Latest News for Parents & Carers

According to research by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, one in four UK children is bullied frequently, while those with SEND are three times more likely to be bullied and to bully others. Anti-bullying charity Kidscape already helps families who are affected by bullying and offers training and advice to teachers, but now they are teaming up with Governors for Schools to improve support for school governors who are interested in developing anti-bullying strategies and resources.

The government has published a new action plan to help strengthen community support for autistic people and people with learning disabilities. The ‘Building The Right Support Action Plan’ has been put together by a board of representatives from different government departments, local government, the wider health and care sector, the children’s sector, and experts by experience. The action plan includes support to access to education, employment, and other opportunities which help people to fulfil their aspirations.

A new initiative to help support children’s mental health is being launched, which will see school pupils complete mental health “check-ins”. The Government-backed platform from Govox Wellbeing, developed in conjunction with NHSX and King’s College London, is being delivered with the support of suicide prevention charity Papyrus, the Mental Health Foundation and local Mind organisations. The programme, which offers £5 million worth of support, will be offered for free to the first 1,000 secondary schools.

A new survey by TLAP (Think Local, Act Personal) and the Local Government Association has highlighted the difficulties many Disabled people face in hiring a Personal Assistant (PA) to help with daily living tasks. Around 70,000 Disabled people employ a PA in the UK. The survey results found that PA recruitment has got harder, both in terms of a shortage of applicants and their suitability for the work.

More than two-thirds of children in custody have special educational needs (SEN) and educational provision is woefully inadequate for children in both quantity and quality, according to a new report from the Howard League for Penal Reform and Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA). Education inside penal detention for children in England: An overview, found that the needs of children with learning difficulties, speech, language and communication difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health problems are often mislabelled, unrecognised and unmet.