequent child born after April 2017. It has been one main drivers of child poverty among larger families. Its scrapping will come as a huge relief to many larger families with disabled children.
Anna Bird, Chief Executive of disability charity Contact, said:
“The scrapping of the two-child limit is welcome and an important step in the government’s Child Poverty Strategy. Research shows that disabled children are more likely to live in bigger households and 20% of households affected by the two-child limit have a disabled child. Many of the families we support have significant extra costs, running expensive electrical care equipment such as hoists or oxygen concentrators or paying for vital therapies.”
However, Contact is concerned that some families on Universal Credit may not gain financially. This is due to the risk that the higher child payments they get for a third or subsequent child could be deducted from their transitional protection payments.
Anna Bird added: “The government needs to urgently clarify whether there will be any special rules to ensure that families’ additional child payments from April 2026, won’t lead to the erosion of any transitional protection they receive. We will be seeking reassurances on this matter.”
Other budget announcements
Other benefits announcements in the budget that could impact families with disabled children include:
Reforms to the tax breaks provided to those using the Motability Scheme. These are likely to lead to increase costs for those leasing a Motability car.
Additional funding for the Youth Guarantee, a scheme to ensure all young people have access to education, training or employment placements.
Increasing the numbers of people who will have face to face assessments for health-related benefits.
Contact’s Family Finance team are looking at the detail of the budget and will share more tomorrow.
The Sayce review found that large numbers of carers were left facing huge overpayments because of the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWPs) own failures. This has had a very profound impact on many families, causing widespread financial and emotional distress.
The report, commissioned by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, confirms that in very many cases, overpayments were caused not by any failure on the part of individual carers. Rather, DWP’s own systems caused problems.
The complexity and inconsistency in the DWP’s own rules for calculating earnings left many claimants in a situation where they may have known there was an earnings limit, but had no way of identifying whether they were exceeding it or what exactly they needed to report. Flawed guidance on averaging earnings only made problem worse. So did systemic delays in the DWP acting on information provided by HMRC about individual carers earnings.
The Sayce review findings reflect Contact’s own research. We found that of those we surveyed getting Carer’s Allowance, 1 in 10 had been overpaid. On average they had to repay the benefits office £1,045. A quarter of families told us they had contacted the Carer’s Allowance unit about changes in their wages, but the information wasn’t updated in time. Half of families with a disabled child who had had to pay back Carer’s Allowance told us they stopped claiming the benefit as a result. This is despite Carer’s Allowance being a vital source of income for carers under enormous physical, emotional and financial pressure.
Government commits to reassessment exercise
This government has committed to carrying out “a reassessment exercise”. This will look again at Carer’s Allowance overpayments caused by averaging of earnings between 2015 and 2025.
Where an overpayment decision resulted from flawed DWP guidance, it will reduce the amount of that carer’s overpayment accordingly. It will also pay back any overpayments it should not have pursued in the first place.
This reassessment exercise won’t start until 2026, and the government will provide more detailed information in the New Year. However, it has already made clear that it will only re-examine overpayments linked to averaging of earnings, and not other issues such as the treatment of expenses.
Government to implement majority of report’s recommendations
The government has also said that it will implement the vast majority of recommendations in the independent review. In addition to the reassessment exercise, this will include:
Changing the rules used to calculate a carer’s average earnings. The government says that internal DWP internal guidance has already been amended to improve consistency and clarity in the rules and to ensure that they better reflect modern working patterns. However, it will also consider the need for changes to the averaging regulations themselves.
Simplify allowable expenses. The DWP will review decision letters to ensure claimants better understand which expenses they can deduct from their earnings.
Address the earnings cliff edge whereby someone loses all of their Carer’s Allowance if they go over the earnings limit by just 1p. The government has said that it will look at the possibility of introducing a taper. This would mean the amount of Carer’s Allowance paid is reduced gradually as earnings increase. However, it warns that such a change would be ‘several years away’.
Smooth interactions between Carer’s Allowance and Universal Credit. The government accepts that where a carer gets both Carer’s Allowance and Universal Credit, any Carer’s Allowance overpayment should be offset against Universal Credit arrears. However, this change is not likely to begin until 2027/2028 at the earliest.
Use data more effectively. The DWP says that it will clear backlogs in acting on earnings alerts from HMRC, respond to 100% of alerts, and act on alerts much more quickly.
Improve DWP processes and communications. The DWP has committed to improving communications with carers, including letters and gov.uk guidance. Existing online services for carers are also to be improved.
