Latest News for Parents & Carers

A woman who passed up going to university to care for her autistic foster brother has described how he inspired her to set up her own behavioural therapy centre. Risca Solomon, from Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, first met Dan when he was four years old. His previous respite placements had broken down due to his challenging behaviour. But Ms Solomon, whose parents were foster carers, wanted to help.

A man who can hear again thanks to an implant has praised the NHS for “saving him from living in a silent world“. Ian Milner, 55, from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, first realised he had a hearing problem when he applied for the RAF at the age of 17. After having further tests in his 40s, Mr Milner was diagnosed with significant bilateral hearing loss.

The Co-SPACE project, led by the University of Oxford, has published a report outlining the changes in child mental health and parental financial stress from March 2020 to October 2022. Findings from parents/carer reports within the Co-SPACE sample include:

• On average, children and young people’s behavioural and emotional difficulties have decreased since March 2022.
• Children and young people’s attentional difficulties have, on average, remained unchanged since March 2022.
• Children with SEN/ND and those from low-income families and single-adult households continue to show elevated behavioural, emotional, and attentional difficulties relative to the rest of the Co-SPACE sample.
• Parent/carer financial stress decreased during the first UK national lockdown but increased since (at its highest so far in October 2022).
• Financial stress was higher among parents of children with SEN/ND, from low-income families and single-adult households compared to the whole sample in the Co-SPACE study.

A unique music project bringing people with learning disabilities and primary school children together has ended because of a lack of funding. The SPARKS project trained young adults with special needs to become mentors teaching music to young pupils. Mentors also promoted tolerance and inclusivity by sharing their experiences growing up with disabilities to their classes.

A team of inclusive figure skaters say they want to encourage people with disabilities to take to the ice after winning big at the world championships. The group, Inclusive Skating, trains at Telford Ice Rink in Shropshire with sessions designed to allow people with additional needs to take up the sport.