Latest News for Parents & Carers

Campaigners have accused the government of “unforgivable” failings after previously unreleased figures suggested that the majority of successful disability benefit appeals were because of errors by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). According to previously unpublished data held by the DWP, 59% of successful tribunal appeals by applicants for the personal independence payment (Pip) benefit since the start of 2021 were because the tribunal “reached a different conclusion on substantially the same facts”.

An autistic man who has been held in a secure hospital for 21 years has been told he can finally go home. Tony Hickmott, 45, was sectioned after he had a mental health crisis in 2001, and despite a long fight by his family, he has not been released since. Last year, a judge criticised his detention, telling authorities to find a home near his parents, in Brighton.

Deaf representation on TV is continuing to grow with a deaf contestant on Channel 4’s Handmade: Britain’s Best Woodworker and comedian John Bishop’s new documentary and comedy show – John & Joe Bishop: Life After Deaf – in which he learns about British Sign Language (BSL) and deaf awareness with his son, Joe, who lives with hearing loss, and presents a fully-signed comedy show.

A new wildlife hub for children with disabilities has opened, built from funds a woman left in her will. Olwen McPherson gave £30,000 to the Dorothy Clive Garden in Market Drayton, Shropshire, to build the hub for children to connect with wildlife. Ms McPherson was the founder of The AbleChild Trust, a charity that helps children with disabilities.

A woman has credited her mother with keeping her alive, after she quit her job to care for her and her brother. Avneet, 21, and her brother Eeshar, 25, from Derby, have cystinosis, a rare, genetic disease that damages their kidneys and, for which there is no cure.