Reform enforcement actions. The government partially accepts the recommendation that no one should be issued with a civil penalty for not telling one part of the DWP when they have already told another part.
Improve debt managementfor carer’s allowance overpayments taking more account of hardship and vulnerability.
Rebuild trust by appointing a senior responsible owner within the DWP.However, it has rejected the need to commission an operational audit.
We urge the government to move fast
Anna Bird, Chief Executive at Contact, said:
“We welcome this comprehensive review recognising the harm that has been caused to carers up and down the country from the fundamentally flawed Carers’ Allowance overpayment system. And we welcome the government’s commitment to implementing the vast majority of the review’s recommendations to improve it.
“We urge the government to move fast to look at the tapering of the earnings limit. This would make a huge difference to the parents we support juggling work and caring responsibilities.”
Looking for more information about Carers Allowance?
If you care for a child with a rare condition, come along to our free online event on 11 November!
Our Rare Voices Together online conference is a rare opportunity for you to meet and share experiences with other parent carers and to hear rare condition support groups and other experts in rare conditions.
Martina Rodie from the Office for Rare Conditions in Glasgow. Martina will talk about the work they do providing information and support to individuals and families affected by rare and undiagnosed conditions and how they empower them by supporting their ability to take an active role in their health and well-being.
Joanna Holmes who is a full-time parent carer for her daughter who has Emanuel Syndrome and a trainer and Partnership Development Officer for support group, Born at the Right Time.
Pete Richardson managing director at support group, Fragile X Society. Fragile X is a genetic condition, affecting around 1 in 4000 males and 1 in 6000 females. It is the most common inherited cause of learning disability.
Natalie Frankish from the Genetic Alliance. Genetic Alliance is the largest alliance of organisations supporting people with genetic, rare and undiagnosed conditions in the UK.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to hear from Contact’s campaigns team and find out more about our Change Makers – a community of parent carers banding together to get their voices heard and make a difference.
Contact’s work supporting rare families
Contact has always worked with families with rare conditions, bringing them together, providing advice and support, and highlighting the unique challenges they face.
Visit our rare conditions page for information on getting support for your child and your family.
Our A-Z of Medical Conditions has information on hundreds on conditions, including information on symptoms and possible treatments. It also includes details for support groups, which can be an invaluable source of condition-specific information and support.
Contact’s Rare Conditions Network
Thanks to funding from Pears Foundation, we created the Rare Conditions Network and resources to support the charities who are part of our Rare Group Network. Our Rare Conditions Network toolkit includes advice on managing volunteers, guidance on using social media, and our group action pack.
The Department for Education has confirmed a delay to the publication of the Schools White Paper for England, which is now expected early next year, to allow for a further period of co-creation with families, educators, and experts.
The government emphasised the need to take time to ‘get it right’ and ensure reforms are shaped by those with lived experience of the SEND system in England.
Responding to the announcement Contact’s CEO, Anna Bird said:
“While further delays to the publication of the White Paper and SEND reform plans will be disappointing news to many parent carers we support, it’s great to hear the government is committed to co-creating its reforms with parents and young people.
“Meaningful engagement with parents, children and young people is the key to doing just that. Contact looks forward to helping the government hear what parent carers want and need as they work towards the publication of the White Paper.”
The government says it remains committed to long-term SEND reform and to strengthen accountability for inclusion.
Too many disabled children with complex health needs and their families miss out on vital NHS-funded support due to a postcode lottery of care. This support, known as continuing care, provides tailored care packages for children with complex, often life-limiting, health needs that cannot be supported through normal health services in England.
Children who need continuing care funding require round-the-clock care and support to breathe, eat, move, and manage their pain. Yet this group of children have weaker legal protections than adults who need health-funded support.
As a result, some families are left to provide nursing and complex care for their child, alone.
We are keen to speak to families who have experience of children’s continuing care about the following issues:
Your child’s continuing care package has been reduced or removed by your local Integrated Health Board (ICB).
You’ve applied for continuing care support for your child, but been turned down.
Your child has an agreed continuing care package but there are no nursing carers to deliver the care.
You live in fear that your child’s continuing care package it will be taken away due to yearly or frequent reviews.
Contact’s Ellie and Kate will be heading to Liverpool this December and would love to meet you at the free Kidz to Adultz Exhibition at ACC Liverpool on Wednesday 3 December.
If you’re a parent of a child or young person with disabilities or additional needs and live in the North West of England or North Wales – this is one event you won’t want to miss.
