Latest News for Parents & Carers

A therapy dog helping children feel calmer in the classroom has been hailed as a “secret weapon” by a head teacher. Darcy, a two-year-old sprocker spaniel, has been working full time at Abbotts Hall Primary School in Stowmarket for the past 12 months. Teachers have found the dog helpful in making children feel more happy and safe when coming to school. Headteacher Rachel Bailey said: “Children, staff, parents, the whole community, love having her here.”

A press watchdog has received hundreds of complaints about a “toxic” article by the Daily Telegraph which asked its readers to calculate how much disabled people on out-of-work benefits were contributing to the country’s “tax burden”.

The parents of a girl from Birtley, Gateshead, have told ITV News Tyne Tees they want her story to inspire others into disabled gymnastics. Paige Harvey, 13, took up the sport just five years ago but has already won a number of medals both regionally and nationally. She has Downs Syndrome, heart disease and requires oxygen at night to breathe.

A Jersey wheelchair user wants hotel bosses to realise the importance of truly accessible rooms. Luke du Val has cerebral palsy and says he does not have the same opportunities to travel as some of his friends, with spontaneous trips away usually taking weeks or months to organise.

Families who have extra costs because of a child’s disability are going without electricity or heating. Disabled children are being forced to go without electricity or heating because their families are being disproportionately harmed by the cost-of-living crisis, according to research by a children’s charity.