Latest News for Parents & Carers

Eating and drinking are basic needs for us all, but if you have a disability, opening food and drink packages can be a chore. To remove this frustration, all packaging should be inclusive, making it accessible for everyone. Brandon Bach, President of Consumer Convenience Technologies (CCT), which created the innovative and accessible EEASY Lid, explains why and how manufacturers should be thinking about inclusivity when they design packaging.

Are you confused about how many Covid vaccine doses you and your children are entitled to? You are not alone! To help, Contact has put together information about the vaccination for all age groups, including rules on eligibility, dosage, bookings, and what to do if your vulnerable child is refused a second jab.

Sometimes it helps to ‘offload’ to someone who understands what you are going through. The Challenging Behaviour Foundation (CBF) is offering peer support via the telephone purely as a listening ear, giving you the time to talk. The support is non-judgmental and confidential. This is not a counselling, information or advice service.

You will be offered 1 or 2 calls with the same family carer supporter. Open to parents, siblings or other close relatives of children, young people or adults with severe learning disabilities who display behaviour that challenges. Please contact Elissia on 0300 666 0126 or support@thecbf.org.uk 

Channel 4 subtitles, signing and audio description are unlikely to return to TV until mid-November, after a catastrophic fault knocked broadcast services offline in September. The missing services have angered d/Deaf and visually impaired viewers. Ofcom has received over 500 complaints. Channel 4 is building a new system from scratch, which it says will fix the problem more quickly than its current prediction of mid-November.

The broadcaster said: “Channel 4 would like to apologise to viewers for not currently being able to provide access services. We realise how frustrating this is for our viewers.”

The Anna Freud Include Network is looking to find out what children’s and young people’s thoughts and preferences are on social prescribing (where social activities to support mental health are prescribed instead of medicine). Children and young people will receive a £10 voucher for their time.