As well as getting advice and information from Contact, you’ll be able to visit over 100 exhibitors at Kidz to Adultz North this December and explore the very latest in mobility and seating equipment, education, sensory products and much more.
Ellie from Contact says: “We were at one of Kidz to Adultz events earlier this year. It was fantastic to meet so many parents who enjoyed dedicated exhibitors, information about support services and the many fun family activities throughout the day.
“If you are able to get to Liverpool, please drop in to find out more about how Contact can help support your family or just to say hello and have a chat. We’d love to see you there!”
Plenty for the whole family to enjoy
This event isn’t just informative – it’s also fun and festive for all ages! Come along and you can also:
Visit Santa’s Grotto – a magical moment your child won’t forget
Let of some steam in the soft play zone perfect for younger visitors
Win Amazing Prizes by entering exclusive competitions with exciting prizes
A focus on moving onto adulthood
This year, there’s a special focus on helping young disabled people and their families navigate the transition to adulthood including preparing for adulthood, accessing further education, moving into employment or gaining greater independence. Families will be able to explore dedicated information and services to help make these transitions smoother and more informed.
Book your free place at the event taking place at King’s Dock, Port of Liverpool, Kings Dock St, Liverpool L3 4FP.
Don’t live near Liverpool?
All Kidz to Adultz exhibitions happening this year are completely free for families to attend.
To translate this information into Welsh, use the accessibility & language toolbar at the top of our site (in the menu on mobile devices).
Parent carers in Conwy and Gwynedd in North Wales can now book free, confidential 1-1 appointments with one of Contact’s expert advisers to get practical, tailored help with benefits and financial support.
Our new Claiming with Confidence initiative is funded by the Welsh government and in partnership with The All Wales Forum. It allows families in Conwy and Gwynedd to book an appointment with us to:
Get a confidential and free benefit check to make sure they’re getting everything they are entitled to.
Get answers to any benefit and money enquiries they have.
“We know that parents caring for a child with a disability or additional needs face disproportionately high living costs and a reduced capacity to work. Our recent research found that 86% of families in Wales struggle with the process of claiming benefits. And they face big challenges to do so. From long waits for appointments with advice agencies, to emotionally and time-draining paperwork. For example, many parents tell us they find the process of applying for the main benefit for disabled children, DLA, traumatic. As a result, families may be missing out on this vital, life-changing benefit.
“We hope our new Claiming with Confidence service will help parents in Conwy and Gwynedd feel more confident navigating the benefits system by getting the trusted support and advice they need from people who understand what they’re going through – both emotionally and practically.”
Families can also access online and offline resources developed by the All Wales Forum alongside online and in-person advice and support workshops giving families the chance to hear from other local parents who have been through the system themselves.
It comes after the committee carried out evidence sessions with parent groups, charities and professionals with experience of the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system in England. This included Imogen Steele, Contact’s SEN policy lead.
Imogen spoke about what we hear on Contact’s helpline from families. That includes the importance of retaining existing legal rights to support for children with special educational needs; the importance of improving the SEN support system to help children early before needs escalate; the need for improved accountability and the importance of school transport.
We are delighted that the committee recognises that SEND reforms must not be based on any withdrawal of statutory entitlements for children and young people. In addition the report recommends the following, which are in line with our SEN support, accountability and school transport asks:
SEN support
The Department for Education (DfE) should publish a unified national framework for ordinarily available provision and SEN support.
The committee recommends statutory requirements setting out a baseline of ordinarily available and SEN support that can be accessed in all schools. This would include resources, specialist expertise, and equipment. We welcome this as it should make it easier to seek redress if SEN Support is not being delivered. However we would like it to go a step further by making the graduated approach of assess do plan and review, a statutory requirement. We call for this in our 3 SEN asks.
Accountability
The Government must extend the powers of the Local Government Ombudsman to cover complaints about the delivery of education, health and care (EHC) plans, SEN support and other appropriate inclusive education for children with SEND in schools, multi-academy trusts and other education settings.
Ofsted should take into account a school’s inclusion practice as part of its inspections and for there to be mandatory SEND training for Ofsted inspectors.
Local Authority staff should receive improved training on SEND law.
We welcome the addition of these recommendations. Families tell us these are important steps to help them rebuilt trust in the system. We had identified them in our accountability briefing paper.
School transport
Statutory transport provision should be guaranteed based on clear criteria such as distance from education settings, level of need, and other relevant factors to ensure no young person is unfairly disadvantaged.
