Latest News for Parents & Carers

Changes to special educational needs provision in England could be thwarted by “academic attainment at all costs” policies that prioritise exam results and punish inclusive schools, headteachers have said in response to a government consultation.

The Department for Work and Pensions has announced today it is hiring up to 500 extra staff to clear a backlog in claims and help tens of thousands of disabled people to get access to work. Delays with the Access to Work scheme have left disability organisations hundreds of thousands of pounds out of pocket.

Funding for some services within the National Disability Insurance Scheme will be slashed – even in cases where participants could be left with a funding gap – as part of a sweeping proposal to drastically curb the scheme’s annual growth.

Motability drivers will no longer need to have a black box fitted to their vehicles following criticism from users affected by the rule changes. The Motability scheme – through which certain disability benefits can be exchanged for a lease on a vehicle – had made the boxes compulsory for new leaseholders and drivers aged under 30 in April.

A woman who uses a wheelchair has blasted a popular nightclub after claiming she was kicked out by the manager for being a ‘fire risk’. Maddie Haining, 18, alleges she was ejected from Club Tropicana on Manchester’s busy Canal Street in the early hours of Saturday morning – an experience she described as “dehumanising”.