“Don't let disabled children pay the price for welfare reform”: sign our petition

The Government have announced plans for a substantial cut to welfare support for disabled children under the Universal Credit.  The new system will result in many of these children losing up to £1400 per year (£27 per week) compared to the current system - by the time a disabled child reaches 16, this could cost the family £22,000.

In total the Government estimates that 100,000 disabled children would lose out under this change - other estimates suggest the number could be considerably higher. 

Financial support is crucial to help these families with the costs of raising a disabled child and manage their extra caring responsibilities.  £27 is more than half the average family’s food budget - enough to mean the difference between a family meeting their child’s basic needs, and being left simply unable to cope.

We have joined forces with 24 other major charities and other organisations to call on the Government to change these damaging plans.    

Please take action with us by:

> Signing our petition

> Promoting our campaign on your facebook, linked in and twitter accounts

Have your say on post-16 education!

The National Audit Office (NAO), an influential independent Government body, has launched a study into educational provision for people between the ages of 16-25 with a special educational need (SEN).

As part of their research, they have launched a survey for people with knowledge or experience of 16-25 education for those with SEN.

The study will look at how central and local government make decisions on provision for this age group.

It will also look closely at whether value for money is being achieved in the current system.

The NAO is an extremely influential organisation, responsible for auditing government bodies. Their recommendations are often taken forward into government policy. This research is particularly timely given that the SEN Green Paper sets out that educational, health and care plans, which will replace statements, will be available up to the age of 25.

We want to ensure that the views of those affected by autism are represented in the report. Therefore if you have knowledge or experience of special educational needs provision for 16-25 year olds, please do respond to the survey

The NAO are keen to hear from a range of stakeholders in the issue, whether a young person with SEN, a parent or a professional with relevant experience. More information can be found on the NAO’s website. To go directly to the survey, click here

Children's Commissioner issues call for evidence

Dr Maggie Atkinson, Children’s Commissioner for England, today launched an inquiry into school exclusions. She issued a public call for evidence, and will examine questions related to the issue such as:

• What are the key reasons why some children are more likely than others in their peer groups to be excluded?
• How in your view should the inequalities seen in the figures for exclusions be addressed?
• How effective do you consider provision aimed at preventing permanent exclusions is, particularly where any such provision is actively targeted at groups most likely to be excluded?

The commission is particularly interested in hearing examples of good practice in the management of children at risk of exclusion, and in reducing the variations in exclusion rates between different groups.

Over a quarter (27%) of children with autism have been excluded from school at some point and most of these (23%) have been more than once. This compares to just 4% of other children. The NAS welcomes the Children’s Commissioner’s concern about these issues and hopes that the inquiry will be able to make practical recommendations which will reduce the levels of exclusions for children with autism.

Evidence is welcomed from adults or children, and can be submitted by emailing schoolexclusions.inquiry@childrenscommissioner.gsi.gov.uk by Wednesday 5^th October 2011. The adult version of the call for evidence can be downloaded here, and the children’s and young people’s version can be downloaded here

Celebrities support Great Expectations!

Jarvis Cocker, Adam Buxton, Harry Hill and Jonny Borrell have all pledged support to our new campaign Great Expectations.

They have recorded short clips for us expressing their support.

Please go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykt850jvqZ4&feature=relmfu to watch the clips.

Great Expectations launches in Parliament

Yesterday saw the successful launch of our new campaign Great Expectations in Parliament.

NAS President Jane Asher (pictured) reflected on the struggles parents had to get the help their children needed at school. She stressed how important it was to get help in early and how much money this could save in the long run.

Disabilities Minister Maria Miller responded to the campaign on behalf of the Government. She said that the special educational needs (SEN) "system was broken" and that the Government were determined to fix it through proposals set out in the SEN Green Paper.

She also said that getting support in place for children with autism was in her experience a particular battle. Some schools were able to be fully inclusive of children on the spectrum, so others should be able to do it too. At the moment, being able to access the right support seemed to be based on luck, she added.

