The Department of Education in England has launched a call for evidence with the aim of improving the way it identifies and supports children missing education.
Which children are missing education?
Currently, children are considered missing education only if they are of compulsory school age and:
They are not registered at a school.
They are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at school.
In this call for evidence, the government wants to know whether to expand the definition to include:
Children on part-time timetables.
Children who are flexi-schooled.
Children who have ever been permanently excluded.
Suspended children.
Children not on school roll who are under age 16 and attending colleges.
Children of compulsory school age with low attendance.
What support is available?
These are also some of the additional questions that the government is seeking answers to from parents:
What works well to integrate former children missing education back into full time education and how to improve this process.
Whether school attendance orders (SAOs) are effective in bringing children missing education back into education.
What types of support could be provided to prevent children from missing education.
Households across the UK should see their energy bills come down this summer, as the Ofgem price cap is set to fall below the government’s energy price guarantee from 1 July.
This reflects recent falls in wholesale energy prices. However, while the price cap has dropped from its winter peak, it remains well above the pre-2021 average.
The energy price cap and guarantee explained
Households in England, Scotland and Wales
Since 1 April 2023, the Ofgem price cap – the maximum amount energy companies can charge the average household – has been £3,280 per year.
The government’s energy price guarantee has been set below this, capping energy bills at £2,500 for the average household.
Ofgem announced earlier this year that its price cap will drop to £2,074 from 1 July 2023, below the government’s current level of support.
Households without a pre-payment meter will have their energy rate set at the Ofgem price cap. Households with a pre-payment meter will receive a gas unit rate discount. This will ensure they don’t pay more for their energy than direct debit customers.
The government will keep the energy price guarantee until April 2024 as a safety net in case the Ofgem price cap rises above £3,000 again.
It is important to be aware that this is not an absolute cap on your energy bills. The Ofgem price cap and government price guarantee are limits on what companies can charge for each unit of energy. Average usage at this rate won’t exceed the amounts listed above. But a household with above-average energy usage – as many disabled households are – may see their bills rise above these maximum caps.
Households in Northern Ireland
A similar energy price guarantee operates in Northern Ireland, where the energy market works differently. This, too, will end in July 2023, when wholesale energy prices fall.
The energy price guarantee will remain as a safety net until March 2024 in case wholesale energy prices rise significantly again.
Social tariffs needed to protect disabled households
Along with most of the charity sector and campaigners, including Martin Lewis, we continue to call for social tariffs for households on disability benefits.
Una Summerson, Head of Campaigns at Contact, says: “Families will welcome a drop in energy costs, but will still be paying more than they were a year ago. And they are more reliant on energy, so they face higher bills than the average household.
“A report last week found that the government was too slow with help towards energy costs last year. That’s why we are urging them to bring in social tariffs for households on disability benefits well in advance of the winter months.”
Around 165,000 pupils in England’s special schools will receive free NHS eye testing in their school setting from next year, the government has confirmed.
The government’s NHS Long Term Plan had already committed to provide eye testing to children in residential special schools. But this will now be extended to all special schools from 2024 to 2025, backed by £10m in funding.
Contact has worked closely with the charity SeeAbility and parent carers to press government on this issue following a successful pilot scheme.
Donna O’Brien, who is the Policy, Public Affairs and Research Manager at SeeAbility, described the announcement as a “significant step forward” in improving eye care for all children with learning disabilities.
She added: “We’re delighted, but couldn’t have got this commitment over the line without the support of so many. This includes Contact and parents who spoke up about the difference the existing service has made.”
Amanda Elliot, Contact’s Strategic Health Lead, said parents had reported excellent outcomes from the existing programme and are delighted that it is being extended.
“Many children in special schools have sight problems that go undetected because high street opticians are inaccessible,” added Amanda. “Being able to see properly is fundamental to their education and childhood development.”
We will continue to campaign with others for similar dental and hearing tests to be offered in special schools.
Since 2021, the NHS Special Schools Eye programme has provided full eye tests to 10,900 pupils in 80 special schools. Evidence shows that eye testing in special schools delivered “measurable visual and behavioural benefits” to children in these settings.
Children with learning disabilities are 28 times more likely than other children to have a sight problem, but many struggle to use the services offered by high street opticians.
Do you have any childcare or activities planned for your child? Is it what you wanted and needed? Positive experiences or difficulties encountered, we’d love to hear from you. We will use the results to raise awareness of the situation and push for change.
The survey will take between 5-10 minutes to complete. You have until Sunday 2nd July to complete the survey.
Looking for information about holidays and activities for disabled children?
