The government published (following a review) an action plan to improve services for children and young people with speech, language, and communication needs.
Source: Better Communication: An action plan to improve services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260) and Department of Health
Links: Action plan | DCSF press release | Review report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Dec
Researchers examined tools to help local authorities and schools to identify children and young people with a disability. Disability could not be identified without reference to impact, and therefore required data to be collected from both parents and children. Data collected from children suggested that there were a considerable number (including those with a difficulty, medical condition, or mental health problem) struggling with aspects of school life.
Source: Jill Porter et al., Disability Data Collection for Children's Services, Research Report RR062, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2008-Nov
A report examined the transition to adulthood for young people with disabilities receiving care from their local authority.
Source: Transitions: The move to adulthood for young people receiving care from their local authority, County Councils Network (020 7664 3011)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Nov
Researchers examined evidence on the effectiveness of individual budgets, and interventions of a similar nature, for families with disabled children. The main factor deterring people from taking up a direct payment was that individuals did not want the monetary responsibility associated with managing and holding their own budget, or the additional responsibility of becoming an employer.
Source: Meera Prabhakar, Graham Thom, Jennifer Hurstfield and Urvashi Parashar, Individual Budgets for Families with Disabled Children: Scoping Study, Research Report RR057, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | Case study report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Oct
A new book examined the 'enabling identities' and caring practices of parents of disabled children through their engagement with professionals, communities, and institutions.
Source: Janice McLaughlin, Dan Goodley, Emma Clavering and Pamela Fisher, Families Raising Disabled Children: Enabling care and social justice, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Summary
Date: 2008-Oct
Researchers developed the optimum design of a survey to generate national and local data on parents' experiences of services for disabled children; and assessed the feasibility of developing a national survey of the views of disabled children themselves.
Source: Caroline Bryson et al., Development of a Survey on Services for Disabled Children, Research Report RR053, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2008-Sep
Campaigners said that disabled children routinely missed out on activities enjoyed by their peers. Negative attitudes from other people was the main barrier facing disabled children from playing with friends, going out in their local community, and spending time away from their parents.
Source: Going Places! Ensuring the play and youth strategies deliver for disabled children and young people, Every Disabled Child Matters (020 7843 6448)
Links: Report | EDCM press release | Community Care report | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Sep
Researchers examined the implementation, delivery, and outcomes of disagreement resolution services for parents of children with special educational needs. Parents lacked awareness of the services, and in some instances local authority staff were not clear about their function. Schools were not always aware of or confident about how to access mediation services.
Source: Rosalind Tennant, Meg Callanan, Dawn Snape, Ian Palmer and Janet Read, Special Educational Needs Disagreement Resolution Services: National evaluation, Research Report RR054, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2008-Sep
A report examined the effect that being a disabled adult, or having a disabled child, had on rates of family break-up, repartnering, and having children. It also provided findings on consequences for employment and poverty for families with a disabled child.
Source: Harriet Clarke and Stephen McKay, Exploring Disability, Family Formation and Break-up: Reviewing the evidence, Research Report 514, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Date: 2008-Aug
A report highlighted the financial problems faced by families with disabled children. 1 in 6 had inadequate incomes to pay for essentials such as food and heating.
Source: Counting the Costs, Contact a Family (020 7608 8700)
Links: Report | CAF press release | EDCM press release
Date: 2008-Aug
The European Court of Justice ruled in favour of a woman who was forced to resign from her job because she wanted more time to care for her disabled son. The ruling established the principle that it was possible to suffer 'discrimination by association'; and therefore that the European Union directive banning employment discrimination on grounds of disability covered carers as well as disabled people themselves.
Source: Coleman v Attridge Law, European Court of Justice (00 352 43031)
Links: Text of judgement | EDCM press release | PRTC press release | Carers UK press release | Scope press release | Age Concern press release | TUC press release | Personnel Today report | Telegraph report | Guardian report | FT report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Jul
Researchers conducted a survey of all Directors of Children's Services in England to collect and analyze data on the numbers and characteristics of disabled children, and on the services provided to them. Varying sources of data available to local authorities, the lack of a consistent definition of disability, and the different categorizations and interpretations of service provision, made it impossible to assess accurately the level of health and social care services provided for disabled children and their families, or the variation in services between local authorities.
Source: Ann Mooney, Charlie Owen and June Statham, Disabled Children: Numbers, Characteristics and Local Service Provision, Research Report 42, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2008-Jun
A briefing paper provided an overview of what was known about the housing circumstances of disabled children and their families. Families with a disabled child were less likely to be living in a decent home compared to families with a non-disabled child. Those with a disabled child were 50 per cent more likely than other families to live in overcrowded accommodation, to rate their home as being in a poor state of repair, and to report problems with wiring, draughts, and damp in the child's bedroom.
Source: Bryony Beresford with Dave Rhodes, Housing and Disabled Children, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241)
Links: Briefing
Date: 2008-Jun
A report said that families with disabled children were more likely than other families to be living in bad housing – indeed, they might be one of the worst housed groups. It called for the government to: ensure that all English regions were considering the housing needs of families with disabled children in their housing strategies; amend the 'bedroom standard' to reflect the need for all disabled children to have a separate bedroom from other children in their household; and issue guidance reminding children's services departments of their existing legal duty to fund adaptations.
Source: Disabled Children and Housing, Every Disabled Child Matters (020 7843 6448)
Links: Report | EDCM press release | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Jun
Researchers examined the use of the 'Integrated Children's System' with families of disabled children in four local authorities piloting the system. Social workers recognized the potential of ICS to improve information collection and recording, creating a more efficient and effective system of electronically held information: but they also expressed concern that ICS duplicated disability-related problems of previous assessment tools, including a bias towards child protection issues. (The ICS is designed to provide a single approach to assessment and review for all children in need in England and Wales, based on electronic information recording and sharing among different groups of practitioners.)
Source: Wendy Mitchell and Patricia Sloper, Evaluation of Pilot Programme of the Integrated Children's System: The Disability Study, Social Policy Research Unit/University of York (01904 433608)
Date: 2008-May
The government announced a package of measures designed to improve the lives of disabled children and their families. Key elements included: guidance to help schools tackle the bullying of disabled children and those with special education needs; national expectations of how disabled children and families in every area could expect services to be provided – the 'core offer'; a new body to support delivery of short breaks for disabled children and their families; and the first wave of pilots projects designed to give parents with disabled children easier access to childcare.
Source: Press release 15 May 2008, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: DCSF press release | Speech | NCH press release | NASUWT press release | ABA press release | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2008-May
An article examined Early Support, a government programme aimed at improving multi-agency working with, and supporting enhanced outcomes for, children aged 0-3 years with a disability.
Source: Alys Young, Bogusia Temple, Linda Davies, Gillian Parkinson and Joanna Bolton, 'Disabled children (0-3 years) and integrated services: the impact of Early Support', Health and Social Care in the Community, Volume 16 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-May
A report called for an inquiry into the numbers of disabled young people who lived in care homes for older people. It estimated that 500,000 disabled young people aged 16-20 were in the wrong accommodation. The report highlighted the issues disabled young people faced in obtaining the right education, housing, work, and social opportunities in the transition years.
Source: Rachel Christophides, Freedom to Live: Transition for disabled young people, Livability (020 7452 2000)
Links: Report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Apr
The government tabled an amendment to the Children and Young Persons Bill that would create a new duty on local authorities to help parents caring for disabled children by giving them breaks from their caring responsibilities.
Source: Press release 5 March 2008, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0870 000 2288)
Links: DCSF press release | EDCM press release | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Mar