Our 2nd spotlight session yesterday on kinship families raising children with special educational needs & disabilities. @lucypeake.bsky.social Kinship @annabirdfr.bsky.social @contactfamilies.bsky.social Johanna Bernard #FamiliesInHarmony Kate Cox #IPSEA Brian Roberts @nationalfasd.bsky.social

Have you struggled to get social care for your disabled child? Refused support, faced delays, or caught in disputes? We want to hear from you 💬  Email [email protected] 📩

Pat McFadden to DWP - which will also take on skills (currently in the DfE). (Quick education nerd aside: that is actually a big machinery of government change if that includes 16-19 skills because it's includes funding for school sixth forms).

Share if you agree. It’s time to fix the SEND system. #FightForOrdinary #ReformSEND bit.ly/FFOAction

Proud to be part of this campaign, launching today. Please take action and be part of the #FightForOrdinary

Thanks to Bridget Phillipson for meeting our chair and vice chairs, Anna Bird, Katie Ghose and Jane Harris to discuss SEND reform. A great opportunity to emphasise the need for wide engagement and the importance of putting outcomes for children first.

“The idea of scrapping Education, Health and Care Plans will terrify families. The reality parents and children face now is that an EHCP is the only way they can get an education.” @annabirdfr.bsky.social www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...

'250,000 SEND pupils could lose their legal guarantees of extra support.' Chair of the DCP, @annabirdfr.bsky.social is quoted by @theipaper.com following reports that EHCPs could be restricted in mainstream schools. inews.co.uk/news/250000-...

DCP Chair, @annabirdfr.bsky.social is quoted in this article alongside other voices in the sector following reports that the Government is considering legal changes to the criteria for EHCPs. inews.co.uk/news/politic...

Help us to support more families with disabled children. This week we have launched our Lifeline Appeal in partnership with the Big Give. Until Tuesday 10 December, the Big Give will double every pound donated to our Lifeline appeal 👉 bit.ly/big-give-social

Also aware of families sent letters by school threatening fines for absence ... When the absence was solely due to the children being suspended by the school ... And the suspensions arose from incidents that happened because the school was not meeting the child's (EHCP specified) needs.

You can hear me for @dcpcampaign.bsky.social on Woman’s Hour this morning, discussing today’s announcement that they are allocating £740m from the schools capital budget for SEND facilities- from 7 mins in www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

The gvt’s Child Poverty Strategy must centre the needs of disabled children and their families. Our findings highlight the dire poverty many are experiencing www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1984...

'I may have to give up my job to care for my son' www.bbc.com/news/article... The findings of @contactfamilies.bsky.social latest #countingthecosts research are a grim read. 🙏🏼 @bbclondonnews.bsky.social for shining a light on the inequalities families with disabled children face

This makes me want to scream

A remarkable stat: Heidi Alexander’s appointment as Transport Secretary means the cabinet is now 100% state-educated for the first time in history.

I wrote about the way the SEND crisis is quietly unpicking women's lives - destroying careers, dismantling relationships, damaging physical and mental health. And all this goes on unacknowledged. Long read for The i Paper: inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...

We've had a go at one of those starter pack things! The DCP has more than 120 members - here are thoseon Bluesky (DCP members - please let us know if we've missed you out!) go.bsky.app/4QNiZEF And if your organisation is interested in joining them: email [email protected]

Pleased to see @probonoecon.bsky.social’s research into SEND appeals featured in @pmdfoster.bsky.social’s newsletter this week. £60-80mn wasted by LAs and courts fighting EHCP cases LAs almost invariably lose 👀 www.probonoeconomics.com/wasting-mone...

Shocking news. 36% of UK children are living in poverty according to the latest Social Metrics Commission research (I am one of the Commissioners) www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

We hear this all the time on our helpline @tomshakespeare.bsky.social It’s causing huge amounts of distress.

We at the Disabled Children’s Partnership welcome the additional £1 billion for SEND, which could make a huge difference for millions of children struggling to get the right support in school if it is spent on recruiting new specialists, training, and speeding up access to support.

We at Contact were pleased to hear the Chancellor acknowledge the challenges carers face and increase the earnings limit of Carers Allowance. Many parents have campaigned for this change over many years 👏

Budget reflections a few hours on... 🧵1/7 In her statement the Chancellor said 'change must be felt' - she's right. And it's people experiencing hardship who most need to feel it. Today's budget contained some necessary actions and some problems...

Listened to most of it with my 2 children, during their half term. It’s the first time they’ve listened to the budget, feels great that they will always find it totally normal to have a woman holding court on budget day (while the chaps moo in the background).

With the Chancellor confirming that the Govt will go ahead with changes to the WCA, here’s a reminder of the expected impact… 450k people with disabilities are set to lose up to £4,900 per year — this deserves as much attention as the (similar in size) Winter Fuel Payment cut

Really really pleased to see extra £1bn for SEN on education - it’s totally broken and key to so much (attendance, behaviour in class, kids’ mental health, the lot)

Education looks like an early winner of the budget. Reeves has made an extra £2.3bn available for core schools funding and an additional £1bn for SEND budgets Core schools budget in 2024/25 is £58.8bn

Superhero idea: is a full time carer by day, but by night is a full time carer.