Council for Disabled Children

Read the new report published by the What Works in SEND programme

https://lnkd.in/egJTQ8XM The abhorrent practices that took place at Whitefield Special School between 2014 and 2017, are a stark reminder of how vulnerable disabled children and young people can be to abuse and harm at the hands of those meant to care for them. The brutal misuse of restraint, isolation, and physical force often arises from a crisis in providing the right workforce for the job, with widespread difficulties in recruiting, retaining, and training care workers, coupled with understaffing. When the failings at special schools run by the Hesley Group emerged more recently, we warned that unless action was taken at every level of the system, incidents like these were destined to repeat themselves. The Government has responded to our recommendations, outlining plans to protect disabled young people with complex overlapping health needs. However, the video footage from Whitefield Special School is a chilling reminder of the urgency in implementing these measures. For too many children and young people in special schools - and to be clear one is too many - life can feel like imprisonment, with little contact with their home communities and loved ones. Due to the extent of their disabilities and health needs, their cries for help can be easily dismissed when they are subjected to abuse. Alongside improving the workforce, we urge the Government to prioritise the creation of new advocacy standards to ensure the voices of disabled children and young people with complex needs are heard and acted upon by the professionals responsible for their welfare.

This guide is designed to help early years providers understand the legislation and how it applies to their work with disabled children. It draws on examples of practice that may amount of discrimination or that may help early years providers to avoid it. Read here: https://buff.ly/3Ptwljj

Help shape the future of the NHS for disabled children. Disabled Children's Partnership is calling on parents and the public to respond to the NHS’s 10-Year Plan call for evidence. This consultation is your chance to: - Highlight the specific needs of disabled children and their families. - Advocate for better access to specialist services and support. - Push for improved communication and coordination between different healthcare providers. - Share your experiences, both positive and negative, to inform the future of the NHS. See the blog to learn more and get involved: https://buff.ly/3CEfSUI #NHS10YearPlan #SEND

Today, Thursday 14 November, the What Works in SEND programme published a new report titled ‘Inclusion of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in schools – how can local areas support schools?’ The report explores the key ingredients that facilitate the inclusion of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in schools, focusing in particular on understanding what local areas can do to better support schools to become more inclusive, improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND and their families. Findings encompass facilitating factors and challenges in eight areas, covering: - A values-based approach to inclusion - An ethos of inclusion in schools - Support for inclusion of children and young people with SEND - Workforce - Partnership with parent carers - Multi-Agency working - Leadership - Funding The researchers set out a three-pronged approach to enhancing inclusion derived from their research, highlighting actions which can be taken at a policy level, local area level, and schools level, with actions at different levels necessarily reinforcing each other. Amanda Allard, Director of the Council for Disabled Children, said:  “We’re delighted to be able to publish this new report from the What Works in SEND programme. It very clearly sets out what good looks like in terms of local area support that enables inclusion in schools. We’re publishing this at a crucial time with the new Government setting out their intention to ensure that schools, both MATs and maintained, should be welcoming and inclusive spaces for all pupils. The report contains a wealth of information on approaches local authorities and their partners can adopt which will support that intent and help to ensure that schools are places that support disabled children and young people and those with SEN to thrive and achieve.” You can read the report here: https://lnkd.in/eya87375 #SEND

To support disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who have been permanently excluded from school, the Information, Advice and Support Services Network in partnership with the Equality and Human Rights Commission have published resources for SENDIAS service practitioners to appeal #exclusions. View here: https://buff.ly/3p8cfzD #SchoolExclusion

We are delighted that Dame Christine Lenehan is taking up the role of Strategic Advisor on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) at the Department for Education (DfE). Christine was previously Director of the Council for Disabled Children and her expertise will be a great support to DfE. We are looking forward to working together on the future of SEND reform.

The Law Commission's proposals on changes to disabled children’s social care legislation present a welcome opportunity to review and remove the barriers for many families needing to access support. But what would the changes mean for practice and where are the biggest risks of unintended consequences? Read the thoughts of Caroline Coady, our Deputy Director, in her blog for Children & Young People Now: https://lnkd.in/eYaXG6D3 #SEND #socialwork

Babies, children and young people make up around 25% of the population, yet they only account for 11% of NHS expenditure. Children’s physical and mental health outcomes in England are poor in relation to comparable countries, and there has been a shocking decline in the health of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children in recent years. When it comes to hospital waiting times, children’s waitlists are growing at double the rate of adults. We must have leadership from the very top that prioritises childhood. The Children and Young People’s Health Policy Influencing Group, chaired by the National Children's Bureau and the Council for Disabled Children, publishes today its Roadmap on how the government can improve child health outcomes. Last week’s Budget made some steps in the right direction, but failed to implement the systemic change needed. Our Roadmap welcomes the government’s manifesto commitments on babies, children and young people’s health needs, and outlines the necessary steps to significantly improve child health outcomes. Read the full Roadmap here: https://lnkd.in/eg-47X6h

Our 0-25 Multi-Agency SEND Data Dashboard is a commissioning tool that brings together data relevant to education, health and social care in one tool. The dashboard is designed to support local areas to understand their data through 3 lenses: - Local profile: understanding local need - Governance and assurance: 'what did we do and how well are we doing it?' - Qualitative Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): 'how do we know we are making a difference?' The dashboard includes suggested indicators that local areas could use within an existing local outcomes framework and SEND dashboard. To access the Data Dashboard and supporting guidance, click here: https://buff.ly/2KXefWr #SENDData #SENDDashboard #SENDOutcomes