We are offering parent carers based in London and the Midlands a FREE hour-long introduction to autism online session this June and July.
Perfect for parent carers of autistic children – with or without a diagnosis – who want to find out more about what is autism is, its different profiles and the autism spectrum. You’ll also discover some supportive strategies to help your family.
If you live in London
London parent carers are invited to use the Eventbrite link below and book their free place on one of our Introduction to Autism online sessions taking place between 10-11am on:
Commissioned by NHS England’s Workforce, Training and Education Team, these sessions are part of the Autism Central Peer Education Programme. This new programme aims to offer families and carers of autistic people high-quality and accessible autism information, education and coaching and is co-delivered by autistic people, families and carers.
Contact and Ambitious about Autism are the London and Midlands Regional Hub partners for the programme.
Could you share what you’ve learnt about autism with others?
Autism Central are now recruiting Peer Educators in London and the Midlands who will be trained to coach, signpost and share their learning with other parents and carers of autistic people. Join our virtual drop in session on Tuesday 20 June 2-2:45pm, to find out more about this opportunity, what it entails and how to apply.
Many disabled children say that leisure and play are the most important things missing in their lives — often due to accessibility barriers and a basic lack of information available locally.
So to help your family make the most of summer together, you’re invited to take part in a special Q&A session with our advisers next week where you can get advice about accessing holidays, activities and short breaks for your disabled child.
This a great opportunity to get advice on issues such as:
Getting help with holiday costs
Disability-friendly venues
Accessing short breaks
Finding suitable play schemes
Accessing special equipment and toys
How to join the Q&A
To take part, you must be a member of our Facebook Group. Simply answer the three membership questions when prompted, and one of our moderators will let you in.
Then, visit our group anytime between 10-11:30am on 22 June to ask your question under our special Q&A post.
The session will be carried out in writing (not a live video). This means you don’t have to stay for the whole duration: just pop your question in the comments, and then come back at a time that suits you to read our reply!
Can’t make it on Thursday?
If you can’t make it, don’t worry! You will still be able to read through the Q&A in our Facebook Group even after the session is finished.
Do you want to have your say on what the government includes in its major conditions strategy?
Ministers have issued a call for evidence to help them decided what to include in the strategy, which will set out plans and priorities for prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management across all six health conditions. These are:
Chronic lung conditions/respiratory disease.
Cancers.
Heart conditions.
Mental health.
Dementia.
Musculoskeletal conditions.
We want to make sure this all-important strategy includes disabled children’s needs, as well as adults’, by collecting parents’ views on what should be included.
If you’d like to take part in a focussed discussion about what the strategy should include and contribute to our response, please email [email protected]
We are especially keen to hear from parents of children with multiple health conditions, including:
Parent/s of child with complex /multiple medical needs.
Parent/s of child with a rare condition.
Parent/s of a child with a life limiting condition.
Parent/s of a child with Down syndrome and related medical needs.
Parent/s of a child with Cerebral Palsy.
Parent/s of a child with Muscular Dystrophy.
Parent/s of a child with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.
Parent/s of a child with a learning disability and or/autism who has mental health needs.
This week, 5-11 June, is Carers Week, an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK.
We support tens of thousands of carers every year through our wide range of services. But do you know all the ways we might be able to help your family?
We know that sometimes parent carers just want to talk to someone who understands the challenges they face, or to let off some steam.
Last year, over 900 parent carers had an appointment with Listening Ear, our telephone service for people looking for practical and emotional support.
100% of feedback respondents said they’d recommend this service to other parent carers.
Brighter Beginnings for disabled children
We want to reach parent carers as early as possible in their journey with our advice and support.
Almost 700 parent carers came to our early years workshops – and more to our all-ages workshops – on topics such as helping your child sleep, managing behaviour that challenges and speech and language.
After attending our workshops, 96% of parent carers reported feeling better informed about how to get support, and 93% felt more confident.
More about Contact
These are just some of the ways we’re supporting parent carers.
Find out more about what we do by watching our video, below.
These young people lack the mental capacity to manage their savings when they turn 18, yet there isn’t an easy way for their parents to access the account on their behalf.
Instead, the government requires parent carers to make an application to the Court of Protection to access their CTF – which can be a complex, expensive and time-consuming process.
Join our Facebook Live on 19 June at 2pm
To help affected families, we’re hosting a special Facebook Live Q&A session on 19 June where parent carers can ask questions directly to CTF experts Philip Warford, managing director of Renaissance Legal, and Myra O’Neill, head of customer services at Foresters Financial.