Review home to school transport and identify costs across regions.
We support the provision of transport for all ages based on a clear criteria. This must not exclude more disabled students from the transport they need with particular consideration of the impact on families.
We agree that no young person should be unfairly disadvantaged by their journey to school or college and the transport available to them. We welcome the committee’s recognition of the particular issue of transport for 16-19 year olds. And we were delighted their report refers to Contact’s research on the impact of losing transport when a child turns 16, for no other reason apart from their age.
We welcome further investigation into costs and funding of home to school transport. Developing local and inclusive education capacity is a long-term project. But the current funding crisis needs to be urgently addressed so that there can be adequate transport provision for disabled children and young people.
We agree that regional data will be important. But the aim must be to lead to efficiencies in provision without decreasing availability or quality of service. It must not lower the bar to match costs.
We support Independent Travel Training where appropriate. However, we caution that families say it is not always a viable option for their young people.
Health
The departments for Health, Education and Social Care should work more closely together.
Powers of the SEND Tribunal should be extended to allow it to issue binding recommendations to health services, not just education providers.
The DfE and DHSC should urgently develop a joint SEND workforce plan to address shortages and build capacity across education, health, and care services.
The committee’s recommendation for the Departments of Education, Health and Social Care to work more closely is vital to ensure the SEND system works. If a child’s needs are unsupported at home, life is much harder for their family, caring 24/7. This has a knock-on effect in the classroom too. Health and social care are key parts of the puzzle for solving the SEND crisis.
We welcome the recommendation to extend the power of the SEND Tribunal to cover health. This is one of our health asks. If health support is specified in an EHC plan, health bodies would be legally obligated to provide it. There would be clear consequences for non-compliance. Families have told us the importance of this to them.
From information fairs and conferences to carer events, there’s plenty happening across Scotland this autumn for families with disabled and additional needs children. The Contact Scotland team will be at the following events and venues over the next couple of months – stop by for a chat and a friendly welcome wherever you see our stand!
Stanmore House School Family Support and Resource Fair, Lanark
Wednesday 24 September, 9:45am – 2pm at Stanmore House School, Stanmore Road, Lanark, ML11 7RR. Free transport from Lanark train station.
This free drop-in event is open to all families with disabled or complex needs children, whether or not they attend the school.
Look out for our Contact information stand, where our team will be ready to help and share support. Joining us will be lots of other local and national organisations who can offer advice and information on a range of topics relating to disabilities and additional needs.
It’s also a great chance to have a look around Stanmore House School, which provides education for children with complex needs and accepts applications from other local authorities out of the area.
By Your Side is our hospital-based service for families of disabled or ASN children and young people up to the age of 25 (with or without a diagnosis). Whether your child is staying in hospital or you’re there for appointments, we can provide information, guidance and a listening ear. We’re also here for hospital staff too.
Come and find us in the main atrium from 10am – 2pm on the following dates:
University Hospital Wishaw on Tuesday 28 October and Tuesday 25 November.
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow on Tuesday 21 October, Tuesday 11 November, Tuesday 9th December.
Transitions Information Evening, West Lothian
Thursday 16 October, 6–8pm at Howden Park Centre (doors open from 5.45pm).
The Contact Scotland team will also be part of this fantastic event, bringing together different services and organisations under one roof.
The event is being organised by Carers of West Lothian for parents of young people with additional support needs (aged 14–18). From grassroots volunteer groups to formal care agencies, colleges, and social work, it’s a great way to find out about the support and services available as a young person approaches adulthood.
Parents are welcome to bring their young person along too! There is step free access as well as a quiet space for those who need it.
Cerebral Palsy Scotland Conference and Exhibition 2025
Crowne Plaza Glasgow, Wednesday 8 October.
The 12th annual Cerebral Palsy Scotland Conference and Exhibition is free to attend. Scotland’s only annual event focusing on cerebral palsy, it’s open to anyone with experience of cerebral palsy – whether directly, as a family member, or professionally – and is a great opportunity to connect, share information, and learn from others in the community.
Have you ever wished you could speak directly to those in charge about the challenges of being a carer? The Carers Parliament 2025 gives carers the opportunity to share experiences and put questions directly to national and local Government decision-makers. And best of all, you don’t need to leave your home to do it!
The report calls for a new legal framework, national eligibility criteria and a legal duty to assess and meet the needs of disabled children.
And it highlights how outdated and fragmented laws from the 1970s and 1980s have created confusion, inconsistency, and unfairness for families with disabled children who seek help from social care services.
