A fundamental shift in children’s social care services in England is needed to better support families and vulnerable children, a government-commissioned review has found. Josh MacAlister’s independent review of children’s...
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has this week announced that the Scottish government will be doubling the Scottish Child Payment from £10 to £20 per week, starting from April...
Background Children with speech and language impairment or speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) find it difficult to communicate with others. Speech refers to the ability to articulate the sounds...
Plans to cut short break (respite) services in Derbyshire have been put on hold following legal action by Contact Changemakers, Jen and Steve Jackson. Jen and Steve instructed lawyers from...
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The work parent carer forums are doing across England varies enormously. That’s why this February we’re sharing some of their stories with you and have designated this February, Parent Participation...
The DWP has started the ‘managed migration’ process of asking people on tax credits and other means-tested benefits to claim Universal Credit (UC), even if they have had no change...
The government has published its plans to reform support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England today. The SEND Improvement plan includes investment in training for...
Last week the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, announced new measures to help schools with children’s attendance and behaviour. This includes naming the first 21 of 90 new integrated behaviour and...
Yesterday we released the findings of our latest school transport research which reveals the scale of the difficulties facing disabled young people aged 16-18.
With the rise of AI-generated answers featuring at the top of internet search results, it would be easy to assume that the information you’re presented with is reliable and up...
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...
Lots of parents have been in touch with us concerned about the government’s plans for reform of disability benefits. You can read more about the proposals in our new story...
Earlier today, the government launched its Green Paper on disability reform “Pathways to Work”, setting out plans to cut spending on disability benefits by around £5 billion. What plans does...
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...
The government has launched a 12-week consultation setting out plans to make it harder for disabled people to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP). PIP is a non-means tested benefit that helps...
The Darzi review into the state of the NHS has been published this week. In this story we summarise what the review found and what Contact wants to happen next....
Last week saw three Westminster Hall Debates on special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision in England. The first two debates, led by Sarah Dyke and Alistair Strathern, focused on...