Shadow Education Secretary Andy Burnham stressed the importance of cross party working on SEN reforms to make sure that Government got the reforms right. He noted the success of cross party working on the Autism Act.

Two parents of children with autism also spoke at the event about their experiences of having to fight the system. Sadly, the research we carried out for the campaign showed that their experiences were all too common.  The research, based on survey responses from over 1,000 children with autism and parents and focus groups accross the country, showed:
 
- 48% of parents say they have waited over a year to get the right support for their child, and 27% have waited more than two years.
- 18% of parents have had to take legal action to get the right support for their children, and have been to tribunal an average of 3.5 times each
- Just half of parents (52%) feel their child is making good educational progress.
- 43% of young people feel teachers don’t know enough about autism.
The campaign calls for a system in which parents are treated as equal partners and genuinely involved in decisions about their child’s education and the planning of local services, and for all children with autism to be able to get the support they need quickly and easily, from teachers who understand how to support them.

The event was hosted by the vice chair of the all party parliamentary group on autism Steve Brine MP. It was well attended - the room was full of MPs, peers, parents of children with autism, children with autism and professionals. 

The NAS is calling on all MPs and peers to support the campaign and help ensure that we use the Government's proposed reforms of the SEN system as an opportunity to get things right for children with autism. Please support the campaign, by emailing your MP.

Great Expectations: The NAS' new campaign on autism and education

Today The National Autistic Society launches a new campaign, Great Expectations , to end the battle many parents face trying to get the right education for their child, and we need your help.

The Government is planning the biggest overhaul of the SEN system for 30 years. The Great Expectations campaign aims to make sure we take this opportunity to make the changes to the system that children with autism and their parents want. We have great expectations for an education system which works for every child with autism. 

The campaign report, published today, is based on research with over 1,000 children with autism and parents. Our research found that:

·         48% of parents say they have waited over a year to get the right support for their child, and 27% have waited more than two years.

·         18% of parents have had to take legal action to get the right support for their children, and have been to tribunal an average of 3.5 times each.

·         Just half of parents (52%) feel their child is making good educational progress.

·         43% of young people feel teachers don’t know enough about autism. 

The campaign will be launched in Parliament this evening at a reception expecting to attract around 80 MPs, including the Disability Minister, Maria Miller and Shadow Education Secretary, Andy Burnham.

The NAS is calling for a system in which parents are treated as equal partners and genuinely involved in decisions about their child’s education and the planning of local services, and for all children with autism to be able to get the support they need quickly and easily, from teachers who understand how to support them.

We need your help.

You can support the campaign, by emailing your MP to ask them to raise these issues in parliament. To find out more about the campaign, and other ways you can get involved, visit the campaign homepage .

The Government’s reforms will shape the future of a generation of children with autism.

·         Children with autism expect an education that sets them up for life

·         Parents expect a system that works with, not against, them

·         We expect the Government to listen, and to act.

Let’s work together. Let’s get it right.

Good news on legal aid

Following campaigning by the NAS alongside a range of other organisations who are part of the Special Education Consortium (SEC), the Government has reversed its decision to remove legal aid for SEN cases.

 

Announcing the publication of the Legal Aid and Sentancing Bill on 21st June, Justice Minister Ken Clark stated clearly that he had decided to protect legal aid for SEN cases.

 

The legal aid scheme provides free legal support to the poorest parents appealing to the Tribunal against decisions made by local authorities in England about the additional support their child gets.

 

Parents can receive legal advice in preparing a case and also legal representation at the Upper-tier Tribunal (which is the equivalent of the High Court).

 

Legal aid also allows parents to purchase the independent reports needed to support their evidence to the Tribunal. The eligibility criteria for legal aid is both means tested and based on a merits test that considers the chances of a claim succeeding and the resources at stake.

 

For more information and advice on preparing for Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunals, contact our education rights service on 0808 8004102 or see: http://www.autism.org.uk/our-services/advice-and-information-services/education-rights-service/advocacy-for-education-service-in-england-and-wales.aspx