Opportunity to fix an outdated system
Contact’s CEO Anna Bird welcomed the report. She described the proposals as a “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix an outdated system that leaves thousands of families with disabled children without vital support.”
Anna added:
“There are more children living with complex health needs and disabilities. But it has become increasingly hard to qualify for social care support. Criteria is shrouded in mystery and different depending on where you live. And the application process has been too focussed on safeguarding and created a culture of parent blame when families are simply asking for help.
“The proposed reforms would not only relieve pressure on families caring 24/7. They also would reduce pressure on schools who are often left to pick up the pieces from social care failings. And it would help reduce poverty. We urge the government to accept the proposals in full and start on reform without delay.”
Take action
Contact is asking families to join us in our calls to the government to implement the reforms. Parents can use this template to email their MP to urge the government to accept the reforms and implement them swiftly. (This will take less than a minute).
The letter asks your MP to write to Josh MacAlister, Minister for Children and Families, urging the government to accept the recommendations and publish an implementation plan within two months.
What are the Law Commission’s key recommendations?
The report includes 40 recommendations for legislative reforms including:
National eligibility criteria to end the post code lottery of care for disabled children.
A new single statutory duty to assess the social care needs of disabled children,
A single duty to meet the eligible social care needs of disabled children, based on national eligibility criteria.
A requirement for direct payments to be sufficient to cover the actual cost of meeting a disabled child’s assessed care needs.
New statutory guidance for local authorities and families
The Law Commission recommends that people assessing disabled children should be required to have ‘the skills, knowledge and competence” to do so. It also calls for a single duty that would enable parent carers to request an assessment for themselves.
Children, parents, and carers should be in developing the new statutory guidance and national eligibility criteria. The Law Commission proposes a phased introduction of national criteria to allow time to assess their impact on local authority budgets.
Contact worked closely with the Law Commission to ensure they spoke parent carers. The final recommendations are in line with our key social care asks for families.
The Government has up to six months to provide an initial response to the Law Commission recommendation and up to a year to provide a full response stating which law reforms they plan to take forward.
Contact is offering free training toparent carersinterested in sharing their story in the media.
We are particularly keen to offer training to parents who are not able to access their young person’s Child Trust Fund /Junior ISA account because their child lacks mental capacity.
If you have a child aged 15-20 unable to access their Child Trust Fund because of their learning disability and you are interested in doing media training, please complete the application form. Places are limited.
The media training sessions will be with an experienced trainer in a supportive environment. The training provides excellent transferable skills in communication and presentation. Interested? Sign up today.
We particularly want to hear from:
Parents who have a young person with a learning disability aged 15-20 who are not able to access their child’s Child Trust Fund money, because they are with a provider who won’t give access without going through the Court of Protection process.
Parents who have struggled to use the Court of Protection process to access their child’s Chid Trust Fund.
Parents who have been put off the Court of Protection process due to the complexity or the costs of needing a GP letter or help from a solicitor.
Parents who have found it difficult to save for their child’s future because of the difficulty accessing Child Trust Funds and Junior ISAs for young people with a learning disability.
80,000 disabled young people in England & Wales risk losing £210 million. A difficult and costly process means many are unable to access the savings held in their Child Trust Fund.
This is a once in a generation opportunity to make the process of asking for social care support simpler and fairer for families with disabled children in England.
Too often support only arrives at crisis point
Families with disabled children know first-hand that the system needs an overhaul. So we look forward to the publication of the report. We will be encouraging the government to take forward the recommendations to improve the process of getting help from social care for families with disabled children.
Amanda Elliot, Contact’s Health and Social Care lead, said:
“Social care is consistently the third most common inquiry to our helpline. Families struggle to understand what support they’re eligible for. We hear from parents whose child the local authority refused a needs assessment or who faced delays getting support. Too often support only arrives when families hit crisis point. Parents also tell us they felt humiliated and blamed when they sought help from social care services.
“That’s why we eagerly anticipate the publication of the Law Commission’s report. And we invite parents to get in touch with us to help us ensure desperately needed change does happen.”
We’d like to hear your experiences
We are keen to ensure parents are heard during meetings with officials and MPs and in the media following the publication of the Law Commission’s report.
If you have an experience of social care that you would like to share, please get in touch with [email protected]
We particularly want to hear from families where:
You and your child have been turned down for social care support despite clear need or what you have been awarded is not adequate. You may have experience of the complaints process.
