The Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP) has launched its new report, which sets out a positive vision for reform, showing how the special educational needs (SEND) system can be transformed without taking away existing legal rights and protections.
The ‘Fight for Ordinary’ report urges the public to contact local MPs to support the campaign by taking simple action.
Pushing for children and young people with SEND to access ordinary things that other children take for granted, the campaign asks for the UK Government to ensure placements in nursery, schools, or colleges, the opportunity to make friends and take part in activities and clubs outside and after school, and healthcare and support.
The DCP welcomes the government’s commitment to addressing the failings in the SEND system, the ability to access support routinely, and emphasis on early intervention and more inclusive mainstream provision. It says that the system should be less adversarial.
It also says the government must not dilute existing rights and protections or restrict Education, Health and Care plans (EHCP) for those who continue to need them.
The DCP is asking for the government to make a reality of its vision by strengthening support for children who do not have plans and ensuring sufficient funding and accountability for all parts of the system.
It says it is ready to work with government and parliamentarians to ensure children see the right reforms, which include legally guaranteed support for children with and without EHCPs; putting the current SEN support arrangements on a statutory footing; nurseries, schools, and colleges being set up to succeed for children with SEND, with the training, tools, and access to specialist advice and support; ensuring every local area has a plan for how they will provide a good education, a mix of mainstream and specialist placements, and sufficient therapists and educational psychologists; making sure the progress and experiences of these children is measured so that no one is left behind; and facilitating enough money in the system and the right incentives to ensure it works.
The DCP says this is a once in a generation opportunity to make children and families lives better. Getting this wrong would make it even harder for families to get the support their children so desperately need, the charity warns.
The DCP recently polled the general public on what “ordinary expectations” are. The polling has shown that 94 percent of voters agree that children should have a school place where they feel happy, belong, and can achieve. 91 percent agree that children should have the opportunity to have friends and take part in after school activities and clubs.
Additionally, 93 percent agree that children should have access to the health care they need, 81 percent agree that parents should have the opportunity to work as well as have children, and 88 percent agree that disabled children and children with additional needs should have legal rights and protections that give them the same education and opportunities as other children.
Children and young people’s Professional Advisor at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, Dr Sally Payne, commented: “Every child should have the chance to live an ordinary childhood – one where they feel included, supported, and able to thrive. The support available for disabled children must improve and to make real change, every school must have access to occupational therapy.
“Schools need to work together with occupational therapists so they understand what support each child needs. Occupational therapists help children take part in everyday life: learning, playing, and making friends. These aren’t luxuries, they’re the building blocks of a good life. Occupational therapists can help reduce pressure on teaching staff, the NHS and families by providing support to children as early in their lives as possible. Delays in access and misunderstandings about requirements are leaving too many children behind.
“To maximise our impact, occupational therapy must be accessible, embedded in children’s natural environments like schools and communities, and delivered in partnership with others in the children’s workforce. We urgently need investment in the occupational therapy workforce to meet rising need and ensure early, equitable access across the UK.
“The upcoming Schools White Paper provides a real opportunity to make a genuine difference to the lives of disabled children and their families. With the right investment in the occupational therapy workforce, we can make sure all children get the support they need to thrive.”
Last year, DCP and RCOT came together to campaign for better support for disabled children and their families.
The post Charity asks the UK Government to strengthen support for special educational needs children appeared first on AT Today – Assistive Technology.