Latest News for Parents & Carers

A government-backed programme to close most ticket offices across the country will lead to a significant fall in the number of staff available to support disabled passengers, analysis of consultation documents has shown. Several of the documents published last week by train companies make it impossible to assess the impact of the closure programme on staffing levels at rail stations.

Zebby, a two-year-old black and white cat from Chesterfield, in Derbyshire, was named Cats Protection’s National Cat of the Year. He supports his owner Genevieve Moss, 66, by tapping her to alert her to noises like the phone or doorbell ringing. Ms Moss said she “can’t imagine life without Zebby” and is “over the moon”.

Contact has introduced Charlie the Chatbot to their website! Charlie can guide you through their information and advice to help you find the support you need quickly and easily, whenever you need it – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Charlie can be found on the bottom right-hand side of Contact’s website or on Facebook Messenger.

Mary had her Blue Badge stolen from her car and her experience is becoming more common. There were 1,484 Blue Badge thefts in the year to March 2022, up 41% from 1,055 the previous year, according to BBC analysis of the latest available figures from the Department for Transport.

In an interview with Alan Carr on his podcast Life’s A Beach, Melanie Sykes opened up about how Tourette’s syndrome has impacted her life. The 52-year-old was diagnosed with autism in 2021, and now joins a list of other celebrities, including Lewis Capaldi and Billie Eilish, who have been vocal about their journey with Tourette’s.