The session will be led by Contact’s head of policy and campaigns Una Summerson, who will ask Philip and Myra for their advice on key issues including:
What CTFs are and how to find your provider
How the Mental Capacity Act affects access to CTF accounts
What parent carers can do if their child lacks mental capacity to manage their own money
How CTF providers can help families to access their locked accounts
What the Court of Protection is, when to contact them, and the timescales and fees involved
Please note that Philip and Myra are unable to provide one-to-one legal advice during the session.
How to take part in the Q&A
To take part in the Q&A, simply head to the Facebook Live event page on Monday 19 June at 2pm. You don’t need a Facebook account to watch the livestream, but you must be logged in to ask questions or post any other comments.
We recommend confirming your attendance on the event page so that you can receive a notification reminder before the event starts.
If you are unable to attend, don’t worry: the livestream will be recorded and available to watch in our Facebook page. It will also be uploaded to Contact’s YouTube channel.
Support our Child Trust Fund campaign
As part of a parent-led campaign, we are calling on the government to increase the scope of the DWP Appointee Scheme to cover CTFs and Junior ISAs up to £5,000. This would bring England and Wales in line with Scotland, where young people can access their savings via an Access to Funds scheme.
We’re also urging ministers to immediately publish a detailed plan with timescales of how they propose to simplify the Court of Protection process for larger sums of money.
5-11 June is Carers Week – a week that shines a spotlight on the vital role unpaid carers play in our communities.
Recent research shows that that unpaid carers – including parent carers – are providing more hours of care now than they were 10 years ago. Reduced support services such as respite care, physiotherapy, occupational and speech and language therapy, as well as mental health services means parent carers have been left to do more often complex care in their homes themselves and less able to combine work and caring.
Parent carers are at the heart of everything we do at Contact
Free School Meals: Supporting a parent-led campaign to offer food vouchers or other reasonable adjustments to eligible disabled children who are unfairly missing out on the free school meals.
An increase to the payment that eligible Universal Credit claimants can get towards childcare costs will arrive on 28 June 2023, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced.
The payment increase will allow eligible parents to claim up to £951 per month for one child and up to £1,630 per month for two or more children to cover childcare fees. This is up from £646.35 per month for one child and from £1,108.04 for two or more children.
This extra allowance is known as the childcare element of Universal Credit. It can cover up to 85% of a claimant’s childcare costs, up to the maximum amounts noted above.
Also from 28 June, parents on Universal Credit who are moving into work or significantly increasing their working hours will receive help with childcare costs upfront, rather than in arrears.
Eligibility for the childcare element
To qualify for the childcare element, you (and your partner, if you have one) must normally work. Any number of hours of work will do.
You may also qualify if you work and your partner is unable to provide childcare, either because they are incapable of work, or because they provide regular and substantial care to a disabled person (and are eligible for Carer’s Allowance).
Not enough urgency to tackle lack of specialist places and higher costs
At the time, we said: “The Budget focused on getting people back into work. But it missed a large section of the working population: parents with disabled children. Help towards childcare costs through Universal Credit and for one- and two-year-olds is welcome, especially as childcare costs are eight times more for a disabled child. There were also some sensible proposals to address the huge gaps in the childcare workforce. But the urgency and ambition required to deal with the scale of the problem was not there.
“Our Counting the Costs research found a combination of lack of suitable childcare for disabled children and prohibitive costs force parent carers to give up jobs and careers. We need a childcare workforce trained to meet the needs of disabled children. This will ensure there are enough specialist places in all areas across the UK. And we need targeted financial help for families with disabled children who face significantly higher costs for childcare.”
The government has confirmed that disabled children and adults will receive their second £150 disability cost-of-living support payment between 20 June and 4 July this year.
As with last year’s payment, parent carers who have multiple children on disability benefits will get a separate payment for each child.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for the one-off £150 sum, individuals must have been in receipt of (or have begun an eventually successful claim for) one of these qualifying benefits as of 1 April 2023:
There is no need to apply. If you’re eligible, you’ll be paid automatically in the same way you usually get your benefit.
Most people will receive their non-taxable payment between 20 June and 4 July 2023. But your payment may arrive later if, for example, you’re awarded a qualifying benefit at a later date, or if you change the account your benefit is paid into.
More information on financial support for families
This £150 disability payment forms part of the government’s second round of support payments to help eligible low-income or disabled families with the rising cost of living in 2023/24.
NHS England has unveiled plans to make it easier for families to get medications from pharmacies without seeing a GP.
Under the plans, pharmacists will be able to prescribe medications, including antibiotics, for seven common ailments. These are:
Earache.
