Latest News for Parents & Carers

12 D/deaf, neurodivergent and disabled artists based across the UK have been commissioned to produce new film and audio works for BBC platforms this summer, which is part of BBC Arts’ Culture in Quarantine initiative. The 12 new commissions will champion the work of disabled artists by helping them produce work whilst some may have been self-isolating, and provide a platform to explore their experiences of living through Covid-19. In addition, from the 14th to 18th June, BBC Radio 3 will be broadcasting a series of radio essays titled My Deaf World, written by a range of deaf individuals and people who work with the deaf community.

Do you know a young person who would like to have a voice in decisions that affect their lives? The group works together to help the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) research team as well as other research centres from around the country to come up with ideas for surveys and test out interview questions, understand research findings, organise events and present at conferences and spread the word about the research findings through films and animations. Research advisors can come from anywhere in England and don’t need to have done this sort of thing before, it’s easy to learn and everyone is welcome to take part! The NCB will cover the cost of all travel and expenses so it won’t cost a penny!

Affinity Hub is a website that signposts emotional support for parent carers and provides a professional network for those with an interest in parent carer emotional wellbeing. They have published  ‘Supporting Parents and Carers emotional wellbeing’ – guidance for Health, Education and Social Care Professionals.

Between February and March 2021, as part of the Making Participation Work programme, the Council for Disabled Children commissioned Kaizen to deliver the largest consultation to date with children and young people with SEND to exploring their experiences of the pandemic. The consultation was co-designed between Kaizen, CDC and the FLARE young advisory group, and is based on the feedback of children and young people participating in CDC and KIDS led youth groups.

People forced to food banks at the start of the pandemic faced extreme poverty, with just £248 a month to survive on after housing costs, according to new research by the Trussell Trust. The new study also shows that over seven in ten households referred to a food bank in early 2020 had someone with ill-health or disability, four times the rate in the general population. A majority (62%) of working-age people referred to food banks in early 2020 had a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010, more than three times the rate in the general working age population (19%). People reporting poor health were six times more likely to be food insecure than people reporting ‘excellent’ health.