Disabled children forced to wait for health services “robbed of their childhood”

2 mins read

Wednesday 16 October 2024

Tags: camhs, waiting lists, children's commissioner

Children facing “huge” waits for assessments by community and mental health services are being “robbed of their childhood”, according to the Children’s Commissioner for England.

In her latest report, “Waiting times for assessment and support for autism, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions”, Dame Rachel De Souza found 400,000 children with suspected neurodevelopmental conditions are waiting for their first appointment with community health services.

“Children and families left in the lurch”

Thousands of children were waiting more than two years. One in six had waited more than four years, the equivalent to a full key stage in their education.

Around 34,000 children were waiting for their first contact with learning disability and autism services in child and adolescent mental health services (CAHMS), the report found.

Children referred for Down syndrome assessments waited the longest, an average of two years and seven months. Those referred with ‘organic brain disorder’ waited an average of one year and four months. It took up to eight months to see the epilepsy/neurological service.

“Children and families are often left in the lurch, expected to cope by themselves while they wait,” Dame de Souza said.

What does Dame de Souza’s report recommend to government?

Dame de Souza’s report recommends:

  • Investment in more appointments in children’s community and mental health services.
  • A joint health, education and social care workforce strategy for disabled and neurodivergent children and children with SEND to recruit therapists, psychologists, personal assistants, and other key professionals.
  • Integrating services in ‘families of schools’ with teams of therapists, educational psychologists and mental health professionals working in schools to support children.
  • Support for children on waiting lists with school “drop-ins” with multi-disciplinary teams, without need a diagnosis.
  • Making Disabled Children’s social care teams “consistently inclusive” of children with neurodevelopmental conditions.

What does the Commissioner do and what powers does she have?

The office of the Children’s Commissioner is a national, independent organisation. It has statutory powers and a legal duty to promote and protect the rights, views, and interests of all children in England in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

The commissioner provides advice to the government on how policies legislation may affect children’s rights.