You and your child have been awarded social care support, but it is not the same as another family whose child has the same condition that you know who live in another county or area.
You and your child have been turned down for social care support because they say that the needs are health related and there is a dispute between the Local Authority and ICB about who should fund the package of care.
You applied for social care support on the basis of need, but it was assessed as a safeguarding concern despite no evidence of neglect or abuse. This has put you off asking for social care support.
We know that school attendance is one of parent’s top concerns on Contact’s helpline.
Children with SEND often have valid reasons for being off school including medical appointments, chronic pain, and anxiety. Contact’s research published earlier this year also revealed that the lack of support in mainstream schools for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) is leading to reduced attendance. We also understand that some parents are concerned when their child receives a behaviour sanction in a school environment that may not be fully meeting their SEND needs.
Behaviour advice to schools makes clear that schools must follow a number of legal duties including making reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 for disabled pupils, including those with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities).
This means they must take reasonable steps to avoid substantial disadvantage to a disabled pupil caused by the school’s policies or practices. If a child with SEND displays challenging behaviour, schools should consider whether their needs have contributed to the incident and assess whether applying a sanction is appropriate or lawful. They should also look at whether additional support or adjustments are needed to better meet the child’s needs.
News about the new behaviour and attendance hubs follows last week’s announcement that the government is extending its holiday activities and food programme and the launch its Best Start in Life Strategy, which aims to drive up the accessibility of early years education in England and boost children’s life chances.
Families in Leicester featured in a Channel 4 News piece this week about cuts to school transport for young people aged 16-18 with special educational needs.
Leicester City Council has said they will only fund school transport for disabled young people post 16 in exceptional circumstances. Many families now face uncertainty if they will charged or have to make up a shortfall after receiving a Personal Transport Budget instead of their child’s previously provided school bus or taxi.
Leicester City Council is not the only local authority to cut the transport budget for this age group. There is currently no legal obligation for local authorities to provide transport to post 16 so it has become an easy cost to cut. And we know from our own research and from calls to our helpline that this picture is being replicated across England.
Una Summerson, Head of Policy at Contact, said: “We understand the very real difficulties of increasing costs at a time when local authority budgets are under so much pressure. But taking away transport for young disabled people means they are more likely to drop out of school or college, have fewer qualifications and life skills and there will be higher costs in the future. It is the definition of false economy. 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, but it will take time for this to take effect. That’s why we are calling on the government to close the loophole and ensure fairer access to school transport for disabled students.”
The impact of losing school transport
Contact’s 2024 research showed that where councils provide transport it really works and is beneficial to the whole family:
81% of families with council transport are satisfied/extremely satisfied with it.
58% say it helps promote their child’s independence.
40% of parent carers say it helps them to work.
But once a child turns 16, transport is less reliable. Of those who previously received transport at five-15 years and turned 16:
Almost 60% faced changes to transport (e.g. asked to pay or receive a personal transport budget), including 15% whose transport stopped altogether.
20% are now charged for transport at 16.
40% had to reduce hours or give up work to transport their child themselves.
The government says there is a bursary to help teenagers with the cost of school transport. But our research found that the 16-19 bursary and discretionary funds are neither accessible nor sufficient to cover travel costs. Only 10% of families had applied, with 70% saying they thought they were not eligible or had not heard of it.
What are we doing?
We have launched a parent-led “close the loophole” campaign for fairer transport for disabled students. We’re asking for a system where decisions are based on need, not age.
Immunocompromised children aged six months and over in the UK will continue to be eligible for a Covid booster vaccine this autumn.
Children aged over six months with chronic health conditions like epilepsy, diabetes, asthma and heart disease in “clinical risk groups” will not be offered the vaccine unless they are also immunocompromised.
Immunosuppressed individuals aged six months and over.
Adults aged 75 years and over.
Residents in care homes for older adults.
Previously the Covid vaccine was offered to all people in clinical risks groups, which also included children with Down Syndrome and other health conditions. More information on the definition of immunosuppression is available at the bottom of tables 3 and 4 in Chapter 14a of the JCVI ‘s Green Book on Immunisations.
Annual flu programme starts this September
1 September also marks the start of the annual flu vaccination programme, starting with children and pregnant women. Carers and older adults will receive their vaccinations from October 2025 onwards.
You can find out more about flu vaccines for disabled children on our flu vaccine webpage.
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.
Get the latest SEND updates, benefits advice, practical help caring for your child, plus free workshops and family events in our weekly email newsletter.
(Make sure you select ‘News updates’)
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