Education committee demands urgent reform of disabled children’s social care
4 mins read
Thursday 10 July 2025
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.
In a hard hitting report on its recent children’s social care inquiry, the committee calls on the Department for Education to introduce national eligibility criteria for disabled children’s social care and set out how it will implement and fund the Law Commission’s proposal for a single legal duty to assess disabled children’s social care needs.
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.