Sore throats.
Urinary tract infections.
Infected insect bites.
Sinusitis.
Impetigo.
Shingles.
More people will be able to self-refer for physiotherapy, podiatry and hearing tests and women will be able to get oral contraceptives without seeing a nurse or GP.
MPs must address the disproportionate number of children with complex special educational needs (SEN) among severe-absence statistics, a parliamentary committee heard last week.
Speaking on behalf of the Special Education Consortium, of which Contact is a member, Dr Daniel Stavrou told MPs: “It feels misguided to approach this in a punitive way.”
We submitted evidence to the inquiry earlier this year. In our submission, we identified the biggest factor contributing to absence among children with SEN as unmet need. Just under 40% of calls to our helpline come from parents who say the school or local authority is not providing the right support for their child. Many parents are resorting to home schooling their child as schools become less willing to make reasonable adjustments.
We also hear from parents that the school environment and culture is detrimental to their child’s needs. Schools are under pressure to strive for high attendance from both OFSTED and the Children’s Commissioner. Chasing attendance figures is coming at the cost of pupil wellbeing and good relationships with parents.
A culture shift is needed
To rectify this, we suggest a culture shift. The government must look beyond the quantitative figures collected by OFSTED and focus on how schools are supporting pupils with barriers to attendance. We would suggest seeking solutions by documenting good practice in schools achieving high rates of attendance for pupils with SEN.
Schools should also be building and fostering strong relationships with families. Parents should not be facing threats from schools for persistence absence, particularly where absence is authorised for medical reasons. Schools should look into bespoke options for supporting children with SEN, including flex-Schooling.
Contact and Ambitious about Autism are delighted to oversee the Regional Hub for London and the Midlands for Autism Central, a new programme co-designed to provide high-quality and accessible autism information, education and coaching for families and carers.
Co-delivered by autistic people, families and carers, Autism Central is a programme commissioned by NHS England’s Workforce, Training and Education Team. Nine not-for-profit organisations deliver the programme nationally.
We’re recruiting Peer Educators
We are now recruiting Peer Educators from families or carers of autistic people and/or autistic people themselves.
Peer Educators will receive training and coach, signpost and share their learning with other parents and carers of autistic people in a variety of ways, including group and individual sessions.
The focus will be on meeting the needs of autistic people and signposting for access to local and national services. We’ll deliver the sessions in ways that suit local carers online.
We are keen to find people who:
Are family members, partners/spouses of an autistic person or are an autistic person.
Have a good understanding of autism and how to support autistic people.
Motivated to coach, educate and support other families and carers.
Able and willing to learn new skills.
Live in either London or the Midlands.
Are 18+ years old.
This is a paid opportunity – we’ll pay successful applicants on a freelance basis for their work. We can help you to set up as a freelancer.
Contact and Ambitious about Autism are committed to inclusion and diversity. We welcome enquiries and applications for this role from anyone who meets the criteria above and encourage people from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented groups to apply.
Join our information sessions and find out more
If you’re interested in becoming a Peer Educator, please come along to one of our information sessions. Register below to attend a session:
This week, 15-21 May, is Mental Health Awareness Week – and this year the theme is anxiety.
We know that the ongoing cost of living crisis, which quickly followed the pandemic, on top of continued reductions in financial support and cuts to services, is having an enormous impact on the mental health and wellbeing of families we support.
If you’re feeling anxious and struggling emotionally or you just need to talk to someone who understands the extra challenges you face as a parent carer, our Listening Ear service may be just what you’re looking for.
Whether you need practical advice, emotional support, a shoulder to cry on, a safe place to vent – whatever it is — we’re here to help reduce some of the anxiety you may be feeling.
“I’ve learned of some resources I didn’t know about…I’ve felt more positive and calmer…It put things in to perspective and made me try to look at the bigger picture. Jan was fantastic, exactly what I needed and wanted.”
“It was just the support I’ve been looking for for years! So wonderful to be able to talk to people who have lived experience and truly understand and take time to listen and then give very wise and useful advice.”
To help you understand the roll-out and how it might affect you, we’ve tried to anticipate some questions you might have, below.
What is Universal Credit?
Universal Credit is a new benefit that replaces six means-tested benefits: Income Support, income-based Jobseekers Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. These are known as the legacy benefits.
What is managed migration?
There are two ways that someone might move from legacy benefits onto Universal Credit. Firstly, you might have a change of circumstances that means your existing benefits stop. You’ll have little option but to claim Universal Credit instead. This can apply no matter where in the UK you live.
However, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can also ask you to claim Universal Credit even though you have had no change in circumstances. This is called “managed migration”. Up until now, managed migration has only applied to small numbers of claimants in a few pilot areas.
From June, the DWP intends to apply managed migration to much larger numbers of people – starting during 2023/24 with tax credits-only claimants. This means people who are getting tax credits, but who do not receive any other legacy benefits.
Will the DWP automatically move me onto Universal Credit?
No. Although this process is called managed migration, you won’t move over onto Universal Credit automatically. Instead, there are steps you will need to take. You will need to make a claim for Universal Credit within three months of receiving written notice that your existing legacy benefits will be ending.
The only legacy benefit I get is tax credits. When will the DWP ask me to claim Universal Credit?
During 2023/24, all tax credits-only claimants will need to move onto Universal Credit.
It had already been announced that tax credits-only claimants would start to be migrated onto Universal Credit from April in Avon, Somerset and Gloucester and from May in East London and Cheshire. This process will now be expanded to Greater Manchester, East Yorkshire and the Humber from June.
The DWP has not yet provided a timetable for when tax credits-only claimants in the rest of the country will migrate. It has said that it aims to have started migrating tax credits-only claimants:
In every DWP region by September 2023; and
In every jobcentre in Great Britain by the end of March 2024.
In the meantime, if you don’t live in one of the areas mentioned above, keep checking our website for updates on when it will extended to tax credits-only claimants your area.
As well as tax credits, I also get Housing Benefit. When will I need to claim Universal Credit?
Because you get another legacy benefit and are not a tax credits-only claimant, you won’t need to claim Universal Credit until sometime in 2024/25.
The only exception is if you live in one of a small number of pilot areas where people on other legacy benefits are already expected to claim Universal Credit.
What will happen when the DWP selects me for managed migration?
You won’t move onto Universal Credit automatically. Instead, you will have to make a claim for Universal Credit.
You’ll receive a “migration notice” in writing that your legacy benefits will be ending. You’ll have three months from the date on your migration notice within which to make a claim for Universal Credit. After this, your legacy benefits will stop. The DWP can extend this three-month deadline if there are good reasons.
If you don’t claim Universal Credit within the deadline (or any agreed extension), not only will you have an interruption in your benefit payments. You also won’t be eligible for transitional protection if you make a late claim.
What happens if I would be worse off under Universal Credit?
Under Universal Credit, some people are better off, but others are worse off.
So long as you claim Universal Credit within the three-month deadline (or any agreed extension), you’ll be eligible for transitional protection payments. These transitional protection payments top-up your Universal Credit if it’s less than what you were getting under legacy benefits.
If you do not claim by the deadline (or any agreed extension), you will not be eligible for transitional protection. This is so even if you claim Universal Credit at some later date.
Transitional protection for managed migration claimants will be limited for those with capital of more than £16,000. The capital they have above £16,000 will be ignored for only 12 months. If they still have more than £16,000 in capital after 12 months, their Universal Credit award will come to an end.
Certain changes of circumstances will reduce the amount of transitional protection or can even bring it to an end. In addition, transitional protection payments will not be uprated with inflation, so even those getting transitional protection payments will be worse off over time.
Which parts of the UK does managed migration apply to?
The information set out above applies to England, Wales and Scotland.
Northern Ireland will have its own policy on managed migration to Universal Credit.
We corrected this article on Friday 5 May 2023. The roll-out of managed migration to the areas of Avon, Somerset and Gloucester, East London and Cheshire is to tax credits-only claimants and not to claimants of all legacy benefits, as we published initially.
Today, Friday 28 April, is Undiagnosed Children’s Day, an important campaign to raise awareness of undiagnosed genetic conditions.
Approximately 6,000 children are born in the UK each year with a syndrome without a name – a genetic condition so rare that is likely to remain undiagnosed. Children living without a diagnosis often have lots of medical appointments, and their parents can worry that they won’t get the support they’re entitled to.
That’s why it’s so important that everyone working with undiagnosed children understands the key issues and that families get the right help.
If your child is living without a diagnosis, you’re not alone! Other parents with disabled children can be a great source of companionship and support. And even if your children don’t share a condition, many parents find that the issues they face are the same.
One way of meeting other families is by joining a local support group, many of which are not based around a single condition.
You can also find parents across the UK in our private Facebook group, a safe space to talk to other families about a whole host of topics, from behaviour, eating and sleeping to education, health and social care.
Get the latest SEND updates, benefits advice, practical help caring for your child, plus free workshops and family events in our weekly email newsletter.
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